sunday
Gilmore Girls Backstage Special (ABC Family, 7pm)
The Wire (HBO, 8pm; airs lots more times)
Series premiere of Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8pm; airs again on Saturday)
Jack & Bobby (WB, 8pm)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, 8pm)
Dead Like Me (Showtime, 9pm; airs lots more times)
Series premiere of Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm)
If I were asked to name the biggest surprise of the new fall TV season, I’d probably say I’m most surprised that the best new network shows are from UPN and ABC. Who’d've thunk it? Neither network has produced much worth watching in recent years (if ever, in the case of UPN). Now UPN has two strong series in Veronica Mars and Kevin Hill; and ABC has promising series in Lost, Desperate Housewives, and possibly at least a couple others (yes, really).
I’ve seen the original pilot for Desperate Housewives and I must say: it’s darn entertaining stuff. Beyond that, it’s hard to say how I feel. Men and women alike may roll their eyes at some stereotypes here and over-the-top behavior, but I don’t think you can take a show like this seriously. It’s a TV soap, really, but one with a big mystery underneath it all. That’s one trend I really like this fall season: the mysteries. Veronica Mars has mysteries at it’s core, as does Lost, and so does this show. Why did the housewife who narrates the show kill herself? And what is being investigated in this cul-de-sac?
Desperate Housewives succeeds, in no small part, because of a winning cast. Felicity Huffman (of Sports Night) plays a harried housewife and Mom well, even if it doesn’t quite make sense why she gave up on her career so easily. Marcia Cross (of Melrose Place, Everwood) plays a brittle Martha Stewart-esque perfectionist. Eva Longoria (of L.A. Dragnet) married a too-old or too-boring businessman. Nicollette Sheridan (of Knots Landing) is a serial divorcee who is always on the prowl for another lover. And Teri Hatcher (of Lois and Clark) is a divorced single Mom who is still adjusting to her single life.
There’s more to each of these women, of course, and I really hope we see them in more detail as the series progresses. There’s only so much time in the first episode to meet each of ‘em. As someone who grew up in a suburb, I’m a bit weary of the demonizing of the ‘burbs in TV and movies.
Anyway. I’m too wiped out today to write more. The short version: the show is worth a look. I found Teri Hatcher especially good here.
The series premiere of Desperate Housewives airs tonight at 8pm on ABC; will be rerun on Saturday. Alias doesn’t return ’til January.
All 12 installments of the acclaimed HBO miniseries From The Earth to the Moon (TNT, 8am – 10pm). It’s about the Apollo missions.
Gilmore Girls marathon (ABC Family, 1pm – 9pm). These aren’t consequetive episodes, so if you’re new to the show you probably won’t wanna watch this marathon (except maybe for the first episode at 1pm). This marathon includes a new behind-the-scenes special Gilmore Girls Backstage Special (ABC Family, 7pm). This marathon is to launch the show on ABC Family; Gilmore Girls will now air weekdays at 4pm.
Rerun of the series premiere of McLeod’s Daughters (We, 5pm).
Gilmore Girls Backstage Special (ABC Family, 7pm; airs again tomorrow and next week).
“Lilly and the team reopen a case from 1943 involving the suspicious death of a World War II female factory worker” on the season premiere of Cold Case (CBS, 7pm).
Season premiere of Doc (PAX, 7pm).
Daphne Zuniga, Milo Ventimiglia (of Gilmore Girls), and Nicole Richie guest star on American Dreams (NBC, 7pm).
Someone is the victim of a pirate curse in the “Charrrmed!” episode of Charmed (WB, 7pm). Kerr Smith and Nick Lachey guest star.
A new episode of The Wire (HBO, 8pm) is probably the best thing on tonight, but it also airs plenty of times on HBO (and related channels) so you don’t have to see it tonight and can check out other stuff.
Series premiere of Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8pm; airs again on Saturday). I wrote more about it above.
Tonight’s episode of Jack & Bobby (WB, 8pm) is primarily about faith. People boycott Christine Lahti’s class and I totally wish I could boycott Christine Lahti (she may be the reason I give up on this show, despite liking it otherwise).
An avante garde photographer is found murdered on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, 8pm; airs again in a couple of weeks on USA).
Fran Drescher, Camryn Manheim, and Sara Gilbert guest star in the 100th episode of Strong Medicine (Lifetime, 8pm). It’s a better-than-average episode in large part because of fine work from the guest stars.
Season premiere of Sue Thomas, F.B. Eye (PAX, 8pm).
Sela Ward and Elizabeth Pe?a star in a new TV movie called Suburban Madness (CBS, 8pm) which is based on the true story of a woman who killed her philandering husband by running him over with her car three times. Ward plays the private investigator who follows the husband for the wife and it’s told primarily from her perspective.
“The Battle of the Shirleys” on In Search of the Partridge Family (VH1, 8pm; airs again lots).
New Dead Like Me (Showtime, 9pm; airs again plenty of times). Eric McCormack guest stars.
James Spader stars in the series premiere of Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm). New series focused on the Alan Shore character created by David E. Kelley on The Practice. Spader recently won an Emmy for his work in this role. William Shatner, Rhona Mitra (of Gideon’s Crossing, Party of Five), Lake Bell (of Miss Match), and Mark Valley (of Keen Eddie) also star in this new legal drama. I haven’t seen this, a blurb on the show website says the series will be “fast-paced and darkly comedic, the series will confront social and moral issues, and the pursuit of happiness and money, with varying degrees of priority.” Could be entertaining, I’ll be checking out the show tonight.
An agoraphobic artist (Jeremy London) is the prime suspect in a murder case on Crossing Jordan (NBC, 9pm).
Women in Hollywood Awards (AMC, 9pm).
Aida Turturro guest stars on Wild Card (Lifetime, 9pm).
Premiere of a new episode of The Surreal Life (VH1, 9pm).
“Bamboozled into thinking they were going to join the cast of an outrageous reality show, ten unsuspecting chain smokers discover that the real task at hand is to quit smoking ‘cold turkey’ while sequestered in a house for over three weeks” on the series premiere of Cold Turkey (PAX, 9pm).
Rerun of the season premiere of Law & Order: SVU (USA, 10pm). Lea Thompson guest stars.
Rerun of the latest episode of Rescue Me (FX, 10pm).
Another airing of Still Brady After All These Years (TV Land, 10pm).
Harvey Birdman (Cartoon Network, 10:30pm and 1:30am).
Second episode of the second season of The Shield (FX, 11pm).
I’m still working on picks for Monday.
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