Jane Wallace at Home   

Jane Wallace 's idea of fun? Serious interviews, a not-so-serious setting, and unexpected viewer responses – all done live. That's the formula for her new show, "Under Scrutiny With Jane Wallace," which debuted in June on Rupert Murdoch 's latest media venture, the fX cable channel.

The format of the half-hour show, which is broadcast weeknights, is nothing spectacular. Wallace, 39, quizzes newsmakers and fields viewer questions. But the former cohost of CNBC 's freewheeling "Equal Time" (with Republican consultant Mary Matalin ) says she eventually hopes to reserve one night a week to "cut it loose" and tackle less serious topics.

The former CBS reporter says that she was ready for a change when officials from fX asked if she would like to host a show for them after her "Equal Time" contract expired in May. "I missed doing serious work," she says.

" 'Equal Time' was fun, but it was more like a cocktail party than serious news."

At her new show, Wallace says, "we're likely to slice an issue differently" than the competition, partly because she is a "genuinely impatient person" who prefers to cut to the chase.

The show's set, in an expansive Manhattan apartment purchased by fX atop its headquarters, adds something new to the formula. (It also gives new meaning to the term "studio apartment.") Each of the rooms is fully furnished and has its own personality, from ballroom to rec room to study. "We could shoot the show from the john if we wanted to," Wallace says with a laugh. There's even a microwave in the kitchen, competing for plugs with the cameras.

Although most of the show takes place in the apartment's study, Wallace has wandered into the ballroom and on one occasion made coffee in the kitchen. Nothing like working at home.