Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Gilmore Girls (CW, 7pm)
New Friday Night Lights (NBC, 7pm)
World Series, Game 3 (FOX, 7pm)
New Veronica Mars (CW, 8pm)
New Nip/Tuck (FX, 9pm, 10:04pm)
Tina Fey, sports radio hosts Mike and Mike, the Killers on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)
Alan Arkin, Paul Haggis, Jimmy Pardo on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm)

News & Notes

Times listed on this page are for the Central time zone, please add an hour for Eastern/Pacific.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

Baseball: Detroit Tigers at St. Louis Cardinals (FOX, 7pm). Game 3 of the World Series.

Stars Hollow is “plagued by an odor” on a new episode of Gilmore Girls (CW, 7pm) titled “The Big Stink”. Emily and Richard are delightened when Lorelai and Christopher attend a Friday night dinner together.

If only the coach that Kyle Chandler plays on Friday Night Lights (NBC, 7pm) would get a newspaper telling him what’s going to happen, he might be less stressed out about the next big game. His job is on the line, things are stressful with both the team and his family. It seems that folks who do tune into this show are liking it a lot, but too few people are actually tuning in so I worry about this fine show. It’s in such a tough timeslot which is hardly fair to a good new show like this– at least tonight a number of shows aren’t on or are reruns so you might give this show a shot.

Independent Lens (PBS, check your local listings) looks at “The World According to Sesame Street” or rather, it’s a look at how hard it is to produce international editions of the show for such places as Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa. Sounds fascinating.

The “Haunted” episode of Dead Like Me (Sci-Fi, 7pm) ended up being the series finale of that great show. Bummer. It’s a decent episode to go out on, but still. I recently watched seasons one and two of Dead Like Me on DVD and I loved ‘em. Series was created by Bryan Fuller (of Wonderfalls; he currently writes for Heroes). The stars are: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin (currently on Criminal Minds), Cynthia Stevenson (currently on Men in Trees), Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, and Laura Harris. It’s a show about a young woman who dies and then ends up working as a “grim reaper” with some other folks. Hard to explain until you see it, but it’s quirky and fun and even sometimes wise. Sci-Fi airs two episodes each Tuesday at 6pm and 7pm; the series starts all over again on Sci-Fi on Tuesday, November 7th if you want to check it out from the beginning (next week it’s not on ‘cuz it’s Halloween).

George: “I always thought I loved Halloween because I got to look behind all those closed doors. But now I see that it’s because I was painted with something darker. That I was meant to see the dark . . . and through the dark. I’m not supposed to be here, but I am. I don’t know if I am supposed to watch over them or just haunt them. Either way I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be here, walking through a graveyard on the day after Halloween, on a quiet and beautiful November morning. It’s not so bad . . . being dead like me.”
  from the final episode of Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me - The Complete First Season

Dead Like Me - The Complete Second Season

A suspect dies while in Ziva’s custody and the Director (Lauren Holly) is kidnapped on a rerun of NCIS (CBS, 7pm) from last season. Connor Trinneer (who was “Trip” on Star Trek: Enterprise) and Tim Russ (who was “Tuvok” on Star Trek: Voyager) both guest star in this episode. Tamara Taylor also guest stars (she’s a semi-regular on Bones this season).

Matt Czuchry, who plays “Logan” on Gilmore Girls, is somehow entangled in a storyline with the Logan on Veronica Mars (CW, 8pm). It’s Logan-tastic! And Laura San Giacomo guest stars as a woman who wants Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) to investigate her husband; San Giacomo co-starred with Enrico Colantoni on Just Shoot Me, I remember thinking that Colantoni was the best thing about that show). Veronica’s case of the week involves looking into Logan’s finances.

The Unit (CBS, 8pm) tries to track down some missiles in Brazil, Hector tries to figure out what to tell his soon-to-be-fiance about what he really does. In a rerun of this show. Guest stars include Julius Carry (who was “Lord Bowler” on Brisco County and “Abe” on Doctor Doctor) and Kathleen Noone (”Mrs. Wallace” on Passions, “Claudia” on Knots Landing, “Ellen” on All My Children).

Hector: “When do I tell her what I do for real?”
Molly: “That’s not your job.”
Hector: “It’s not?”
Molly: “When you decide to make her your family you’ll bring her to us women. We’ll tell her what she needs to know.”
  from The Unit

Spencer thinks he was abducted by aliens, but he’s not the only person acting stranger than usual in Eureka (Sci-Fi, 8pm) in this rerun called “Alienated”.

Henry: (looking at the empty arsenal) “Tell me this wasn’t filled with weapons.”
Jack: “No, no, it wasn’t.”
Henry: “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”
Jack: “Oh, big time!”
Henry: “What is going on?”
Jack: “Ah, well, let’s see– Spencer thinks aliens have landed, Vince and Fargo are missing, and Jo has gone G.I. Joe.”
  from Eureka

A nun is murdered on a rerun of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, 8pm) from last season.

A young woman is in all sorts of trouble on a rerun of Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm). When it turns out she’s bipolar, things get even weirder when she stops taking her meds on the advice of a rock star who claims psychiatric medications are bad.

Things get even uglier in the main court case on Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm), but since the episode is titled “The Verdict” I’m guessing we may finally get a verdict in the case. Maybe. This is such a weird (yet fun) series. Guest stars include: Armin Shimerman, Ethan Philips, Katey Sagal, Anthony Heald, Jane Lynch, Lake Bell, and Curtis Armstrong. This show is giving character actors steady employment, that’s for sure.

A secret from Sean’s childhood prompts him to try and move up Conor’s surgery on Nip/Tuck (FX, 9pm, 10:04pm). DVR/VCR Alert: Episode runs 64 minutes. I’m guessing the surgery does take place given the episode is named for Conor. Meanwhile, Julia is growing closer to Conor’s nurse (played by the fabulous Peter Dinklage).

A group of college students are killed on a rerun of Criminal Minds (CBS, 9pm). The case takes place in New Mexico and the killings are made to include elements of Native American tradition and ritual.

Blackwolf: “There are many paths to the same place. Trust me.”
Hotchner: “Just so you know, you sound like a fortune cookie.”
  from Criminal Minds

Late Night:

“A Pie in Every Pocket” (pocket pies) episode of Good Eats (Food, 10pm and 1am).

Rebroadcast of last night’s new episode of Weeds (Showtime, 10pm). Season finale airs next week.

All the late night talk shows save for the CBS ones (Letterman and Ferguson) are reruns this week.

Tina Fey, sports radio hosts Mike and Mike, the Killers on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Alan Arkin, Paul Haggis, Jimmy Pardo on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm). Sadly no Mr. T as originally announced. Bummer.