Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Ugly Betty (ABC, 7pm)
New My Name Is Earl (NBC, 7pm)
New Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8pm - 9:01pm)
Season premiere of CSI (CBS, 8pm)
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday (NBC, 8:30pm)
Series premiere of Life on Mars (ABC, 9:01pm)
Series premiere of Eleventh Hour (CBS, 9:01pm)
Bill Murray, Beck on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm)

News & Notes

The 30 Rock season premiere doesn’t air until October 30th when the show will rejoin the Thursday night lineup.

There are just a couple more days left for the Big Fall TV Sale at Amazon so if you haven’t checked it out yet and are interested in affordable or even cheap TV on DVD sets, give it a look soon.

Daytime

“Life’s Stickiest Situations” on a new Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

College Football: Clemson at Wake Forest (ESPN, 6:30pm).

Earl tries to cross another item off his list on a new My Name Is Earl (NBC, 7pm). He tries to make up for past mistakes to a local stuntman played by guest star David Arquette. I’m really enjoying this season of the show so far.

Mark Consuelos guest stars as a police detective who investigates after an accident on a new Ugly Betty (ABC, 7pm).

Maxima arrives in Metropolis on a new Smallville (CW, 7pm). Charlotte Sullivan guest stars.

The tribes are asked to rank their members according to importance on a new Survivor: Gabon (CBS, 7pm).

A factory where 40,000 fluorescent light bulbs are built in an hour, the Anheuser-Busch brewery, the importance of grooves in escalators, and fire extinguishers are all covered in a new episode of Factory Floor with Marshall Brain (National Geographic, 7pm and 10pm; also on Saturday at 11am).

A single woman wants a modern dining-lounge area for entertaining on a new Myles of Style (HGTV, 7:30pm and 11:30pm).

Molly Shannon and Selma Blair guest star in the series premiere of Kath & Kim (NBC, 7:30pm). This show is based on the Australian hit series of the same name. I’ve seen the first two episodes of this American version of the show and I was underwhelmed. I don’t really like watching dumb characters do stupid things unless they’re funny or have a whole lot more depth than these characters do. Shannon plays a dim mother whose grown daughter moves back in with her after a fight with her new husband. I didn’t think the show was as awful as some critics did, but I also haven’t seen the series it was based on. You can find out more about the show on the official website for it.

The Chief tries to implement some new teaching policies, George prepares to retake his exam, and Derek wants to make some changes after moving in with Meredith on a new Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8pm - 9:01pm). And then there’s a leak at the hospital that results in a flood . . . Yikes! Amy Madigan returns as Dr. Wyatt. Daniel J. Travanti also guest stars. DVR/VCR Alert: This episode has a running time of 61 minutes.

Holly holds a business ethics seminar in this new episode of The Office (NBC, 8pm). “Holly” is played by Oscar nominee Amy Ryan, who was “Beadie” on The Wire.

The season premiere of CSI (CBS, 8pm - 9:01pm) presumably picks up after the events of the season finale, wherein Warrick Brown was shot. That was shocking and sad stuff, the angst is sure to be off the charts in this premiere. Jorja Fox returns to the show as Sara Sidle, though as a guest star so don’t get your hopes up that she’ll stick around. DVR/VCR Alert: This episode has a running time of 61 minutes.

Sam and Dean disagree over whether to kill a man who is turning into a monster on a new Supernatural (CW, 8pm). Dameon Clark guest stars.

“Lead” is the subject of a new Modern Marvels (History Channel, 8pm and midnight).

Custom builds for illusionist Steve Wyrick and ICEE on a new American Chopper (TLC, 8pm and 10pm).

The family room in a cottage gets an update on a new Rate My Space (HGTV, 8pm and midnight).

New episode of Destroyed in Seconds (Discovery, 8pm and midnight).

For the next three weeks, NBC will air Saturday Night Live specials that they’re calling Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday (NBC, 8:30pm). Not a name that really rolls off the tongue, but at least it’s descriptive.

Series premiere of Life on Mars (ABC, 9:01pm). This is a new U.S. version of the fabulous hit U.K. series of the same name wherein a modern day police detective suddenly finds himself working cases in 1973. Jason O’Mara stars in this new version; he’s been on many TV shows over the years including as a series regular on In Justice and The Agency, he guest starred as a killer on both The Closer and Criminal Minds, and a character he played was involved with Marin for a while on Men in Trees. The original pilot for this show was tossed out and the series was seriously revamped with O’Mara being the only cast member retained from the original version; the cast for this new series includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol, Jonathan Murphy, and Lisa Bonet. Reviews so far are very positive and I can’t wait to see the premiere– I recommend that you check it out as well. For more information, see Tim Goodman’s review of the first episode. And, of course, you might also want to check out the official website for the show. The UK series isn’t yet available on DVD in the US, though it is available in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

Series premiere of Eleventh Hour (CBS, 9:01pm). Rufus Sewell stars as a special science consultant to the FBI, Marley Shelton plays his FBI bodyguard; they investigate cases that involve science, I guess. I liked the shortlived UK series that this is based on; that one featured Patrick Stewart as Dr. Jacob Hood and Ashley Jensen as his bodyguard (you may know her for playing “Christina” on Ugly Betty and “Maggie” on Extras). I thought the UK series was good, but not great. The first episode of the new U.S. version is very similar to the first episode of the UK series; the second episode I saw (of this new version) was a new story that didn’t do much for me, even though that episode was directed well by Clark Johnson. I don’t care for Shelton in the bodyguard role and in the second episode she was probably the worst bodyguard ever and came off as an afterthought of a sidekick; Jensen was really fabulous in the UK version which makes it hard for anyone else to take on that role. Do I recommend this U.S. version? If you’ve seen the U.K. version you’ll not find anything new or better here (so far), though if this show does well it will be around a lot longer than the UK series was so I suppose you could see it as the show getting a new life. So far I think the show is merely okay and nothing special. It’s not as “out there” as Fringe but also lacks the humor that show sometimes has. Well-crafted, but . . . eh. I can take it or leave it. Both versions of this show are pretty dark. If you’re intrigued by scientific mysteries that involve cloning and such stuff or are a fan of Patrick Stewart or Ashley Jensen and you haven’t yet seen the U.K. Eleventh Hour, it is available on DVD and worth a look. You can find out more about this new version on the website for the show.

The new interns risk their lives as they fight to keep a terrorist alive on a new ER (NBC, 9pm). And the ER staff is defensive after Banfield’s arrival (she’s played by Angela Bassett).

Duff creates a cake for Lebowski-fest as well as a replica of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars on a new Ace of Cakes (Food Network, 9pm and midnight). Awesome!

Kat struggles with whether she should hire someone else to manage the shop given its growth in the season premiere of L.A. Ink (TLC, 9pm and 11pm). And Dave Navarro stops by to get a new tattoo.

Frank and Charlie discover that someone has, um, used their bed as a bathroom on a new It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9pm, 10:02pm; also on Friday at 10pm). DVR/VCR Alert: This episode has a running time of 32 minutes.

A Seattle couple searches for their first home after years of renting a small townhouse on a new House Hunters (HGTV, 9pm and 1am).

“Earth’s continents are set on a collision course with cataclysmic consequences” on a new Naked Science (National Geographic, 9pm and midnight; also on Saturday at Noon).

Season finale of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm).

The final four meet with Paige Adams-Gellar and style her latest collection for the runway on a new Glam God With Vivica A. Fox (VH1, 9pm and 1am).

New episode of Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force (A&E, 9pm and 1am).

Series premiere of Testees (FX, 9:32pm and 10:33pm; also on Friday at 10:31pm). Best friends support themselves by working as test subjects and things go horribly wrong. If you watch, you can expect lots of gross out humor involving bodily functions. Series is from Kenny Hotz (of Kenny vs. Spenny and South Park). Steve Markle and Jeff Kassel star. I’m not recommending it.

Sarah sues the nation of Mongolia on a new The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm).

Late Night

A woman named Angela needs to learn to dress for her career on a new Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style (Bravo, 10pm, midnight, 2am).

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

David Gergen, Oliver Stone on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Bill Murray, Beck on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Maddow, Rachael Yamagata on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Dennis Quaid, Lance Mackey, Sarah McLachlan on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Russell Crowe, Jennifer Esposito on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Sandra Oh, Jeff Ross, Foals on a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Kat Von D, Young Jeezy & Nas on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).