Laurel’s TV Picks

Season premiere of Friends (NBC, 7pm – 7:48pm)
Season premiere of C.S.I. (CBS, 8pm)
Season premiere of Without A Trace (CBS, 9pm)
Live by Request Starring Elvis Costello (A&E, 9pm, 1am; also airs again at 9am on Sunday)
Colin Powell, Jennifer Garner on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)

The season premiere of Scrubs airs next Thursday. Scrubs will air regularly at 7:30pm Thursday, after Friends, like it did last year.

Don’t forget to check out the 2003-04 Fall Schedule Grid (with premiere dates) and the TV on DVD page.

Marg Helgenberger, Bobby Cannavale, Jill Jones, Vesta on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jason Biggs, Amber Valletta, Michelle Branch on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings). More info.

The Bachelor, Leah Remini on The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“A Family Divided, Part 2″ on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Suburban Teens: The New Prostitutes” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Shadow” and “Listening to Fear” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, 3pm, 4pm). Final two episodes of the fourth season.

Remember when John Larroquette was on The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm and 10pm)? And he didn’t much like Ainsley (Emily Procter)? Good times.

Season premiere of Friends (NBC, 7pm – 7:48pm). Picks up right where last season left off, with the gang in Barbados. Joey’d just kissed Rachel. Stuff like that. And yes, NBC is screwing with us again tonight airing all their episodes with non-standard start and/or end times. Friends runs from 7pm ’til 7:48pm.

An explosion leads the team to a network of terrorists who deal with drug dealers on Threat Matrix (ABC, 7pm). A DEA agent and a Vietnam vet are somehow involved. You know what? The pilot wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. A bit preposterous, sure, but it kept me watching. Possibly a decent alternative to Friends and Survivor if you’re looking for one. Although I feel I should warn X-Files fans that episodes 4 and 7, should the show be on that long, were penned by John Shiban.

Season premiere of Will & Grace (NBC, 7:48pm – 8:27pm). Picks up where last season left off. Grace is worried her husband is cheating on her or will be soon. Jack and Will aren’t sure how they ended up in bed together. And Karen (and Rosario) seem to have fallen overboard.

Season premiere of C.S.I. (CBS, 8pm). Yet another serial killer is busy down in Vegas. Lots of double-homicides this time. Those who work on the show seem extra happy about how this season has gone so far, so that could be a good sign (or just the usual pre-season hype). Episode title is “Assume Nothing.”

Dr. Phil on Larry King Live (CNN, 8pm and 11pm and 2am).

Series premiere of Coupling (NBC, 8:27pm – 8:59pm). Based on the hit British TV series (which oddly enough was inspired by Friends). Some folks I trust find the British series hilarious (others not so much). Me? I haven’t seen it. Most who’ve seen the pilot for the American version either a) don’t like it or b) think it pales in comparison to the British series. Me? I’m just sick to death of all the ads for it. Three men, three women, all friends who all sleep with each other. Or something.

Season premiere of Without A Trace (CBS, 9pm). An entire schoolbus (complete with passengers) disappears. That can’t be good. I hope that the folks who discovered this series over the summer stick with it this fall because last season, at least, it was better than ER.

Season premiere of ER (NBC, 8:59pm). Surely you’ve heard of this show, right?

Live by Request Starring Elvis Costello (A&E, 9pm, 1am; also airs again at 9am on Sunday)

Jonah Goldberg on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Back to back episodes of The Orlando Jones Show (FX, 10pm, 10:30pm). Sanaa Lathan on the first episode, Wanda Sykes on the second.

Futurama (Cartoon Network, 10:30pm).

Kevin Hart, Patrice Oneal, Dante, Flex Alexander on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Colin Powell, Jennifer Garner (of Alias) on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Alicia Silverstone, “Hollywood’s Most Talented Dogs”, Nickelback on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Diane Lane, Wanda Sykes, Jonny Lang on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

Ben Stiller, Obie Trice on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Danny DeVito, Michael Vartan (of Alias), Jet on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (CBS, check your local listings).

Christina Ricci, Michael Rapaport, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring The Ying Yang Twins on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Harvey Fierstein, Gloria Estefan performs live on Today (NBC, 7am – 10am).

Jennifer Garner, Camryn Manheim, Emeril Lagasse on Good Morning, America (ABC, 7am – 9am).

Joe Pantoliano, latest Survivor castoff on The Early Show (CBS, 7am – 9am).

Diane Lane, Jennifer Garner, Elvis Costello on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Camryn Manheim, Sharon Osbourne, famed skin doctor Dr. Nicholas Perricone, and co-host Martha MacCallum on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Celine Dion, Mary Steenburgen, Ernie Hudson, Marjorie Johnson on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Daryl Hannah, David Alan Grier, Pat Benatar on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings). More info.

Stephen Dorff, Ming-Na, Alyn Libman (a transgendered teen), Hanson on The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Dr. Phil’s Confidence Course” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Real People Who Solved High-Profile Crimes” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Joe Pantoliano, Outkast on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Rosie O’Donnell, Boy George, Jack Black on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

The Rock, Isaac Mizrahi on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

Jennifer Garner, Danny Nucci, Zach Wyld on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Tom Selleck on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (CBS, check your local listings).

Jason Biggs, Lili Taylor, Damien Rice, Miss America, Jim Florentine, Biz Markie on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

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