Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New History Detectives (PBS, check your local listings)
New The Closer (TNT, 8pm and 11pm)
New The Middleman (ABC Family, 9pm and 11pm)
New Weeds (Showtime, 9pm, 10pm)
New Saving Grace (TNT, 9pm and midnight)
New Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel, 9pm, 10pm, 1am)
Will Ferrell, the gang from Mythbusters on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)

Recommended Reruns

Parts 1 & 2 of Generation Kill (HBO2, 7pm)
Season premiere of The Closer (TNT, 7pm)
Bones (FOX, 7pm)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7pm)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7:30pm)
House (FOX, 8pm)
Season premiere of Psych (USA, 11:05pm)
Season premiere of Monk (USA, 12:05am)

News & Notes

I’ve had a rough week or two of dealing with family emergencies and other tricky stuff that’s keeping me away from my computer and TV a fair bit. Thanks, as ever, to those who keep on coming back to the site and especially those who make donations and support this site in other ways.

I do hope you find this site useful.

Daytime

William Shatner (of Boston Legal, Star Trek), Henry Winkler (of Out of Practice, Happy Days), and Rick Springfield appear on this rerun of Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

Baseball: Brewers at Cardinals (ESPN, 6pm) followed by Baseball Tonight (ESPN, 9pm or so).

Rerun of another Antiques Roadshow (PBS, check your local listings) from Bismarck.

An embroidered jacket may have belonged to a member of the China Marines and an Airstream trailer may have been a member of the Wally Byam Caravan Club in tonight’s new History Detectives (PBS, check your local listings). Plus something about Lincoln.

If you get HBO and missed the first two parts of David Simon’s new miniseries Generation Kill they both air tonight on HBO 2 (HBO2, 7pm, 8:15pm) and there are additional airings on the various HBO stations.

Film critic Elvis Mitchell talks to Laurence Fishburne in a new episode of Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence (TCM, 7pm, 9:30pm; also on Saturday at 11am). The interviews focus on films that influenced the lives of these actors and filmmakers. Some of the films that influenced Fisburne air tonight on TCM: Patch of Blue (TCM, 7:30pm, letterboxed), short film A Cinderella Named Elizabeth (TCM, 9:19pm), Kiss Me, Stupid(TCM, 10pm, letterboxed); and Apocalypse Now (TCM, midnight, letterboxed).

Justin Timberlake hosts the 2008 ESPY Awards (ESPN2, 7pm, 10:30pm). In case you care and missed the show last night or you recorded it and didn’t catch it all.

If you somehow missed the season premiere of The Closer last week, it airs again tonight (TNT, 7pm). The case involves fire and an arsonist and a reporter.

Finalists are selected from the East Coast group of semifinalists on a new High School Musical: Get in the Picture (ABC, 7pm). Nick Lachey. Episodes of this series air on Sundays and Mondays through August 4th and then just on Mondays until the finale in mid-September.

Jack Dee appears on a new Top Gear (BBC America, 7pm, 10pm, midnight) followed by a rerun (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 1am).

A military wife’s sudden leg paralysis may have a tie to her husband’s top secret work on a new Mystery ER (Discovery Health Channel, 7pm and 10pm). But if his work is top secret, will we ever find out what the problem is?

Series premiere of Take Home Nanny (TLC, 7pm). In the first episode “Diva daughters run the house while a workaholic husband is glued to the computer.” I’m guessing he’s not literally glued to the computer, but then one never knows with this sort of show. In each episode of this series, “child-care expert Emma Jenner visits a family not only struggling with uncontrollable kids, but also facing preparations for a special event.”

Rerun of the episode of Army Wives (Lifetime, 9pm) that debuted last night. There’s a cookout for Delta Force members and their families. Roxy works to reopen a bar.

The body of an archbishop is found and he’s missing his kneecaps in this rerun of Bones (FOX, 7pm).

Sweets: “It’s awesome! It’s like the Sith Lords man, there’s always only two of them.”
Booth: “Did you just Star Wars us?”
  from Bones

Someone purchases a pregnancy test in a rather dramatic (even for this show) episode of Gossip Girl (CW, 7pm). Secrets come out, big time in this one.

Sheldon and Leonard are invited to a physics conference and things don’t go so well when it comes to sharing the credit or the stage in this rerun of The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 7pm). It led to the posting of a “Physicists Gone Wild” video to YouTube. [The video as posted | Clip from the show featuring the video]

Leonard: “Are there any other honors that I’ve gotten that I don’t know about? Did UPS drop off a Nobel Prize with my name on it?”
Sheldon: “Leonard, please don’t take this the wrong way, but the day you win a Nobel Prize is the day I begin my research on the drag co-efficient of tassles on flying carpets.”
  from The Big Bang Theory

New episodes of these shows on HGTV tonight: Designed to Sell (HGTV, 7pm and 11pm), Curb Appeal (HGTV, 7:30pm and 11:30pm), and Hidden Potential (HGTV, 8:30pm and 12:30am).

Part one of the two-part second season finale of How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 7:30pm). Where everything that can go wrong at Lily & Marshall’s wedding does, but Barney tries to fix things.

A paroled murderer is killed in a hit and run accident in this new episode of The Closer (TNT, 8pm and 11pm; also on Saturday at 9am and next Monday at 7pm). Yup, that definitely sounds like a case for the major case squad. So what’d you think of the season premiere? I liked it but thought Brenda was really stupid in the final scenes.

Series premiere of Wanna Bet? (ABC, 8pm). Comedians Ant and Dec host this series in which (according to ABC) “celebrities have the chance to earn big money for the charity of their choice by betting on the success or failure of the wildest stunts, tricks and mental challenges that ordinary Americans housewives, truck drivers, dentists, kids can dream up and perform in front of a studio audience.” The judges for this episode are Sherri Shepherd (of The View, Less Than Perfect), George Takei (of Heroes, Star Trek), Tom Green, and Harland Williams. Stunts in this episode include a man who tries to use a tire as a hula-hoop, people who try to move couches onto a truck really fast, and a man who claims he can identify CDs by licking them. Wow.

A look at “foods that come in roll form” on a new episode of Unwrapped (Food Network, 8pm and 11pm).

House (FOX, 8pm) treats a magician (played by Steve Valentine who was “Nigel” on Crossing Jordan) and there’s an “immunity challenge” of sorts for the gaggle of people who want to work for House. It’s a rather unusual challenge for the doctors . . .

House: “I need you to bring me the thong of Lisa Cuddy. Not kidding. Thong. Cuddy. Go!”
(everyone looks at Foreman)
Dr. Foreman: “It’s how I got hired.”
  from House

Rose returns from England and acts as Charlie’s nurse in this rerun of Two and a Half Men (CBS, 8pm).

Berta: “What’s wrong with you?”
Charlie: “I caught something.”
Berta: “There’s a surprise.”
  from Two and a Half Men

Going inside the Batcave, experts compare the Dark Knight’s gadgets to actual technology in a new special from the History Channel called Batman Tech (History Channel, 8pm and midnight). Followed by a rerun of Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight (History Chanel, 9pm and 1am).

Heidi Fleiss opens a legal brothel that caters to women in Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal (HBO, 8pm) or at least she tries to. This documentary has a runtime of 75 minutes. Additional airings on the various HBO stations.

Two new episodes of Locked Up Abroad (National Geographic, 8pm and 11pm, 9pm and midnight). In the first episode, “a couple on an anniversary trip in the Philippines is taken hostage, along with 18 others, by an Islamic extremist group.” In the second episode, “an 18-year-old lingerie model makes a mistake in Texas that leads to her imprisonment in Bangladesh.”

Jon and Kate discuss their favorite moments and also some of the things they wish hadn’t been caught on tape in this new episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (TLC, 8pm and 11pm).

Eggs are the subject of a new How’d That Get on My Plate? (Food Network, 8:30pm and 11:30pm). Learn about the latest technology used to collect, grade, and package eggs and watch as eggs are transformed into donuts and cookie dough.

Actual boy band Varsity Fanclub guest stars on a new episode of The Middleman (ABC Family, 9pm and 11pm), but given the way this show goes I’m guessing the boy band they play here is made up of aliens or zombies or something. (I know more, but would you really want me to spoil it for you?) Also: Ida is in peril in this episode! Eek! I’m still loving this goofy show.

I can’t wait to see what happens in tonight’s new episode of Weeds (Showtime, 9pm, 10pm; also on Tuesday at 9pm and 9:30pm). What’s up with that hole in the store? I am intrigued.

Grace and the other detectives investigate a crime scene which contains a lot of blood but no body in this new episode of Saving Grace (TNT, 9pm and midnight; also Tuesday at 10pm). If you watch this show, how’d you like the premiere? If you somehow missed the season premiere last week, it is available on the TNT website along with the series premiere and the finale from last season.

Bourdain visits Saudi Arabia in a new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel, 9pm, 10pm, 1am).

Tonight’s new episode of Dateline NBC (NBC, 9pm) is titled “Tower Dogs” because in it they’ll be exploring “the perilous world of tower climbers, who scale structures as high as 2,000 feet in wind, rain and snow to install, maintain and repair equipment supporting America’s high-tech communications system.”

A homeowner is in denial about her mouse problem and the team is shocked by the number of pets at an apartment complex on a new episode of Verminators (Discovery, 9pm and 1am).

Series premiere of Date My Ex (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, midnight, 2am; with lots of additional airings this week). This new series follows Jo De La Rosa and Slade Smiley (of The Real Housewives of Orange County) as De La Rosa looks for love while pursuing a singing career. The reason it’s called “Date My Ex” is because the men De La Rosa dates all end up also having to deal with her ex Slade Smiley. Bravo ordered eight episodes of this series.

Two male models are found dead in this rerun of CSI: Miami (CBS, 9pm). Rob Estes (of Women’s Murder Club) and Robin Atkin Downes (of Babylon 5) are among the guest stars.

New episode of Legally Blonde (MTV, 9pm).

I think it’s safe to assume that In Focus: Shedding Light on Vampires in America, A Prime-Time Network Exclusive (HBO, 9:15pm) is a special promoting the forthcoming HBO series True Blood. If you want to know more about this new series from Alan Ball, check out the official HBO site for the show and fansite true-blood.tv which both link to some of the other sites that promote the show.

Belle receives a bad review on the internet and is scared by one of the men who comes calling for an appointment on Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime, 9:30pm, 10:30pm).

Late Night

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

Benjamin Bratt stars in this rerun of the series premiere of The Cleaner (A&E, 10pm and 2am).

Rerun of the second episode of the new season of Burn Notice (USA, 10:05pm, runtime of 60 minutes). Michael helps a client who is being stalked to a member of a drug cartel, though not everything is as it seems. If you somehow missed the first two episodes of the new season of this show, they both air again on Thursday (USA, 3pm, 4pm Thursday).

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

Will Ferrell, the gang from Mythbusters on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Kyra Sedgwick (of The Closer, Chris Matthews, Alanis Morissette on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Rerun of the season premiere of Psych (USA, 11:05pm, runtime of 60 minutes). I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to write about the season premieres of this show and Monk on Friday. If you somehow missed these on Friday, you can catch them tonight. In this episode, Gus is asked to stop moonlighting with Shawn, and Cybill Shepherd (of Moonlighting) guest stars as Shawn’s Mom. Fun stuff, as usual. This episode also airs again at Noon on Friday on USA. The next new episode debuts on Friday at 9pm and 11pm.

Aisha Tyler, Jarod Miller (of Greatest American Dog), Keaton Simons on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Patricia Heaton, Katt Williams, Thrice on a rerun of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Angie Harmon, Adam Perry Lang, Def Leppard on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Perez Hilton, Sig & Edgar Hansen, Katy Perry on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).

Rerun of the season premiere of Monk (USA, 12:05am, runtime of 60 minutes). Brad Garrett (of ‘Til Death, Everybody Loves Raymond) guest stars as a handyman. Monk buys a house. Hector Elizondo (of Cane, Chicago Hope) joins the show as Monk’s new therapist. In case you’re wondering why Monk it getting a new therapist, it’s for a rather sad reason: Stanley Kamel , who played Dr. Kroger on the series, died of a heart attack between seasons. They wrote his death into the show and I was touched by how they handled it. This episode also airs again on Friday at 4pm; the next new episode of the show debuts on Friday at 8pm.