Laurel’s TV Picks

Laurel’s TV Picks for Thursday should be online by 11am.

Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Season premiere of Reno 911! (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm)

Argh! I’ve struggled since yesterday with some major computer problems so that’s why picks are both late and very abbreviated. I hope to return with picks for tomorrow later tonight or early tomorrow and that they’ll be “back to normal,” but some of the variables are out of my control. A friend of mine suggested this is a good time to ask for donations towards some upgrades for my PC, I feel like it’s the worst time ‘cuz today’s picks are so brief. In the end, it’s your call.

I’ll just be mentioning new stuff for tonight.

President Ronald Reagan’s funeral airs all over the place with coverage starting in the late afternoon and running thru early evening; it may push some primetime programming back a little (but probably not).

Baseball on ESPN & ESPN2.

Part 3 (of 5) of 5 Days To Midnight (Sci-Fi, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm).

Two new episodes of The Drew Carey Show (ABC, 8pm, 8:30pm).

Second installment of Last Comic Standing (NBC, 8pm – 10pm).

New episode of The Ultimate Love Test (ABC, 9pm).

Best Bet: Season premiere of Reno 911! (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm). The resolution of the cliffhanger will make you laugh out loud. Lt. Dangle announces that he’s been promoting and will be moving to another city. I’ve seen the episode and it’s as funny as episodes from last season. This is one of the funniest shows of the season, that’s for sure.

Morgan Spurlock (of Supersize Me) on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Christopher Walken, Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice, Kid Rock on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Steve Irwin, Sonic Youth on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Tom Brokaw, Steve Coogan, Mama Gena on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

George Lopez on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

I’ll try to get info re Thursday daytime TV online later tonight, but I make no promises. Will have Thursday picks of some sort online sometime tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 8, 2004

Cary Grant movies on TCM
Series premiere of The Jury (FOX, 7pm – 9pm)
Part 2 of 5 Days To Midnight (Sci-Fi, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm)
New episode of Summerland (WB, 8pm; airs again on Thursday & Sunday)
New episode of The Shield (FX, 9pm, 10pm)
New episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo, 9pm, 11pm)

When I hear the names Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, James Yoshimura, and Jim Finnerty I invariably think of the brilliant work those folks did on Homicide: Life on the Street (my favorite TV series of all time). So I was thrilled when I heard that Fontana, Levinson, and Yoshimura had created a new series and that they were executive producing it along with Jim Finnerty.

Even better: the series is about the legal system. It’s called The Jury and it looks at what goes on when a jury is locked in a room for their deliberations. It would tell the story of the case as they go through it, using flashbacks and the dialogue among the jurors. Sounds intriguing. And a key part is that unlike on Law & Order, the audience really doesn’t know whether the person is guilty or innocent, we learn about the case as it’s discussed and try to catch up with the jury and figure out if we agree with their conclusion. This should add some suspense (but it also means you aren’t pulling for one side or another during the case, unless you make up your mind early on). At the very end of the episode, the jury gives their verdict (or doesn’t, I suppose a hung jury or mistrial isn’t out of the question) and we (the audience) get to see how the crime really happened in a flashback. We find out if we were right and if the jury made the right call.

It’s an interesting idea for a show. And if anyone could make something out of this interesting premise, I would think Fontana & the rest of them could. The bizarre part of this equation? The show is set to air on FOX in the summertime. I’m just not sure how well that will play (but then Crime & Punishment has done well for NBC). It does sound like FOX is gonna give the show a fair shake, they’ve been promoting it quite heavily and plan to air episodes twice a week (‘course this is FOX, so if the show tanks it could be gone quick).

So how is the show? I’ve seen the first two episodes, which air tonight, and I enjoyed them. Fans of Homicide will find the use of handheld cameras familiar, and elements of the soundtrack (by Blue Man Group) also reminded me of that old show. This show may be a hard sell because the regular cast isn’t on screen very much in each episode; we’ll see the same judge and courthouse personnel and attorneys from week to week, but we see the jury a lot more.

Of course the jury is the heart of the show, it’s interesting to see a diverse group of people locked in a room to argue a court case. Some jurors have grated on my nerves, I liked others enough to want to see more of them. Sometimes it all felt a little contrived, too (but then maybe the jury selection process would make each jury seem that “put together”).

The weakest part of the first episode for me was Barry Levinson, the actor. Barry Levinson is a great director and a talented producer, and he directed both of these episodes with aplomb. But Levinson plays the judge on this show and the judge is in the first episode a lot, and I found Levinson as judge distracting. He doesn’t say much in the second episode; I’m guessing we saw more of him in the first episode because rules for juries needed to be established. Pilots are always a little shaky.

I think I liked the second episode better than the first, but it may have just been I knew the show format and the series characters better. Maybe the show grows on you. It is interesting to put the puzzle pieces together and try to come to ones own conclusions about the case (as the show airs tonight, FOX will let viewers send text messages from their cell phones to predict the verdict).

This show isn’t Homicide, it may not even rank up there with Law & Order, but it’s a scripted series that will air this summer and I’m happy about that. It’s from a talented bunch of people who have brought great TV into our homes in the past, I’m sure gonna keep watching after tonight and hope the series improves. As it stands now, I like it (but don’t love it), it’d be cool to find a show to love this summer.

Sorry these are a little late today, there’s a lot to cover!

ER has let Alex Kingston go. You won’t be seeing much of Dr. Corday next season. Huh.

Alan Dale ( will join the cast of The O.C. full time next season, he was just a recurring guest star (as Caleb) last year.

TV DVDs due out next Tuesday: pilot episode of Beverly Hills 90210, Season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 1 of Dead Like Me, Season 1 of Monk, Season 2 of Nero Wolfe, Season 1 of Nip/Tuck, Season 4 of The Simpsons, and Season 4 of Xena. [More TV on DVD]

TV DVDs due out today: Season 1 of The A-Team, The Dame Edna Experience, Season 2 of The Dead Zone, Seasons 1 & 2 of Just Shoot Me, Season 6 of M*A*S*H, Season 1 of Playmakers, Season 1 of Quantum Leap, Volume 1 of SCTV, Season 1 of Tour of Duty, and Season 1 of Who’s The Boss. [More TV on DVD] Thanks to everyone who shops via the links on this site, it keeps this site online.

Check out my Fall 2004 Schedule Grid Preview if you haven’t already; you can even jump right to the grid for the Central timezone or for Eastern/Pacific.

Sci-Fi mini-marathon du jour: Quantum Leap (Sci-Fi, 10am – 3pm).

Does James Stenbeck have yet another child? All will be revealed (more or less) on As The World Turns this week (CBS, check your local listings). I’m still terribly bummed that Lesli Kay has left the series for General Hospital, I wish her well and understand she left to be closer to her husband (not ‘cuz she didn’t love playing Molly on ATWT).

Sara Rue (of Less Than Perfect) guest stars on Ned and Stacey (We, 2:30pm).

Betty White, Amy Smart, Gavin Degraw on a rerun of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Michael Imperioli, Peter Gallagher, Jackie Collins on a rerun of The Sharon Osbourne Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Regis Philbin. Amy Smart, Uncle Kracker, America’s best teachers on The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“My Big Day Was Ruined” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Stevie Wonder Debuts His New Music” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). It’s Wonder’s first new stuff in 10 years, he also does a duet with his daughter, and there’s some other big surprise too.

Amy Sedaris in Strangers with Candy (Comedy Central, 1pm, 1:30pm).

“Him” and “Conversations With Dead People” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, 3pm, 4pm).

“Sanctuary” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm). Buffy faces Faith & Angel in L.A.

Sometimes I wish “Requiem” had been the final episode of The X-Files (Sci-Fi, 4pm). Except without all that nonsense about Scully being pregnant.

Concert: New Order: Finsbury Park June 9th 2002 (Trio, 5pm).

“Night Five” episode of The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm, no late rerun).

Frozen crabs are Good Eats (Food Network, 6pm).

Rerun of part 1 of 5 Days To Midnight (Sci-Fi, 6pm – 8pm).

ESPN25: Then and Now (ESPN, 6pm – 8pm, midnight – 2am). All about ESPN by ESPN.

Cheez Unwrapped (Food Network, 6:30pm).

Series premiere of The Jury (FOX, 7pm; airs again on Friday). First episode of this new series from Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, James Yoshimura, and Jim Finnerty (a.k.a. the folks behind Homicide: Life on the Street and Oz). It’s a new kind of courtroom drama. In this case, a teenage boy is accused of shooting another guy from his high school: but did he shoot the kid on purpose or was it an accident? It’s up to the jury to decide, of course. I wrote more about this episode elsewhere as today’s featured pick.

Cary Grant is TCM’s “Star of the Month” for June (and he’s my favorite movie star of all time), TCM airs 27 of Grant’s films during June. Tonight: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (TCM, 7pm) with Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple; Arsenic and Old Lace (TCM, 9pm) with Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre (directed by Frank Capra); I Was A Male War Bride (TCM, 11:15pm) with Ann Sheridan (directed by Howard Hawks); Bringing Up Baby (TCM, 1:15am) with Katharine Hepburn (directed by Howard Hawks); and Night and Day (TCM, 3am) where Grant stars as Cole Porter. The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and I Was a Male War Bride are both fun, Arsenic and Old Lace and Bringing Up Baby are both classics (and among my favorite films ever), and Night and Day is interesting. All well worth seeing if you haven’t seen them.

Rerun of the “Scene in a Mall” episode of Gilmore Girls (WB, 7pm). Decent episode. Where Lorelai and Rory decide to go window shopping (they’re too broke to really shop) thinking it’d be fun, only to find it depressing. But then they run into Emily, who takes them on a wild shopping spree. Plus Lane gets her own place (with the band, that is). Luke lends Lorelai money. And Kirk becomes a dog walker and sitter. Sortof.

A widow gets a call from her (thought-to-be-dead) husband on Navy NCIS (CBS, 7pm).

Jay Mohr hosts & exec produces another season of Last Comic Standing (NBC, 7pm – 9pm). Season premiere. Reality show where standup comics compete for a shot at fame or something.

Profile of Ronald Reagan on Biography (A&E, 7pm and 11pm).

A second new episode of The Jury (FOX, 8pm; airs again on Friday the 18th). This is the “Romeo & Juliet” case so expect some Shakespeare here. A teenager is found kneeling next to his girlfriend’s body in an expensive hotel room: did he kill her or was her death part of an attempted double suicide? I wrote more about this episode elsewhere as today’s featured pick.

C. Thomas Howell guest stars on Summerland (WB, 8pm; will also air again on both Thursday and Sunday). He’s a divorced man that Ava (Lori Loughlin) is dating, but things get complicated when she realizes one of his kids knows one of the kids in her care. WB is airing this show a lot, so I recommend checking out The Jury tonight and catching Summerland later in the week (assuming you watched the pilot and liked it enough to keep watching).

Part 2 of 5 Days To Midnight (Sci-Fi, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm; also tomorrow at 7pm & on Sunday). It looks like all five parts will air on Sunday, in case you want to catch them all at once or catch up then.

Series premiere of Blow Out (Bravo, 8pm and 10pm). From the creators of The Restaurant, this is an “unscripted series” about the launch of a new salon in Beverly Hills. This first episode will air a zillion times this week on Bravo if you want to check it out.

They build a 23 foot tall popcorn popper on Big (Discovery, 8pm and 11pm).

Showtime reruns parts 3 & 4 of More Tales from the City (Showtime, 8pm – 10pm).

A hitman for the Armenian mob is on the trail of the Money Train money, so the Strike Team needs to find him first; and others may be suspicious of the Strike Team on part 1 of the two-part season finale of The Shield (FX, 9pm, 10pm). And Claudette “has to choose between her conscience and her career.”

New episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo, 9pm and 11pm). The Fab 5 “make better” a physical therapist who needs to prepare to attend a “star studded affair” with his wife.

Rerun of the Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm) based on the Michael Jackson case. A toy mogul is accused of molesting children. Cindy Williams and Marlo Thomas guest star.

More Cop Rock (Trio, 9pm and midnight).

“The Shroud of Rahmon” episode of Angel (TNT, 10pm).

Rerun of the season finale of The Sopranos (HBO, 10pm).

Reruns of Crossing Jordan now air Monday – Thursdays at 10pm and 2am on A&E. First episode aired yesterday.

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

Carrot Top, Marc Maron, Rich Vos, Jim Florentine on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Bette Midler, National Spelling Bee champion on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Lindsay Lohan, Tom Papa, Wilson Phillips on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Schiff-tastic! Jay Mohr, Richard Schiff (of The West Wing), Simple Kid on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

The “Dear Derwood” episode of Karen Sisco (USA, 11pm).

Tom Lennon on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Interesting Lineup Alert! Melina Kanakaredes, Michael Stipe, Patti LaBelle on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (CBS, check your local listings).

David Spade, Ben Lee on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

I’m still working on picks for Wednesday.
Read the rest of this entry »