Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm; also on Fri at 7pm)
Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm)
Bionic Woman (NBC, 8pm and Sat at 8pm; also on Fri on SciFi at 6pm)
Private Practice (ABC, 8pm)
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9:02pm)
Life (NBC, 9pm; also on Sat at 3pm and Sun at 11pm on USA)
Ted Koppel on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)
Tina Fey, Kenneth Branagh, Ani DiFranco on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes:

Still sick. Emails of the picks are going out later than they should be (that is an hour or so or more after picks are posted to the website), I’m working on fixing that.

Primetime Grid

Featured Pick

Series premiere of Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm).

If you liked Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, but found yourself thinking “I wish these shows were quirkier” then Pushing Daisies may very well be the show for you. It’s so over-the-top with the whimsy and quirkiness that my husband and I kept joking about it as we watched the pilot. “I wish this were quirkier,” said I, “I wonder if they could add a talking animal or two.” Bryan Fuller, who created Dead Like Me and co-created Wonderfalls is the creator of this show and it shares some of the same sensibilities of them but is a bit more whimsical and fantastical than either of those were. Fuller wrote the first episode and series executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld directed it.

Lee Pace, who played Jaye’s brother on Wonderfalls, stars as Ned. Ned likes to make pies and he works at a pie shop called the “Pie Hole”. When he was a little boy, he learned he was blessed with a very odd gift: his touch could bring the dead back to life. There was also something of a curse that went along with this gift: if he brought someone back for good, someone else in the vicinity would die– Ned discovered that rule the hard way. And once he brings someone back, if he touches them again, they die.

Did you notice I said if he brings someone “back for good”? I guess at some point during his life, Ned worked out that he can bring someone back for a minute or two before another life is taken. So now he helps a friend (of sorts) who is a detective. This detective (played by Chi McBride of Boston Public) uses Ned to help him find out how people died. Basically, Ned brings someone back for a minute and they ask them who killed them.

Tony-winner Kristin Chenoweth (of The West Wing) plays Ned’s nice neighbor who works with him at the pie shop, she appears to have quite the crush on Ned. Ned’s life gets much more complicated when his detective friend asks him to wake up a dead woman . . . who is someone Ned knew when he was a kid. Anna Friel plays Ned’s childhood crush; Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz play her very odd aunts.

There’s a sweet love story here and there’s twinkly sprightly music and strange visuals and narration by Jim Dale. I imagine that if people like this show, they’ll really like it; those that don’t like it, probably really won’t like it. I fall in with the “like it a lot” camp, though I worry that the quirkiness may just get to be too much at some point. How much narration is too much? When does this fantasy veer off into the land of “too precious”? I’ll be tuning in for now and I’m pulling for this show because the first episode was entertaining and this series is the freshest new show of the Fall season.

The series premiere of Pushing Daisies airs tonight at 7pm on ABC; it will also air again on Friday at 7pm.

Daytime

TBS has Major League Baseball Division Series games. Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies, Game 1 (TBS, 2pm; preceded by pre-game special). Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox, Game 1 (TBS, 5pm).

Rebroadcast of the series premiere of Life (USA, 5pm).

Primetime

Series premiere of Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm; also on Friday at 7pm).

“Disorder erupts” on Kid Nation (CBS, 7pm) and the town council has to make some tough decisions to bring order to the town. Or something. Promos also promise a dust storm and more conflict with that one older boy (who is upset he didn’t get the gold star at the previous council and I understand his frustration there but it doesn’t look like he handles things at all well).

Chuck (Kelsey Grammer) runs into Kelly (Patricia Heaton) and her daughter at a restaurant on Back To You (FOX, 7pm). He joins them for an awkward meal.

The women go rock climbing, they also work the runway while wearing straightjackets on America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm; also on Sun at 8pm). Special guests are Roy Campbell, fashion designer Collen Quen, and photographer Matthew Jordan Smith.

A secret about Eddie (Brad Garrett) comes out on ‘Til Death (FOX, 7:30pm). I’m guessing that he’s a tall guy who can’t play basketball, but then I’ve seen the commercials. Nick Bakay is among the guest stars.

The team goes after a serial killer in Milwaukee, but they’re short some team members on Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm). The season premiere was interesting; it was an old episode from last season that never aired, but it was re-worked: they clearly added the framing device with Gideon’s narration and some other bits. Tonight’s episode is being touted as Mandy Patinkin’s last episode, it must include more scenes of him at the cabin. Gideon is missing from the team when they go after this killer, Hotch and Prentiss both try to deal with their situations with their bosses in interesting ways. I don’t envy the writers their task of working Patinkin’s exit into the show, but I’m impressed with what they’ve done so far and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Eddie Cibrian (of Third Watch), Jayne Atkinson (of 24), and Gordon Clapp (of NYPD Blue) guest star.

Jaime tries to learn to balance the human and the machine in her on Bionic Woman (NBC, 8pm; also on Fri at 6pm on Sci-Fi Channel; and on Sat at 8pm on NBC). She’s also trying to learn how to balance her work and home life with the whole secret lab bionic lifestyle.

Cooper hires an “entertainer” named Ginger to help Sam (Taye Diggs) start his new single life on Private Practice (ABC, 8pm). Somehow I doubt Sam needs any help finding dates if he wants them. There’s jealousy involving Ginger in both an obvious way (maybe Sam’s ex Naomi isn’t thrilled about her) and a less obvious way (she seeks medical attention from one doc and not another). I’m not sold on this show yet, but will be tuning in for a while. DVR/VCR Alert: Runs two minutes long.

It’s “Ivy Week” for Gossip Girl (CW, 8pm; also on Sun at 7pm) or at least the people she covers. Representatives from Ivy League schools visit the Upper East Side schools these teens attend. B. has a scandalous secret about S. that she wants to reveal. Young Jenny meets Serena’s younger brother and this development makes me happy. Yeah, so maybe I’m hooked on this show; mostly I like the lead character (Serena as played by Blake Lively), her younger brother, and the other pair of siblings we see on the show. I guess Josh Schwartz has my number.

Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks, Game 1 (TBS, 9pm).

Nick (Peter Krause) pays a visit to an airplane mechanic in an effort to find out who killed his father on Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9pm). The Darling family has a big fancy photo shoot complete with trained lions. As you might expect, there’s a whole lot of drama with the family as per usual. You can still jump into this show if you missed the first episode (you can also still find the first episode on ABC.com). Krause is likeable as the reluctant lawyer to this insanely rich somewhat insane family headed up by Donald Sutherland.

A bride is killed on her wedding night on Life (NBC, 9pm; also on Sat at 3pm and Sun at 11pm on USA). Her husband is the number one suspect, but when Crews (Damian Lewis) begins to think he’s innocent, he takes the whole “keeping an innocent man out of prison” thing quite seriously. Gosh, I can’t imagine why. He also revisits the scene of the crime that resulted in his own jail sentence. I probably didn’t sound wild about this show when it premiered or at least Nathan’s review over at TeeVee wasn’t super positive. But I do like the actors on this show and I think there’s potential in a show about a cop who spent time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Let’s see if tonight’s case is interesting and if there are interesting developments in the ongoing mystery/case. Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Brooke Langton, and Robin Weigert also star. Miss the first episode of Life? It airs again at 5pm tonight on USA; it also airs again on Saturday at 2pm on USA (and is followed by this episode on Sat at 3pm on USA).

Here’s a first for this show: a live season finale of Top Chef (Bravo, 9pm, 11:15pm, 12:30am, 1:45am). Guest judges include Michelle Bernstein, Rocco DiSpirito, and Todd English. Live from Chicago with surprise visits from some of the people who didn’t make it to the finals. DVR/VCR Alert: Episode runs 75 minutes, so until (at least) 10:15pm. I’d say it’s possible it might even run a little longer.

There’s an underwater crime scene on CSI: NY (CBS, 9pm). Cool! There’s also a chance for a case or two involving buried treasure and/or an assassination plot. Kerr Smith is among the guest stars.

New episode of Inside the NFL (HBO, 9pm).

Cartman discovers the joys of having Tourette’s syndrome in the season premiere of South Park (Comedy Central, 9pm and 11pm). Yup, Cartman loves being able to swear and say anything without getting in trouble. Oddly enough, uncensored versions of this episode and future episodes will be available online.

Sarah discovers that the community group she joins is a radical anti-abortion group on the season premiere of The Sarah Silverman Show (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm). And a Dungeons & Dragons game interferes with someone’s date night.

Late Night

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

Jim Lovell on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Alec Baldwin (of 30 Rock), Faith Hill on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Tom Selleck (of Las Vegas), Carlos Mencia, Bobbie and Willie Nelson on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Tina Fey (of 30 Rock), Kenneth Branagh, Ani DiFranco on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Kevin Smith, Tasha Smith, J.L. Cauvin on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Brad Womack, Nick Lowe on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Moon Bloodgood (of Journeyman, Day Break), the Last Goodnight on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Thursday Daytime

Jude Law, Tina Fey (of 30 Rock) on Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jack Cafferty, Marcia Gay Harden, Annie Lennox on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Best Bet: Tom Selleck, Nathan Fillion (of Desperate Housewives, Drive, Firefly), Darrell Watson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Trick-or-treat bags, Julie Scardina talks about endangered species, and oyster recipes on Martha (syndicated, check your local listings).

Kimora Lee Simmons, “Who wears it better?” challenge, yard sale bargains (world’s longest yard sale), two recipes for mac and cheese on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Model Blackouts” and a look at the controversy surrounding the lack of African American models at Fashion Week and in the modeling industry as whole on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Best Bet: “Exclusive: Controversial singer Sinead O’Connor Reveals Her Struggle with Bipolar Disorder” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Secrets in the Suburbs” (a look at swinging, among other things) on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).