Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Series premiere of New Amsterdam (FOX, 8pm)
New In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm)
Dave Foley on season finale of Carpoolers (ABC, 8:30pm)
New Jericho (CBS, 9pm)
Ralph Nader on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)
Janet Jackson, Jackie Mason, Todd English on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings)

Daytime

Rerun of “The Truth About Food with Dr. Oz and Bob Greene” episode of Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Featured Pick

Series premiere of New Amsterdam (FOX, 8pm).

I really liked the pilot for New Amsterdam when I first viewed it way back in May and then I was disappointed when FOX bumped the show from their Fall schedule to midseason; later on FOX said they wouldn’t be airing it at midseason either– it wasn’t looking good for this new show, I feared this promising show would never make it to the airwaves. But then the WGA strike happened and everything changed as the networks scrambled for any new programming they could find.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars as John Amsterdam, a New York City homicide detective who has been alive since the 1600s. No, he’s not a vampire and yes, this show is much much better than Moonlight. Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed feature film director Lasse Hallström directed the pilot. Coster-Waldau is great in the title role, it’s not easy to make viewers believe you’ve really been alive for hundreds of years; he also reminds me a bit of Nathan Fillion (of Firefly).

I’ve seen the first two episodes and liked them both a lot. If the voiceover narration of the first episode bugs you, it mostly disappears in the second episode and I suspect the network insisted on added narration in that first episode. As is so often the case, I recommend trying the second episode if you like anything about the first episode as first episodes are, by their very nature, tricky.

This show features interesting cases, but it’s more about the complicated life of the main character. I love that he has such a rich history and has collected neat stuff and developed a lot of skills over the years. It’s also really cool that he’ll just matter-of-factly use his knowledge from years ago and the people around him just write it off as him being quirky.

His new partner is played by Zuleikha Robinson, who was “Gaia” in Rome and “Yves Harlow” in The Lone Gunmen, though I totally didn’t recognize her from that.

Writers and producers on the show include Eric Overmyer (of Homicide, Law & Order), David Manson (of Saved, Thief), Christian Taylor (of Lost, Miracles), Six Feet Under), and other talented folks.

Please do give this new show a try tonight as it’s one of my favorite new shows.

The series premiere of New Amsterdam airs tonight on FOX at 8pm.

Primetime

College hoops: Purdue at Ohio State (ESPN, 6pm), Miami (Ohio) at Kent State (ESPN2, 6pm), Arkansas at Mississippi (ESPN, 8pm).

Eight of the guys compete on American Idol (FOX, 7pm).

Series premiere of New Amsterdam (FOX, 8pm). My featured pick today (see above). The second episode will air on Thursday at 8pm, episodes thereafter will air on Mondays at 8pm.

New Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 1am).

“Cosmic Collisions” are the topic on a new episode of The Universe (History Channel, 8pm and midnight).

Eggplant parmesan is the subject of a new Throwdown With Bobby Flay (Food Network, 8pm and 11pm).

Jim hosts a doll-themed birthday party on According To Jim (ABC, 8pm).

Brooke encounters a “ghost from her past” and I’m assuming they don’t mean that this show has gone all supernatural on a new One Tree Hill (CW, 8pm). Nathan and Lucas attend Dan’s parole hearing.

Rerun of another early episode of Bones (TNT, 8pm).

Alex pays another visit to Paul on In Treatment (HBO, 8:30pm).

Aubrey is fired during “Take Your Daughter To Work Day” and his carpool buddies rally around him to help him “remain a hero to his daughter” in the season finale of Carpoolers (ABC, 8:30pm). Dave Foley (of NewsRadio, Kids in the Hall) guest stars.

Hawkins gets another phone call from his mysterious new contact in this new episode of Jericho (CBS, 9pm). I don’t know much more other than that, but that’s fine– I’m still hooked on this show.

Andrew Zimmern is in Beijing for the season premiere of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (Travel Channel, 9pm, 10pm, 1am).

Two more key episodes of season one of Saving Grace (TNT, 9pm, 10pm).

Rerun of an early episode of NCIS (USA, 9pm).

Season finale of The Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo, 9pm, 11pm, 1am).

Late Night

Series premiere of The Real Housewives of New York City (Bravo, 10pm).

season finale of 10 Items or Less (TBS, 10pm and 1am).

New Janice & Abbey (Oxygen, 10pm, 12:30am).

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

Jennifer 8. Lee on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Colin Farrell, Blake Lively (of Gossip Girl), Lenny Kravitz on a rerun of The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Heidi Klum, James McAvoy, John Fogerty on a rerun of The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Christina Ricci, Dee Dee Myers, Collective Soul on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Pink, Lou Dobbs, Bettye Lavette on a rerun ofLate Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Janet Jackson, Jackie Mason, Todd English on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Kevin Hart, A Fine Frenzy on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).