Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm)
New Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm)
New Mythbusters (Discovery Channel, 8pm and midnight)
New Friday Night Lights (The 101 on DirecTV, 8pm and 11pm)
New Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9:01pm)
New Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9pm, 10:03pm, 12:08am)
Senator Barack Obama on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)
David Simon on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am)
Tracy Morgan, Paget Brewster, the Last Shadow Puppets on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm)

News & Notes

The season premiere of Law & Order airs next week at 9pm on NBC; Life will move (from it’s current slot on Fridays at 9pm) into the 8pm Wednesday timeslot next week. Lipstick Jungle will move to Fridays at 9pm starting this Friday.

Daytime

Marion Jones is interviewed after doing time in prison on a new Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

The NBA season is underway, games air on ESPN tonight. And locally (in the Twin Cities), the Timberwolves game airs on KSTC (channel 45).

The always fabulous Stephen Root (of NewsRadio, King of the Hill) guest stars on a new Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm) as a mysterious man who claims he’s an old friend of Ned’s father who is now looking for him. Meanwhile, Emerson and co. investigate a murder at a dim sum restaurant. If you normally watch something else on Wednesday nights at 7pm and aren’t interested in the paid Obama ad, you should really give this show a try. It’s one of my favorite shows– there’s really nothing else like it on TV. If you think you know what it’s like and have never seen it, you need to see an episode (or two) to understand the kind of show it is.

CBS, FOX, and NBC all air the half-hour paid advertisement Barack Obama Political Message at 7pm. I wonder if some might see the resulting pre-emptions of Gary Unmarried and Knight Rider as reasons to vote for Obama.

The would-be models are sent on a scavenger hunt somewhere in Europe on a new America’s Next Top Model (CW, 7pm; also on Sunday at 8pm).

Because of Obama’s half-hour ad buy, CBS chose to pull the episode of Gary Unmarried which was scheduled to air tonight at 7:30pm and instead pushed a new episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS, 7:30pm) ’til 7:30pm. Barb and Christine go on a double-date, but only one of them is asked out for a second date. Tim DeKay, who played “Bizarro Jerry” on Seinfeld, plays Christine’s date.

The BAU tracks a serial killer who appears to be riding trains to get from place to place on a new Criminal Minds (CBS, 8pm). The incredible Andre Royo, best known for playing “Bubbles” on The Wire, is among the guest stars; he also recently guest starred on Heroes and he appeared on The Sarah Connor Chronicles last season. Meta Golding, who was a regular on Day Break and who played Warrick’s wife on CSI, also guest stars.

New episode of Mythbusters (Discovery Channel, 8pm and midnight).

Another new episode of Friday Night Lights (The 101, 8pm and 11pm; also airs on Friday at 8pm and 11pm). The 101 is a station that’s only available on DirecTV; these episodes of Friday Night Lights will air eventually on NBC, but probably not until February. Episodes that air on The 101 will have extra footage that won’t make the cut on NBC.

The doctors hold their own election at the office as to who should run the practice on a new Private Practice (ABC, 8pm). Plus they treat patients and have stuff going on in their personal lives, of course. Jayne Brook (of John Doe, Chicago Hope) guest stars. I’m still watching, though only because I can record so many shows at once. Criminal Minds is by far the best show that airs at 8pm on Wednesdays, but next week Life moves onto NBC at this time which may boot Private Practice from my TiVo.

The competitors are asked to dress mannequins for Anne in the second episode of Stylista (CW, 8pm). Want to find out more about this new reality series? Check out the website for the show.

New Inside the NFL (Showtime, 8pm).

The election is just days away, so of course Ellen’s brother shows up and wants to know the truth behind his sister’s death on a new Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9:01pm). Nick and Lisa go to couples therapy and Jeremy continues to be involved with the attorney who is prosecuting his mother. Did I mention that Lucy Liu is on the show this season?

The club plans retaliation on a rival biker club while dealing with one of their own who is wounded on a new Sons of Anarchy (FX, 9pm, 10:03pm, 12:08am; also on Sunday at 10pm). DVR Alert: this episode has a running time of 63 minutes.

Victory has a nightmare about Joe, Nico makes some expensive plans with Kirby (and I’m guessing he’s not wild about that), and Wendy continues to be a mess after losing her job on a new Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 9pm).

New Prototype This! (Discovery, 9pm and 1am; also on Sunday at 10am).

New TV Land Myths & Legends (TV Land, 9pm and midnight).

New K-9 Cops (Animal Planet, 9pm, 11pm, 4am).

They investigate the death of a young archaeologist on a new CSI: NY (CBS, 9pm).

Part 1 of the season finale of Top Design (Bravo, 9pm and 11pm).

New South Park (Comedy Central, 9pm and 11pm).

New Chocolate News (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm).

Late Night

Sen. Barack Obama on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

David Simon (of The Wire, Generation Kill, Homicide) on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Alec Baldwin (of 30 Rock), Paul Mooney, Ryan Adams on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Sarah Silverman, Rove McManus, the Kooks on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm).

Tracy Morgan (of 30 Rock), Paget Brewster (of Criminal Minds), the Last Shadow Puppets on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Ben Stein, Parminder Nagra (of ER), the New York Dolls on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Seth Rogen (of Freaks and Geeks), Corbin Bleu, the Whigs on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).

Dr. Drew Pinsky, Gavin Degraw on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).