Laurel’s TV Picks

New Gilmore Girls (WB, 7pm)
New House (FOX, 8pm)
Series premiere of Commander-In-Chief (ABC, 8pm; airs again on Saturday)
My Name Is Earl (NBC, 8pm; airs again on October 8th; also airs again on Thursday on Bravo)
The Office (NBC, 8:30pm; airs again on Bravo on Thursday night)
Part 1 of 2-part crossover episode of Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm)

I’ve decided to focus on my coverage of primetime television, so I will no longer be doing regular daytime and late night listings. I will occasionally mention daytime or late night items that I find particularly noteworthy, I just won’t be covering that stuff every day. I will probably still cover daytime and late night stuff on weekends and holidays; I still hope to put together a “daytime guide” that will cover things in more general terms– as in, which cool reruns air where on weekdays.

If you want to know what guests are going to be on late night talk shows (and some daytime ones), I recommend that you bookmark Sue Trowbridge’s Late Night TV Page; Sue has been running down talk show guests since before I started these picks and I’ve recommended her site often as it’s an excellent resource. You can find Oprah listings on the Oprah website and Dr. Phil listings on the Dr. Phil website.

Firefly marathon (Sci-Fi, 11am – 9pm).

Lane finally returns from her band’s tour, Sookie wants to know when Lorelai and Luke are getting married, and Rory starts work for the D.A.R. on a new episode of Gilmore Girls (WB, 7pm). I know some people are frustrated with Rory and Lorelai being separated like this, but I’m fascinated by it and how this will play out. I’m glad the issues that came up at the end of last season haven’t been so easily resolved.

Ari (Rudolf Martin) is still after Gibbs and his team; when we last left the series, he was trying to kidnap or kill Ducky (David McCallum). On a new episode of NCIS (CBS, 7pm). Continued from last week and from last season’s finale. Lauren Holly has joined the show. Sasha Alexander has left, but guest starred last week and may yet be in this episode too.

The decaying corpse of the Venezuelan ambassador’s son is found hanging from a tree on a new episode of Bones (FOX, 7pm). Heavy D is among the guest stars.

Geena Davis, Kyle Secor (of Homicide), Ever Carradine (of Once and Again), and Donald Sutherland are among the stars in the series premiere of Commander-In-Chief (ABC, 8pm). I liked the pilot for this series and expect this to be one of the better new shows of the season if all goes well. Geena Davis begins the series as a vice president, but (obviously) she ends up President of the United States by the end of the first episode. Kyle Secor plays her husband, which would make him the “First Gentleman” or something like that. I could tell you more about what happens in the pilot, but it’s better to see it all play out for yourself– I fear commercials and previews have probably already given so much away that there will be no surprises here. The show looks good and wants very much to be The West Wing, though perhaps with slower dialogue and less rushing around. And with more of a focus on the family life and personal life of the President.

Cuddy’s handyman takes a fall and ends up being treated by House (FOX, 8pm). This should be fun because it will mean more screen time for Lisa Edelstein.

Ten teams of four family members begin their race around the world on the season premiere of The Amazing Race: Family Edition (CBS, 8pm – 10pm). Everyone loves The Amazing Race, but will it still be fun when the teams consist of four family members rather than of pairs of people? Tune in if you want to find out.

The brothers look into a case involving mysterious drownings that are believed to be suicides on a new episode of Supernatural (WB, 8pm; airs again on Sunday Easy View).

Eric Balfour, Denise Richards, James Stevenson, and Lauren German are among the stars in the series premiere of Sex, Love, and Secrets (UPN, 8pm). I expected I’d hate this show, but I didn’t think it was all that bad (at least when compared to this season’s other offerings). A soap opera featuring twenty and thirty-somethings or something. I might have given it another episode or three to see how I felt were it not up against so many other (better) shows.

Earl tries to quit smoking on a new episode of My Name Is Earl (NBC, 8pm; airs again on October 8th; also airs again on Thursday on Bravo).

Country Reaches Out: An Opry Benefit (Fine Living, DIY, other stations probably, 8pm).

Michael’s best friend pays him a visit which causes him to act even more inappropriately (wow, that’s really hard to imagine) on a new episode of The Office (NBC, 8:30pm; airs again on Bravo on Thursday night).

Lynda Carter and Estella Warren guest star on a new episode of Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm). I believe this is part 1 of a 2-part crossover that will conclude tomorrow on Law & Order. I’m pleased to see that Tamara Tunie has been added to the opening credits of this series and made a full castmember.

Cosmetic surgery is performed on an ape and a tattoo is removed for a gang member (or former gang member) on a new episode of Nip/Tuck (FX, 9pm, 10:03pm). DVR Alert: runs three minutes long.

Heather Locklear guest stars on the season premiere of Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm) as a woman accused of being a “black widow.” Fans of T.J. Hooker may enjoy watching Shatner and Locklear reunited, with Shatner’s character hits on her shamelessly– or you may be creeped out by that. Rupert Everett, Betty White, and Anthony Heald also guest star. Julie Bowen (of Ed) joins the cast, alongside Shatner, James Spader, Candice Bergen, Mark Valley (of Keen Eddie), Rene Aberjunois (of Deep Space Nine), et al.

SCI FI Inside: Serenity (Sci-Fi, 9pm).

Rerun of this season’s premiere of Las Vegas (TNT, 9pm).

Season premieres of Veronica Mars and CSI: NY.

New episodes ofCriminal Minds, E-Ring, Invasion, Law & Order, Lost, America’s Next Top Model, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, and more.

I’ll have full coverage in my picks for Wednesday which I hope to have online by Noon, dangit.

Read the rest of this entry »