Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Jericho (CBS, 7pm)
New Bones (FOX, 7pm)
Series premiere of Day Break (ABC, 8:02pm - 10pm)
Season premiere of Medium (NBC, 8pm - 10pm)
Ellen DeGeneres, Gordie Brown, +44 on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)
Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Tenacious D on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes:

I wrote up a fall preview of Day Break months ago; you can read it by clicking on the name of the show. I was going to update the preview after seeing another hour or two of the show, but I think what I said still stands. I’ll say a little more when I get to tonight’s episode in the picks.

Earlier today I posted something over at dvd.tvpicks.net about some excellent TV on DVD deals at stores and online. If you enjoy TV on DVD, you might want to check that page or subscribe to that feed; you’ll also often see links to the latest articles somewhere in the sidebars here at TVPicks.net. dvd.tvpicks.net is where the TV on DVD section of the site is. Mostly I post TV on DVD reviews and will also mention sales, noteworthy upcoming releases, etc.

Times listed in email and feed version of the picks are for the Central timezone, please adjust accordingly (if necessary). If you’re viewing on the website, you can adjust the timezone by clicking on the appropriate link in the sidebar.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

The folks of Jericho (CBS, 7pm) had better watch out ‘cuz D.B. Sweeny is coming to town! Yikes! (Boy how times– and D.B.– have changed). They decide that perhaps they need a plan to defend the town. Duh. And that one woman who is engaged dreams or daydreams of her wedding day. Grrrrreat. I bet her wedding wasn’t gonna be at a Twins game (like mine was). James Remar probably shows up again in this episode (at least I wouldn’t be surprised). This episode was directed by Paul McCrane (he was “Rocket Romano” on ER and has directed episodes of lots of TV shows by now).

Booth, Brennan, and the team search for a killer who buries his victims alive on Bones (FOX, 7pm). And for some as yet unknown reason, the episode is titled “Aliens in a Spaceship”.

The competitors face an acting challenge on America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm; also on Sunday at 8pm) and the winner will get to appear on a CW series. Since the episode is titled “The Girl Who Breaks Down” I think it’s a safe bet that someone (other than Tyra) breaks down.

Season finale of Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 7pm - 8:02pm). DVR/VCR Alert: Runs two minutes long.

Series premiere of Day Break (ABC, 8:02pm - 10pm). While Lost is off the schedule (until February), this excellent show will take it’s place. Rest assured– things move a whole heckuvalot faster on this series than they do on Lost. Please check out my fall preview of this show if you haven’t already (or lately). This is one of my favorite new shows of the season and I highly recommend it. Fast-paced, exciting, actually not very repetitive at all (which is what you might think given all the comparisons to Groundhog Day). Lost fans may also want to check it out because there will be 30-second previews of upcoming episodes airing during each new episode of Day Break.

Season premiere of Medium (NBC, 8pm - 10pm). I’m very glad to have this excellent show back on the schedule, though it’s a pity it’s facing off against the series premiere of Day Break as both shows are truly excellent (but in completely different ways). I’ve seen tonight’s two-hour season premiere and it’s great stuff with some wonderful character development (and not just for Alison and her family). There’s an interesting case too, but the heart and soul of this show are the characters. Great to have it back, the show’s regular timeslot will be 9pm on Wednesdays. Patricia Arquette’s real-life husband Thomas Jane guest stars.

Paget Brewster joins the cast of Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm) and I wonder how this is possible given the show’s great ratings (’cuz isn’t she usually a show-killer?). I like her, but I’m wondering what’s behind this cast change (anyone know? I spend so much time watching TV and writing about it, I don’t spend as much time as I would like reading what other folks are saying). Jason O’Mara guest stars (he was the investigator for the team on In Justice and just thinking about that makes me sad as I liked In Justice better than Justice or Shark).

Mel Harris and Sheryl Lee are among the guest stars on CSI: NY (CBS, 9pm). A woman is murdered after her drunk-driving causes a car accident. I bet the list of suspects is pretty long.

Late Night

Ted Koppel on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Al Franken, Dr. Michael Novacek on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Ellen DeGeneres, Gordie Brown, +44 on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Tenacious D on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm). In other words: it’s all Tenacious D all the time, isn’t it?

Anne Heche (of Men in Trees), Rain Pryor, Jeff Caldwell on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).