Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets:

New episode of Men in Trees (ABC, 8pm)
New Stargate SG-1 (Sci-Fi, 8pm and 10pm)
New Stargate Atlantis (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm)
Rerun of the season premiere of The Wire (HBO, 9pm)
Season premiere of MI-5 (A&E, 10pm and 2am)
Matthew Perry, Xzibit, the Rapture on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes:

If you missed my look at the new series Men in Trees earlier this week, be sure to check it out today as the first episode airs again tonight and is followed by another new episode. My other fall previews are still around with a lot more to come next week; and the Fall Schedule Grid remains a very handy reference (it lists the premiere dates for all new and returning shows).

Don’t forget to enter the Scrubs contest if you’re interested in winning a $250 Best Buy gift card or Scrubs swag. You have until September 30th; I’ll send out an email to everyone who has entered a few days before the deadline just so you know for sure you’re entered in the contest (and if you don’t hear from me, you’ll still have time to enter).

Things are crazy here at TV Picks Headquarters (there is a reason we call our household “Wit’s End”) as I pull together fall previews of all the new shows launching over the next couple of weeks and reviews of the season premieres I’ve seen. And then . . . well, this site should have a new look starting next week. And the one year anniversary of the day I married Kevin is this Sunday; we’re throwing a party on Saturday (and the house is still a mess, eek!). Kevin and I are co-chairing a small convention later this fall. The Twins are in a playoff race (yay!) and there’s this new fall season to deal with! It’s madness, I tell ya. Big thanks to everyone who does their part to support this site– without your efforts, I don’t think I could keep this going. It’s not like I’m paid to do this (I wish).

Times listed are for the Central timezone, add an hour for Eastern/Pacific.

Primetime Grid:

Primetime:

Turner Classic Movies is airing nothing but shorts (often grouped by director) today and all night tonight. Some cool stuff to check out. Check the listings on the TCM website for details.

The Teen Titans get their own movie: Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (Cartoon Network, 7pm). Excellent!

I’ve heard from a number of people who really liked the series premiere of Men in Trees (ABC, 7pm); I hope y’all had a chance to check it out. Anne Heche is likeable in this show that everyone keeps comparing to Northern Exposure ‘cuz she’s a New Yorker who ends up in a small Alaskan town. Be sure to read my fall preview of it (linked to from the name of the show). The show’s regular timeslot will be 8pm on Fridays and wouldn’t you know it, that’s when a new episode airs tonight.

Jon Seda guest stars in a rerun of the season finale of Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 7pm). Like you needed another reason to avoid this show.

Marin tries to adjust to her new life in a new town in a new episode of Men in Trees. She’s counseling people on the radio while being counseled herself by the local men on how to get over her fiance; there’s also some nonsense involving a raccoon that follows her around and how she knocks out power for the town (seriously, they could lay off some of the small town shenanigans and I’d probably like the show better). As it stands though, I really liked the first episode and found it a breath of fresh air in a season dominated by serious shows involving crimes and investigators and stuff like that. Cynthia Stevenson (of Dead Like Me) is among the guest stars. This first “regular” episode of the show after the pilot was written by series creator Jenny Bicks and directed by the fab Allison Anders. Regular timeeslot premiere; this is when the show will actually air regularly (assuming all goes well).

Mitchell goes undercover after the Alliance attacks and boards the ship on a new Stargate SG-1 (Sci-Fi, 8pm and 10pm).

The results are in and one of the “celebrities” will be sent home on Celebrity Duets (FOX, 8pm).

Rerun of the season finale of Close To Home (CBS, 8pm). Jennifer Finnigan stars, with Christian Kane (”Lindsey” on Angel) as her husband, in case it wasn’t on your radar last year. Finnigan plays a prosecutor who deals with cases in her town that hit (you guessed it) “close to home.” I’m told this episode is a tearjerker to say the least.

Rerun of the season finale of Las Vegas (NBC, 8pm). Are you noticing a trend here? Most returning shows return next week, that’s why we’re seeing so many reruns of the finales from last season. Shawn Christian (of Summerland), Dean Cain (of Lois and Clark), Wolfgang Puck (of . . . you know), and Jerry O’Connell (of Crossing Jordan) guest star as Delinda prepares to get married. O’Connell is playing the character he plays on Crossing Jordan (”Woody Hoyt”) which has crossed over to this show before.

A basketball coach dies suddenly in the “Mr. Monk and the Big Game” episode of Monk (USA, 8pm and midnight).

Julie: “Is this a bad time?”
Monk: “Yes.”
Emily: “Should we come back?”
Monk: “No. It’s always a bad time.”
  from Monk

The team is stranded on a planet where the effects of an abandoned wraith experiment threaten to turn them against each other on a new Stargate Atlantis (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm).

Rerun of the first episode of this new season of The Wire (HBO, 9pm). I raved about the show and particularly this season (I’ve seen the first four episodes of it) in my picks for Sunday, in case you missed ‘em. You can start watching this season without having seen previous seasons. Earlier this week HBO announced that there will be another season after this one.

Rerun of the season finale (from last season) of Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm). There’s a case involving a serial killer and Charlie is seeing his dead mother in his dreams. Olympia Dukakis and JoBeth Williams guest star.

A look at “the power of stereotypes” on 20/20 (ABC, 9pm).

An undercover cop is murdered on Law & Order (NBC, 9pm). Was her cover blown because she was the daughter of a politician?

Late Night

Season premiere of MI-5 (A&E, 10pm and 2am). This fabulous BBC series finally returns (new episodes also begin this weekend in the UK too, but they’re a season ahead of us and the show is called Spooks there). Fellow Vidiot Nathan Alderman wrote about the return of the show at TeeVee recently (in case you haven’t already read that). You can get DVD sets from amazon.com or if you’re a true die-hard fan you can get them from amazon.co.uk.

Homeland security expert Clark Kent Ervin, Michael McKean, Gloria Steinem, Pat Buchanan on Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10pm).

Rerun of the latest episode of Nip/Tuck (FX, 10pm, runs 63 minutes). In case you missed it earlier this week (I wrote about it then).

“Olive Me” episode of Good Eats (Food, 10pm and 1am).

Rerun of the first episode of this new season of House (USA, 10pm) in case you missed it a week or two ago on FOX. House returns to work feeling better than ever after his brush with death last season.

Johnny Knoxville, Rachael Ray on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Howie Mandel, Clay Aiken on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

A look at “The Story So Far” on Battlestar Galactica (USA, 11pm). I can’t wait for this show to return! (It returns in October). If you haven’t seen the new incarnation of this show, you should really check it out; rent those DVDs now and catch up.

Matthew Perry (of Studio 60, Friends), Xzibit, the Rapture on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Mia Kirshner, Method Man (of The Wire, Method & Red) on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Sarah Silverman, Lionel Richie on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Norm MacDonald, Amy Smart (of Smith), the Roots on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).