monday
Featured pick:
Those who scoff at TV as mindless entertainment clearly haven’t watched certain shows, certainly must have missed the best that TV has to offer.
The best TV? It moves you, it makes you think, spurs interesting conversations and inspires you to Read More About It. The best television dramas draw you into their world for a time and feature characters, stories, and scenes you’ll never forget.
China Beach is one of the shows on my short list of series I absolutely adore and that I can’t recommend highly enough.
I’ll never ever forget Colleen McMurphy as played by Dana Delaney. Or Doctor Richard as played by Robert Picardo. Michael Boatman as Sam Beckett or Marg Helgenberger as K.C. Then there’s Boonie (Brian Wimmer) and Dodger (Jeff Kober). Lila (Concetta Tomei). Cherry (Nan Woods). So many others. I remember the characters, I remember the actors, I remember the stories.
Because China Beach followed these characters to Vietnam and then even back to the U.S. during (and after) the war. The show showed me the faces of real people that were there, too, in special episodes that told the true stories behind the drama.
The characters were more real and believable than most– with good days and bad days, strengths and weaknesses. Writers and actors paid attention to small details, that made all the difference.
It’s a show that made me laugh and made me cry and made me think. And that stayed with me, long after it left the air.
Today I cheered when I saw it in the TV listings. The show aired again a while back on TV Land, but TV Land never showed the final season or so of episodes which I haven’t seen since they first aired. It looks, at first glance, like the History Channel may have the rights to all of the episodes, which is definitely cause for celebration.
There’s a mini-marathon of the series today, from 9am – 7pm on the History Channel. (It’s probably not a good place to start with the series as it jumps around quite a bit, but if you’re already a fan you may want to check it out).
And episodes start airing regularly tomorrow with the first part of the two-hour pilot movie. Episodes will air regularly at 1pm and 6pm weekdays on the History Channel.
More picks and possibilities:
The “Mary Pat Shelby” episode of Sports Night (Comedy Central, 1:30pm; 12:30am) is exhibit 1 in the case to show that Sports Night isn’t a sitcom. ‘Cuz it’s an episode more befitting a drama. Not that the series isn’t funny, of course. It’s just not easily categorized. Gotta love that.
Series premiere of Spyder Games (MTV, 2pm and 7pm). It’s a soap or a spoof of a soap or something. Joyce Millman sez: “The show revolves around the bed-hopping antics of a Russian-born video game company president and his horny offspring.” Well alright then.
Steele and Laura pose as husband and wife on a trip to a “sensitivity spa” on Remington Steele (PAX, 3pm).
Holy ’80s flashback, Batman! The Miami Vice episode of True Hollywood Story (E!, 3pm) and the Mr. T episode of True Hollywood Story (E!, 4pm).
Bester returns yet again in the “Ship of Tears” episode of Babylon 5 (Sci-Fi, 6pm, letterboxed). And this time he’s working with Sheridan and company? Or is he?
Two-hour conclusion of Biography’s look at the Impressionists (A&E, 7pm and 11pm).
The second episode of Boston Public (FOX, 7pm) was an improvement on the pilot episode (mostly because it toned down some things).
Junkyard Wars (TLC, 7pm and 10pm) “Deep Sea Dive”
Felicity Huffman and Mare Winningham play two moms who are accused of being child pornographers in the new Lifetime movie Snap Decision (Lifetime, 8pm).
Darryl throws a wild Halloween party which gets even wilder when a ghost shows up. On The Hughleys (UPN, 7:30pm). Call this my summer of sitcoms, since I find myself catching up with The Hughleys and Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 8pm) and other sitcoms I didn’t get a chance to watch regularly earlier this year.
The first part of a new four-part four-hour documentary Vietnam: On the Frontlines (History Channel, 8pm) premieres tonight.
New Timeslot:
Angel (WB, 8pm) moves to a new night and time. And yeah, this is where/when the show will air in the fall, too. Tonight’s episode is a rerun of the one where Angel discovers Wolfram & Hart’s involvement with a shelter for runaways.
Anne Heche makes her first appearance on Ally McBeal (FOX, 8pm) as a client with Tourette’s syndrome.
Battle of the Baldwin Brothers: James Woods and Daniel Baldwin in John Carpenter’s Vampires (Sci-Fi, 8pm). Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin in Fled (FX, 8pm).
W.C. Fields, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bela Lugosi, Cab Calloway, and a very very young Rose Marie (she was a baby!) star in International House (TCM, 8:45pm). “A Chinese inventor creates chaos for a big-city hotel while demonstrating his new television device.” Yes, this group of people fights over rights to TV. In a film from 1933.
New episode of Daria (MTV, 9pm). Daria’s aunt comes to visit (in an episode called “Aunt Nauseum”).
Chris is audited by the IRS on a new episode of The Chris Isaak Show (Showtime, 9pm).
Dwight Schultz Alert!
Dwight Schultz and Kimberlin Brown guest star on Diagnosis Murder (PAX, 9pm). Schultz plays a psychiatrist whose wife is murdered. Brown plays a suspect.
If you couldn’t find time for Cold Feet (Bravo, 9pm and midnight) earlier this year, maybe you can now. It’s a funny british tv series about a few couples. Not to be confused with the lame American remake from a couple years ago.
Trouble right here in River City: The Music Man (AMC, 9:30pm).
Reed Diamond returns as Mike Kellerman in part 1 of the two-part “Kellerman, P.I.” episode of Homicide: Life on the Street (Court TV, 10pm). There were some good scenes in this two parter, but the episode still suffers from too-much-Falsone and from a rather pedestrian case (that was done to better effect on Law & Order). Still, good to see Kellerman again.
Lucinda Williams on a new Late Show w/ David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).
John Travolta, James King, Train on a new Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).
Damon Wayans, Dave Attell, and Laura Prepon (of That ’70s Show) on a rerun of Late Night w/ Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).
Rob Schneider and Janel Moloney (of The West Wing) on a new Late Late Show (CBS, check your local listings).
