Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Series premiere of The Sarah Jane Adventures (Sci-Fi, 6:30pm-8pm and 10pm-11:30pm)
New Canterbury’s Law (FOX, 8pm)
New Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11:30pm)
New Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm)
William Shatner, Tricia Helfer, Ryan Bingham on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm)
Patrick Stewart, Oliver Hudson, AA Bondy on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes

CBS has canceled Secret Talents of the Stars after airing just one episode.

Turner Classic Movies changed their schedule for this afternoon and evening to pay tribute to Charlton Heston (who passed away on Saturday). You can read all about it on their website.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

Charlton Heston is interviewed in Private Screenings: Charlton Heston (TCM, 7pm; also airs earlier in the day at 1:30pm).

Special 90-minute series premiere of The Sarah Jane Adventures (Sci-Fi, 6:30pm-8pm and 10pm-11:30pm). This first aired in the UK on New Year’s Day 2007 and I first watched it some time ago so my memory of this isn’t terribly fresh. Elisabeth Sladen stars in this new Doctor Who spin-off as Sarah Jane Smith (of course), who was one of the Doctor’s companions on Doctor Who; she reappeared for an episode of the new Doctor Who. This show is definitely aimed at pre-teens and older kids, but I know plenty of adults who enjoy it. My husband wasn’t impressed (and he’s a Doctor Who fan), I thought the episodes I saw (including this one) were okay. My fellow Vidiot Nathan Alderman wrote a nice piece about the show over at TeeVee: “Sarah Jane: A Kids’ Show About Middle Age” Definitely check it out.

Sarah Jane: When I was your age, I used to think “Oh, when I’m grown up, I’ll know what I want, I’ll be sorted.” But you never really know what you want. You never feel grown up, not really. You never sort it all out… so I thought, I could handle life on my own. But after today… I don’t want to!
  from The Sarah Jane Adventures

Brennan and her team are asked to identify the human remains that found in the cell of serial killer Howard Epps on a rerun of Bones (FOX, 7pm) from season two. Brennan and Booth tangled with Epps in a previous episode. This is a rather intense episode, to say the least.

Caroline Epps: “I’m no longer involved in Howard’s life.”
Booth: “That’s hard to believe being his wife and all.”
Caroline: “Ex-wife, the judge signed my divorce papers last month.”
Booth: “Why didn’t it work out exactly, was it a lack of quality time, or all the women he bludgeoned to death?
  from Bones

The Masters continues on ESPN.

Animal Planet airs new episodes of Lemur Kingdom (Animal Planet, 7pm, 10pm, 2am) and Escape to Chimp Eden (Animal Planet, 8pm, 11pm, 3am).

A German shepherd/Welsh corgi mix is aggressive and a blind Lab chases his tail when he is around food, but I’m sure Cesar Millan can get them (and their owners) straighted out on a new Dog Whisperer (National Geographic, 7pm and 10pm; also on Saturday at 10am).

There’s vandalism and a blogger who knows Melinda’s secret on a new Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 7pm).

Charlton Heston stars in Ben-Hur (TCM, 8pm, letterboxed). This great movie is a long one, with a running time of 240 minutes. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve missed a film classic, which includes an Oscar-winning performance by Heston.

It’s time for the title character to face her indictment on a new Canterbury’s Law (FOX, 8pm). Harris Yulin guest stars as her father.

Donny and Marie Osmond host the Miss USA 2008 (NBC, 8pm - 10pm) pageant competition, which will be braodcast live from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

New episode of What Not To Wear (TLC, 8pm and midnight; also at 9pm and midnight on Sunday).

Ian Ziering hosts a new episode of Your Mama Don’t Dance (Lifetime, 8pm and 11pm). The four remaining teams compete. Just one more episode after this one.

Debut of a new episode of The E! True Hollywood Story about Luke & Owen Wilson (E!, 8pm; also at 10am on Saturday and plenty of other times this weekend and next week).

Robert Webb and David Mitchell star in a new episode of sketch comedy show That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC America, 8:20pm, 11:20pm, 1:20am). The episode has a runtime of 40 minutes. A farmer tries to break down his horse’s reserve with a song and “something sinister” might be going on at Flamingo World.

Debut of the second episode of the new season of Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11:30pm; also on Sunday at 10pm). I have no information about the episode other than what I’ve seen in commercials, but that’s really for the best with this show. If you’re watching the show (and are caught up), you’ll want to watch this episode. If you don’t watch the show or are behind, don’t start here. It’s great stuff, by the way, I recommend checking it out from the beginning on DVD.

Michelle Nolden returns as Assistant United States Attorney Robin Brooks on a new Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm). She and Don dated on the show a while back, before he dated Liz. Other guest stars in this episode include Heavy D and Tequan Richmond (who plays “Drew” on Everybody Hates Chris). Witnesses in a case are murdered and this somehow involves chess (and of course the episode is titled “Checkmate”). There are four more new episodes for this season remaining after this one, the show has been picked up for next season.

Hidden camera investigations to see if some popular products and services are too good to be true on a new 20/20 (ABC, 9pm). A report on how prices are negotiable almost anywhere. Elizabeth Vargas reports on what the average American consumes in a lifetime and she’s not talking just about food, but about natural resources.

In 1944, the USS Enterprise “pushes through the Pacific and hammers the enemy bases at Kwajalein and Truk Lagoon before setting a course for New Guinea and supporting the invasion of Hollandia” on Battle 360 (History Channel, 9pm and 1am).

A stay-at-home mom plans her daughter’s bat mitzvah, a mother-of-three thinks she has a frumpy appearance, and a tomboy wants to feel sexy on 10 Years Younger (TLC, 9pm).

Late Night

Jason Alexander, national security expert Richard Clarke, and journalist Dana Priest on a new Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10pm). Plus, via satellite, biologist Richard Dawkins and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA).

Dave talks to Steve Martin for a long time (and it’s great), plus hand shadows performer Raymond Crowe on a rerun ofThe Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Two Starfleet Captains on NBC Late Night tonight (or, you know, the actors who played them):

William Shatner (of Boston Legal, Star Trek), Tricia Helfer (of Battlestar Galactica), Ryan Bingham on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek: The Next Generation), Oliver Hudson, AA Bondy on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Christina Applegate (of Samantha Who?), Brittany Snow (of American Dreams), Gene Pompa on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Charlton Heston stars in Khartoum (TCM, midnight, letterboxed). Followed by another Heston film: Major Dundee (TCM, 2:30am, letterboxed).

Keanu Reeves, Leona Lewis on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Gary Cannon, Kenny & Spenny, the Tender Box on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).