Laurel’s TV Picks

That ’70s Show (FOX, 7pm)
Ed (NBC, 7pm)
A Minute With Stan Hooper (FOX, 7:30pm)
The O.C. (FOX, 8pm)
Angel (WB, 8pm)
The West Wing (NBC, 8pm)
Karen Sisco (ABC, 9pm)
Bob Newhart on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)

Cancelled: Luis (FOX), Coupling (NBC), Skin (FOX), Boomtown (NBC).

On hiatus (possibly never to return): The Mullets(UPN); The Brotherhood of Poland, NH (CBS); The Lyon’s Den (NBC).

Picked up for the rest of the season: 10-8 (ABC), All Of Us (UPN), Cold Case (CBS), Eve (UPN), The Handler (CBS), Happy Family (NBC), Hope & Faith (ABC), I’m With Her (ABC), It’s All Relative (ABC), Joan of Arcadia (CBS), Las Vegas (NBC), Married To The Kellys (ABC), Navy NCIS (CBS), The O.C. (FOX), Threat Matrix (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), and Whoopi (NBC).

While Karen Sisco hasn’t been picked up for the rest of the season, they have ordered more scripts so it’s not dead yet. Production has ceased on The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H. so it’s pretty dead (probably not returning from hiatus). Production has also ceased on Boomtown; they made six episodes for this season, but only two have aired. NBC says The Lyon’s Den will return in December.

Joe Millionaire will no longer air twice a week, FOX will air back-to-back episodes on Monday nights.

Great news for fans of The O.C.! FOX will air The O.C. on both Wednesday nights at 8pm and again at 8pm on Thursday nights (yes, that’s the timeslot The O.C. was originally supposed to air in).

The Bernie Mac Show won’t have a season premiere until Sunday, November 30th.

Miniseries The Reagans won’t air on CBS after all, will air on Showtime eventually.

Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Gallagher, Universoul Circus on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jeff Bridges, Doris Roberts, phone call to The Bachelor, a rock scissors paper champion on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Wilmer Valderrama (of That ’70s Show), Alexis Bledel (of Gilmore Girls), Gavin DeGraw on The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Family Matters: An Intervention” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Get Your Dream Job in Show Biz for a Day!” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Get It Done” and “Storyteller” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, 3pm, 4pm).

“Guise Will Be Guise” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm). First episode of the second season.

“Ways and Means” episode of The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm and 10pm).

Ever wanna see Donna and Jackie do a burlesque show? Don’t miss tonight’s That ’70s Show (FOX, 7pm). Also: Jackie wants Hyde back. And Eric and Donna are preoccupied with missing each other already.

You know, I was loving Ed (NBC, 7pm) this season until this whole “will they move to New York City?” plot came up. The only possible good that could come of this would be if Carol would figure out what she wants so she can stop whining about it all. Note to the writers & producers: we watch the show for things other than Carol & Ed. Really. Sometimes I wish the show’s name was “Stuckeyville,” maybe then we’d see more of the rest of the characters. Still: great to see Dr. Jerome last week. Good plot for Warren and Mark last week, too. In tonight’s episode, Mike looks for potential new best buddies should Ed move away. Maybe I just don’t like Carol.

It’s “Smallville 1961″ on Smallville (WB, 7pm). What does that mean? Characters who look a lot like the Smallvile gang interact in a tale that takes place in 1961. Or something. You’ve seen episodes like this before. Here’s the WB’s description: “A murder investigation leads Clark to a kryptonian medallion that allows him to see bits of the past – and the life that Jor-El started for him long before he arrived on Earth.”

Archer loses his short term memory on Star Trek: Enterprise (UPN, 7pm; rerun on Saturday in most markets).

Vince Gill hosts The 37th Annual CMA Awards (CBS, 7pm). Expect a big tribute to Johnny Cash. Performers on the show include: Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett, Dolly Parton & Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Martina McBride, Allison Krauss & Union Station, & others.

Stan hasn’t been in town, but he’s already running for mayor on A Minute With Stan Hooper (FOX, 7:30pm). I liked the first episode, but doubt this show will last long. Methinks the target audience is already watching Ed.

Ryan and Luke get in a fight over Marissa again on The O.C. (FOX, 8pm; rerun on Thursday at 8pm). I still like this show, though.

I can’t make this stuff up: “Angel must track down a retired Mexican wrestler to help him defeat Tezcatcatl, an ancient Aztec warrior who needs Angel’s heart to sustain his own existence” on Angel (WB, 8pm). Definitely sounds like a, um, quirky episode. Maybe we’ll finally get a good episode. Episode title is “The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco.”

The President flies to a disaster site to offer comfort to victims and perhaps gets a little too involved on The West Wing (NBC, 8pm).

“The NSA is led to believe that a dangerous Polish mercenary has arrived in Washington” on Jake 2.0 (UPN, 8pm).

“Crust Never Sleeps” episode of Good Eats (Food Network, 8pm and midnight). Homemade taffies, brittles, and jellies.

Yet another assignment “wreaks havoc with” Karen’s personal life on Karen Sisco (ABC, 9pm; will air again on USA on November 14th). Eduardo Verastegui guest stars.

“An unemployed man deposits $400,000 in his account before being gunned down” on Law & Order (NBC, 9pm). Cause for celebration: Lorraine Toussaint returns as defense attorney Shambala Green.

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

“The Egg Files” on Good Eats (Food Network, 10:30pm).

Stuttering John, Patrice Oneal, Greg Giraldo on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Will Ferrell, Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon, Lyle Lovett on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Teenage Wasteland, James Caan, P.O.D. on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Lawrence Fishburne, Polyphonic Spree on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

Michael Vartan (of Alias), Kathie Lee Gifford, Dom Irrera, Jeffrey Osborne, guest co-host Andy Dick on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Jeff Bridges, Linda Cardellini, Dom Irrera on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (CBS, check your local listings).

Lennox Lewis, Jim McMullan, RZA on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Will Ferrell on Today (NBC, 7am – 10am).

Good Morning, America (ABC, 7am – 9am).

Chef Bobby Flay prepares winter salads on The Early Show (CBS, 7am – 9am).

Will Ferrell, Wyclef Jean, Vern Yip (of Trading Spaces) on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Rosie O’Donnell, Boy George on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Megan Mullally, Jeffrey Tambor, Brian McKnight, Noah Gray-Cabey on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Bob Newhart, Clay Aiken, and Ellen gets a makeover from a viewer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Wentworth Miller, Mo’Nique co-hosts The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“An Intervention, Part 2″ on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Celebrities Favorite Places” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). With Cindy Crawford, Harry Connick Jr, Bachelor Bob, Rosie O’Donnell. Plus vacation giveaways.

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