Laurel’s TV Picks

Remember that you can find Thursday daytime info as well as a Thursday primetime preview in the tomorrow section of these picks. Full picks for Thursday should be online by Noon.

Series premiere of Lost (ABC, 7pm)
Series premiere of Veronica Mars (UPN, 8pm)
Series premiere of CSI: NY (CBS, 9pm)
Rescue Me (FX, 9pm, 10pm)
Reno 911! (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm)

Don’t forget that you can check out my fall schedule grid to see what the TV schedule for this new season looks like. You’ll also find links there to official sites for all the new shows. And premiere dates for new and returning series.

I’ll have reviews of the season premieres of both C.S.I. and Without A Trace in my TV Picks tomorrow.

Rob Thomas created a unique and cool show when he created the shortlived series Cupid, which aired on ABC back in 1998; I’m happy to report that he’s created another gem that’ll air this season on UPN. The series premiere of Veronica Mars (UPN, 8pm) is tonight; episodes will air regularly on Tuesdays at 8pm. Don’t miss it!

Why should you watch this show? Because it’s one of the few shows on TV where it pays to pay attention. You shouldn’t be doing other things while watching this show, lest you miss an important bit of dialogue or an important visual cue. There’s a big mystery (or two or three or more) at the heart of this show, you’ll want to pay attention to any possible clues as they come up.

People don’t expect much from UPN; I suspect it’s gonna be hard to get folks to take a chance on this show and for it to get a decent audience. And while I know this news may make you want to avoid the show lest you love it and end up brokenhearted when it’s pulled off the air, I’d like to encourage you to take a chance on it anyway. When good TV comes along, you should watch it while you can.

Veronica Mars is a high school student who helps her Dad with his private investigation business. Actually, her Dad is pretty busy tracking down bail jumpers; so Veronica does a whole lot of the investigation (of the sort where you take photographs of cheating spouses). You may have heard about this aspect of the show. “Teen private eye” seems to be the super short way of explaining the show which, frankly, does the show a disservice.

What the show is really about is a teenager who has experienced a whole lot of traumatic events in a rather short span of time. She’s changed a lot in a short span of time (even for a teenager); she’s also coped remarkably well. Veronica has endured losses of family, friends, and status. She’s been a victim of crime, someone close to her was murdered. I don’t want to give away too much because the first episode does a good job of laying out what she’s gone through and how she got to where she is today.

There are mysteries here. One murder mystery is at the heart of it all and I imagine Veronica will be looking into it as the season goes on. She’ll also be dealing with high school and the usual teen struggles. I was reminded of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias at times in the way she’s got something of a double life going on, and how each aspect of it reflects on the other.

Kristen Bell is great in the title role; you may have seen her all-too briefly in episodes of Deadwood, Everwood, American Dreams, and The Shield. She’s manages to pull off “tough, but vulnerable” in a believable non-showy way. I loved Enrico Colantoni in a recent episode of Monk, he was fantastic as the Thermian leader in Galaxy Quest, and always was the best thing about Just Shoot Me– he’s wonderful here as Veronica’s Dad. It’s refreshing to see a father and daughter who are so close; it seems a rare thing for TV.

This show is hard to describe because I haven’t seen anything quite like it before on TV. It may sound dark, what with the murder mystery and all, but there’s also happy stuff with Veronica and her Dad; and some funny stuff, too. It isn’t a lighthearted “teen who is a private eye” show, but it’s also not without some of the fun aspects of that either. I like the noirish bits, as well. And there’s snark, of course, because the title character is a teenager after all.

Check out the first episode and see what you think. I’m really looking forward to the second episode so I can get more of a feel of what the show will be like from week to week. Pilots have so much set up to do, more so I think in the case of this show than most, so it’s a little hard to imagine what regular episodes will be like.

Series premiere of Veronica Mars airs tonight at 8pm on UPN; future episodes will air in the show’s usual timeslot of Tuesdays at 8pm. You may want to check out the series webpage on the UPN site.

Sci-Fi mini-marathon du jour: Star Trek (Sci-Fi, 7am – 3pm).

“Pangs” and “Something Blue” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, Noon, 1pm).

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark McGrath, Brian Wilson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Mitch Albom, Matthew Fox (of Lost) on The Tony Danza Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Does Thinner Mean Happier?” on The Jane Pauley Show (syndicated, check your local listings). With guests Khaliah (Muhammad Ali’s daughter who is a plus-size model and fashion designer) and author Jennifer Weiner (who has an excellent weblog; her books are great fun).

“How To Get Your Kids To . . . ” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“He’s Just Not That Into You” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Sacrifice” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm).

“Eppur Si Muove” episode of The West Wing (Bravo, 6pm and 10pm).

“Crepe Expectations Live” episode of Good Eats (Food Network, 6pm).

Soda Fountains Unwrapped (Food Network, 6:30pm).

Series premiere of Lost (ABC, 7pm). Part 1 of 2. New series from J.J. Abrams (creator of Alias). I’ve seen the whole 90-minute pilot and it’s great. Scary and hard to watch at times (I was actually covering my eyes for some of it), but fascinating and suspenseful, too. I worry lots of people may give this show a pass because they don’t believe the hype or hate the promos or don’t like (or understand the premise). Or they’re more interested in some other show that’s on opposite it. Trust me, take a chance on this. By the end of both parts of the pilot, you’ll definitely know how you feel about the show (I was left wanting to see the next episode as soon as possible). Huge cast, with lots of great characters (and character actors) in it. I was impressed by Matthew Fox, never having seen him on Party of Five, he’s quite a strong lead character here. The supporting characters grow on you and intrigue you, too– but no wonder, they’re lined up an interesting bunch of actors: Terry O’Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim, Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau, Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Ian Somerhalder, Jorge Garcia, Evangeline Lilly, and more (I’ll let one in particular be a surprise for Alias fans). A plane crash strands these people together on what seems to be an isolated island, but more mysteries unfold throughout the episode. (Those squeamish about plane crashes and air travel should know that there are flashbacks to moments before the plane crash spread throughout the pilot). I was gonna write so much more about this pilot, but Jason Snell beat me to it: check out his excellent review of this promising new show over at Teevee.org.

Clark flies for the first time, Lois Lane makes her first appearance, and Margot Kidder guest stars on the season premiere of Smallville (WB, 7pm). If you’re already hooked on this series, I don’t need to tell you that last season left a whole lot unresolved so you’ll probably want to check this out. I do recommend that you find a way to check out Lost, too.

Season premiere of America’s Next Top Model (UPN, 7pm; airs again on Friday).

Plenty of baseball on both ESPN & ESPN2 tonight.

Declan (Sharif Atkins) goes undercover to try and bust a teen sex-slave ring, two of the other detectives try to recover a laptop that belonged to a member of the CIA on Hawaii (NBC, 7pm).

A Dr. Phil Primetime Special: Family First (CBS, 7pm – 9pm). Dr. Phil does his thing. With guest appearances by Patricia Heaton, Amy Brenneman, Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford, and Will Smith. Watch as celebrities learn to potty-train their toddlers! Um, okay. In case you’re wondering what will normally air on Wednesday nights at this time on CBS, it’ll be 60 Minutes at 7pm, King of Queens at 8pm, and mediocre new John Goodman sitcom Center of the Universe at 8:30pm (those two shows premiere next Wednesday).

Eric tries his hand at vandalism on That ’70s Show (FOX, 7pm); and Red buys a muffler shop. Plus Kelso’s got a baby now.

The Quintuplets (FOX, 7:30pm) meet other Quints (and twins and triplets) at a convention for “multiples.”

Series premiere of Veronica Mars (UPN, 8pm). Will air regularly on Tuesdays at 8pm (opposite Scrubs and not much else of interest). Kevin Hill premieres next Wednesday at this time and will air regularly on Wednesdays at 8pm (it’s got potential, though I didn’t like it as much as this new series). Veronica Mars is my featured pick today (I wrote more about it towards the top of this page).

Dennis Farina joins the cast on the season premiere of Law & Order (NBC, 8pm; airs again on Saturday). The season premiere is followed by a second new episode of Law & Order (NBC, 9pm; airs again on October 2nd). No, it’s not a two-part episode, each stands alone. If you’re a Law & Order fan, I strongly recommend you check out Veronica Mars (UPN, 8pm) tonight and watch the premiere of Law & Order on Saturday (or record it tonight if you have that capability). I know it sounds implausible that Veronica Mars would appeal to the Law & Order audience, but in a weird way I think it will.

Bernie just wants some peace and quiet so he can prepare for a big show, but of course he gets anything but that on The Bernie Mac Show (FOX, 8pm). Followed by a rerun at 8:30pm (the one with Ashton Kutcher and Carl Reiner) which means the rumors that Method & Red has been cancelled may be true.

Part 2 (of 2) of The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud With Dr. Armand Nicholi (PBS, 8pm – 10pm in most markets, check your local listings).

Series premiere of awful new series The Mountain (WB, 8pm; airs again tomorrow and on Sunday). The less said, the better.

This time around, the women get to choose from two bachelors before the competition begins on the season premiere of The Bachelor (ABC, 8pm – 10pm). Though honestly, there are so many better things on TV I can’t imagine why anyone would watch this (unless maybe you know someone who is participating on the show).

Series premiere of CSI: NY (CBS, 9pm). Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Hill Harper, Vanessa Ferlito, Carmine Giovinazzo, and Eddie Cahill star in this new CSI show. This first regular episode of the series (characters made their debut in an episode of CSI: Miami) is pretty good (but not great). Certainly is a chilling case. Gary Sinise is great; we don’t know much yet about the other regulars and I didn’t get a good feel for any of them really. I know Hill Harper and Melina Kanakaredes are capable of excellent work; I hope they get a chance to shine on this show. My early take is that it’ll likely be better than CSI: Miami, but still not as good as the original CSI. I had a hard time tracking what roles the supporting characters had (what positions they held with the police department); it also was sometimes hard to follow the chain of evidence (if you will). The show just didn’t seem to have the flow that classic CSI does; nor do the characters have as much personality. Of course some of that stuff can come with time. I still would consider this one of the more promising new series of the season given the setting, formula, and actors.

Tommy turns to his uncle for help on Rescue Me (FX, 9pm, 10pm).

A&E’s Live by Request Starring John Fogerty (A&E, 9pm, 1am).

Another episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy UK (Bravo, 9pm and 11pm).

More Spaced (Trio, 9pm and midnight, 9:30pm and 12:30am).

The D.A. concludes his investigation on Reno 911! (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm). Part 3 of 3.

“Going Bananas” and “Puff the Magic Pastry” episodes of Good Eats (Food Network, 9pm and 1am, 9:30pm and 1:30am).

Marc Racicot (Bush-Cheney campaign chairman) on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Keith Robinson, Greg Giraldo, Pat Cooper, Mitch Fatel on a rerun of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Kelly Ripa, Elvis Costello on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Jimmy Fallon, Chris Marino, Ashlee Simpson on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Matt LeBlanc, Terry Gross on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:35pm).

John C. Reilly, Sherri Shepherd on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Guest host D.L. Hughley with guests Sara Rue (of Less Than Perfect), Malcolm Jamal-Warner (of Jeremiah), Franklin Ajaye, the Datsuns on The Late Late Show (CBS, check your local listings). Tivo/DVR Alert: Note that the show’s name may have changed for you from The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn to simply The Late Late Show, which might affect season passes and other things.

Stephen Colbert, Method Man on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

“Pangs” and “Something Blue” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, 6am, 7am).

Sci-Fi mini-marathon du jour: Timecop (Sci-Fi, 7am – 3pm).

Matt LeBlanc, Maya Angelou on Today (NBC, 7am – 10am).

Matthew Broderick, Kelly Ripa, George Butler on Good Morning, America (ABC, 7am – 9am).

Jack Black on The Early Show (CBS, 7am – 9am).

Katie Holmes, the winners of The Amazing Race, Elvis Costello on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Matt LeBlanc, Julianne Moore on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

“Hush” and “Doomed” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (FX, Noon, 1pm).

David Spade, Laura Dern, Ricky Fante on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Meredith Vieira, Jeff Probst, the Calling on The Tony Danza Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Friends Forever” on The Jane Pauley Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Blended Family Trouble: Our Kids Can’t Stand Each Other!” on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Children Held Hostage” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Peace Out” episode of Angel (TNT, 4pm).

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

“Flapjack Do It Again” episode of Good Eats (Food Network, 6pm).

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

Thursday Primetime Preview: season premieres of CSI, ER, Extreme Makeover, Without A Trace; new episodes of The Apprentice, Blue Collar TV, Joey, Survivor, Will & Grace; another special about The O.C. I’ll have full coverage of those shows and more in my picks for Thursday. Which should be online sometime after midnight and before Noon.

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