Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Oscar-nominated films on TCM
New In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm)
Season premiere of Jericho (CBS, 9pm)
New Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm)
Season finale of Some Assembly Required (Discovery, 9pm and 1am)

News & Notes

ABC has picked up some new shows for the 2008-2009 season: Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Samantha Who, and Dirty Sexy Money. Excellent! They also reported that the following shows will also be back (none of these are surprises): Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Ugly Betty, and Brother & Sisters. No word yet on which shows will film more episodes for this season. Fans of Women’s Murder Club, Men in Trees, and Boston Legal may want to show their support of those shows in whatever way they can as they haven’t yet been picked up.

Amazon has a bunch of box sets on sale for 50% off their regular prices. Mostly movies, but there’s some TV in the mix.

The WGA is in the process of voting on whether to end the strike and then will proceed to vote on the new contract. For the latest updates, I recommend: WGA West | WGA East | United Hollywood | Deadline Hollywood Daily

Featured Pick

Season premiere of Jericho (CBS, 9pm).

This season premiere works whether or not you’ve seen season one of the show, which is a good thing for a series that needs to find a bigger audience if it is to survive past the short seven-episode second season; it’s not necessarily good news if you’re a fan of the show that was hoping for more of the war with New Bern. Oh, well.

I’ve seen the first three episodes and I enjoyed them, though as so often has been the case with this show, I kept hoping episodes would be better than they are. Still, it’s like nothing else on the air and I recommend it.

Esai Morales joins the cast as the military officer put in charge of Jericho and the surrounding area. Boy does he have his work cut out for him! This season starts four weeks after the events of last season, with the military coming in to take control. Of course the big question is: which military? The U.S. is now divided, with one leader rising to power in the West, another in the East, and Texas still undecided as to which side to take. There is no United States anymore and some of the people in charge are trying to re-write history in rather creative ways.

Fans may be dismayed that it seems like some characters are missing in action in this first episode, I’m happy to assure you that some more familiar faces show up in later episodes. I’m truly disappointed that Jake’s Mom doesn’t appear in the first three episodes, I hope she shows up soon. There’s definitely a void without Jake’s parents in these episodes.

I’m happy to report that there is, thank goodness, less emphasis on romance among the townsfolk. Stanley and Mimi have their moments together, but they’re great together (and with Stanley’s sister) so I’m totally cool with that. But, so far at least, there are no love triangles.

Mr. Hawkins is still trying to make things right and expose the conspiracy that led to the original bombings, but it’s an uphill battle. Jake’s still got issues, but is also still the guy that the folks of Jericho turn to whenever there’s a problem.

The first three episodes each have a story to tell, the larger arc for this season seems to be about exposing the lies that one particular government is telling. Life is no longer as much of a struggle, the townsfolk are no longer fighting for food and heat and such things and yet . . . life isn’t easy in Jericho either.

The season premiere of Jericho airs tonight at 9pm on CBS. Season one episodes are currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel and UHD.

Daytime

Samuel L. Jackson, Maroon 5 on Live with Regis and Kelly (check your local listings).

Sarah Michelle Gellar (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Charles S. Dutton on The View (ABC, check your local listings).

Elle Macpherson, Keyshia Cole on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Strawberry cupcakes with Candace Nelson, fashion designer Bryan Bradley, romantic Valentine’s Day cards on The Martha Stewart Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Mary-Louise Parker (of Weeds), a liquid facelift, search for coolest kitchens in America on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

The women of The Bad Girls Club, a couple of families who appeared on Wife Swap on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings) continues the 1000th episode celebration in his 1001st episode.

David Cassidy, Bill Cosby, actors who played Cosby’s kids on The Cosby Show on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Jack Lemmon stars in The Odd Couple (TCM, 12:45pm, letterboxed) and The Apartment (TCM, 2:45pm, letterboxed).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

College hoops: Michigan State at Purdue (ESPN, 6pm), North Carolina at Virginia (ESPN2, 7pm), Kentucky at Vanderbilt (ESPN, 8pm).

Author Jim Bamford goes to Russia to investigate the prototypes of the Almaz military space stations on Nova (PBS, check your local listings).

Turner Classic Movies features Oscar-nominated films from the ’40s: Caesar and Cleopatra (TCM, 7pm), The Red Shoes (TCM, 9:30pm), The Pirate (TCM, midnight), Yankee Doodle Dandy (TCM, 1:45am), and Brief Encounter (TCM, 4am). With a couple of short films mixed in there: The Little Orphan (TCM, 9:22pm) and Hatch Up Your Troubles (TCM, 11:52pm). You can read all about tonight’s films on the TCM website.

New two-hour installment of Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America, 7pm – 9pm, 10pm – midnight, midnight – 2am).

Contestants compete in Hollywood for a chance to make the top 24 on a special two-hour American Idol (FOX, 7pm – 9pm).

The NCIS (CBS, 7pm) tries to stop a man from committing suicide, but then he’s murdered before he can. Crazy! Titus Welliver (of Third Watch) guest stars. The team also thinks Abby may be interviewing for a job elsewhere– now that is truly cause for alarm!

McGee: “We’re Special Agents Tony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee.”
Tony: “Very Special Agents.”
  from NCIS

Sam learns that demons don’t work on Halloween in this rerun of Reaper (CW, 7pm). And yet Sam is sent to capture two escaped souls. The vessels are a snow globe and a meat thermometer. Patton Oswalt guest stars.

Rebroadcast of the “Mexico/US Border” episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel, 7pm and 11pm).

Supernovas are the fascinating subject of a new episode of The Universe (History Channel, 8pm and midnight).

Mud Mineral Excavator is the job du jour on Dirty Jobs (Discovery, 8pm and midnight).

A dull dining room gets a much-needed makeover on a new Desperate Spaces (HGTV, 8pm and midnight).

While Cheryl is away, Jim ends up having to talk with his daughters about a sensitive subject on an episode of According To Jim (ABC, 8pm) which is titled “Period Piece” which should give you some idea what they’ll be talking about. I so don’t need to hear Jim Belushi talk about this stuff.

Rebroadcasts of two fascinating specials about co-joined twins Abby and Brittany: the first special, Joined for Life (Discovery Health Channel, 8pm and 11pm) follows them at age eleven; the second special Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16 (Discovery Health Channel, 9pm and midnight) follows them in high school, as they get their drivers licenses. They’re cool girls (who just happen to attend the same high school I did).

Kevin Federline returns yet again for a new One Tree Hill (CW, 8pm). The Honorary Title performs at Tric.

Season premiere of Big Brother: ‘Til Death Do You Part (CBS, 8pm). DVR Alert: Right now it looks like the show’s title is as I wrote it, not just “Big Brother” so you might want to keep that in mind if you plan to record this show.

The cocky pilot played by Blair Underwood pays Paul another visit on In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm). Preceded by a rerun of his second visit (HBO, 8pm).

Laird resorts to taking a handicapped spot on Carpoolers (ABC, 8:30pm) and insists that Gracen pretend he’s having difficulty walking. Oh brother. This episode was written by Marsh McCall and Bruce McCulloch and directed by Anthony Russo. McCulloch’s fellow star of Kids in the Hall Scott Thompson appears again as another carpooler.

Season premiere of Jericho (CBS, 9pm). It’s today’s featured pick.

Scott Bakula (of Enterprise, Quantum Leap) guest stars on Boston Legal (ABC, 9pm) as an old flame of Shirley’s. Of course Bakula played one of Murphy’s love interests on Murphy Brown so this is a reunion of sorts for Bakula and Candice Bergen. Alison LaPlaca (of The John Larroquette Show) guest stars as a friend of Shirley’s, she played Larroquette’s love interest on his show. This episode was directed by Vondie Curtis Hall who was a regular on David Kelley’s series Chicago Hope. Wow, this episode is reunion-tastic! Mary Gross appears again as Leigh and Henry Gibson is back as that one weird judge (there are many on this show, but you know the one).

The reviews are in for Sean’s TV show on Nip/Tuck (FX, 9pm, 10pm; also on Fri at 10pm and Sun at 9pm). Matt bonds with a patient and the doctors learn what’s behind Julia’s health issues.

Aidan Quinn, Vincent Spano, and Jayne Atkinson guest star on a rerun of Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm). The only witness to a woman’s beating is her mentally challenged daughter.

Rerun of another early episode of Bones (TNT, 9pm).

Distilling whiskey, making a cat’s-eye marble, trying to build an unsinkable boat on the season finale of Some Assembly Required (Discovery, 9pm and 1am).

Late Night

When Todd wins cows in a poker game, he tries to convince Leslie to use them to sell fresher meat, Buck tries to make Richard more manly on a new 10 Items or Less (TBS, 10pm and 1am).

Evangeline Lilly (of Lost), 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, Brad Paisley on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Susan Sarandon, Bonnie Somerville on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).