Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

Season premiere of Bones (FOX, 7pm – 9pm)
New Greatest American Dog (CBS, 7pm)
Season premiere of America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm – 9pm; also on Sunday at 7pm)
Series premiere of Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9pm, 10:18pm, midnight)
Newt Gingrich on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)
Susan Eisenhower & Doris Kearns Goodwin on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am)
Dr. Phil McGraw, Tilda Swinton, Tricky on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)

News & Notes

There’s still time to catch some shows on DVD before their new seasons debut, in case you missed them last year. With others there might not be time, unless you record the premieres. I’ve started putting together a list of recent DVD releases for shows that are returning this season on the TV on DVD page. I also tell you when the sets are available (or if they’re available now) and what day the new season starts for each show. Check it out. I still have a few shows to add to the list, but most are there already. Is yet another good way to check on the premiere date for your fave returning shows.

My Fall 2008 Schedule Grid also has premiere dates along with the schedule and links to info about new shows.

Daytime

Tennis: U.S. Open coverage continues starting at 10am on USA.

Primetime Grid

Primetime

CSPAN, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other stations air coverage of the Republican National Convention starting tonight. CSPAN starts their coverage at 4pm, CNN starts coverage at 5pm, MSNBC begins their coverage at 6pm, and PBS coverage starts at 7pm. ABC, CBS, and NBC have coverage at 9pm. There’s coverage all over the place.

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

Tennis: U.S. Open (USA, 6pm). Quarterfinals.

Booth and Brennan are both visiting London and then are called in to help with a case over there in the two-hour season premiere of Bones (FOX, 7pm – 9pm). I’ve seen this episode and definitely enjoyed it, though you really have to just go with the contrived reasons that Booth and Brennan are in the U.K. and helping with a case or two. Don’t think about it too much, is what I’m saying. Indira Varma guest stars here as sort of the British version of Booth. Kinda. She’s in law enforcement. If she looks familiar it’s because she was in The Whistleblowers, Rome, and 3 lbs. She also played “Suzie” on Torchwood. Andrew Buchan guest stars as a scientist who is a bit like Bones; in the UK he had roles in The Fixer, Cranford, Party Animals, and The Whistleblowers. We do still see the folks back home in the United States, of course, and they even help with the case from afar (in contrived ridiculous ways at times, but like I said, just go with it). The big event back there is that Angela’s husband shows up. Dun-dun-DUN! So yes, there’s lots of drama with Angela and Hodgins and everyone. Not much mention of the events involving Zack last season, but I’m sure we’ll see more of that once Booth and Brennan return home. If you’re a fan of the show, of course you’ll want to see this. If you aren’t, you can still jump in and enjoy this show without having seen past episodes. John Francis Daly, of Freaks and Geeks, is a full castmember this season as Dr. Sweets, he’s finally even in the credits.

Special two-hour season premiere of America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm – 9pm; also on Sunday at 7pm). The first hour has a technology/future theme to it which is kindof fun as we meet thirty women who’d like to be on the show this season. In the second hour, the fourteen remaining competitors have their first photo shoot and also each get to meet one-on-one with a judge. I don’t usually watch this show, just the occasional episode, but I got hooked a bit when I screened these two hours. I can’t tell you how they stack up to previous seasons in any detail, but I enjoyed these episodes and there are a few women who I’d really like to see go far in the competition. There is a transgender competitor for the first time this season, which gives some of the women pause and others are totally cool with it or at least seem to be.

The final four teams compete on a new episode of Greatest American Dog (CBS, 7pm). It sounds like a dog may get injured, which worries me. Or maybe they’re dealing with an injury from last week, I’ve fallen a bit behind in my viewing as I’m so busy screening premieres right now.

A look at future cars on a new NextWorld (Discovery Channel, 7pm and 11pm; also on Sunday at 8am). Check out the official site for the show to find out more about this new series.

No new MythBusters this week, alas.

The competitors must create a look inspired by Diane Von Furstenberg’s fall collection in this new episode of Project Runway (Bravo, 8pm, 10:15pm, 12:30am).

New episode of Architecture School (Sundance, 8pm and midnight; also on Saturday at 1:30pm and Sunday at 5:30pm).

Series premiere of Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9pm, 10:18pm, midnight; also on Sunday at midnight). I’d been looking forward to reviewing this new series and then somehow managed to misplace the first two episodes (and only notice this last night so there was no time for FX to send me them again). Eek! Bummer. ‘Course this gave me an excuse to poke around and see what other critics were saying about the show (something I rarely do). I really enjoyed Tim Goodman’s review of the show and it should tell you what you need to know about the series. I’ll talk about the show here once I’ve seen it! DVR/VCR Alert: Note that the show has a runtime of an hour and 18 minutes (or so).

The competitors are asked to design/decorate a loft space in the season premiere of Top Design (Bravo, 9pm, 11:15pm, 1:30am; also on Thursday at 4pm). DVR/VCR Alert: This episode has a running time of 75 minutes.

Michael creates a kosher meal to celebrate Passover with a Jewish congregation on a new Dinner Impossible (Food Network, 9pm and midnight).

Two new episodes of Criss Angel Mindfreak (A&E, 9pm and 1am, 9:30pm and 1:30am).

It’s allosaurus vs. ceratosaurus on a new episode of Jurassic Fight Club (History Channel, 9pm and 1am).

New episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Dallas Cowboys (HBO, 9pm; check listings for additional airings on various HBO stations).

A new episode of Taboo (National Geographic, 9pm and midnight; also on Saturday at 5pm).

New episodes of Run’s House (MTV, 9pm, 9:30pm).

It’s “Disney vs. Scientology” in a new episode of Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm). With Kathleen Madigan and Andy Kindler.

Late Night

Newt Gingrich on a new episode of The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight). Filmed in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Susan Eisenhower & Doris Kearns Goodwin on a new episode of The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Dr. Phil McGraw, Tilda Swinton, Tricky on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Billy Bob Thornton, Brian Wilson on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Nicolas Cage, Vivica A. Fox, Delta Spirit on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Maria Bello, Steve Hofstetter on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Russell Brand, Christina Hendricks, Young Jeezy on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Christina Ricci, Steve Byrne, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).