Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Best Bets
New Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 7pm – 8:01pm)
New Life (NBC, 8pm)
New Law & Order (NBC, 9pm)
New Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9:01pm)
New Friday Night Lights (The 101 on DirecTV, 8pm and 11pm)
Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight)
Barbara Walters on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am)
Denis Leary, Alan Rickman, Ice Cube on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings)
News & Notes
Bones is pre-empted tonight; it will be moving from the 7pm timeslot to 8pm Wednesdays for the next couple of weeks and then in January the show will move to a new timeslot of Thursdays at 7pm. It looks like we may not see any more new episodes ’til January.
The usual CBS line-up is pre-empted tonight to make room for some specials. The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY are all scheduled to return with new episodes on December 10th.
More networks have finally officially announced their midseason schedules; I hope to have a new Winter Schedule Grid online soon.
Daytime
Rerun of Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings). Episode is “The Families Behind the Heartbreaking Mistaken Identity Case” which originally aired in April, 2008.
Primetime Grid
| Wed | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Pushing Daisies | Private Practice | Dirty Sexy Money | |||
| CBS | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | Grammy Nominations Concert Live | Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show | |||
| NBC | Christmas in Rockefeller Center | Life | Law & Order | |||
| FOX | Secret Millionaire Series premiere | Local Programming | ||||
| CW | Stylista Rerun | Stylista | Local Programming | |||
Primetime
College basketball: Indiana at Wake Forest (ESPN, 6:15pm), Penn State at Georgia Tech (ESPN2, 6:30pm), Michigan State vs. North Carolina (ESPN, 8:15pm), and Florida State at Northwestern (ESPN2, 8:30pm).
Ned and Olive compete in a comfort food cook-off and Chuck turns to Emerson Cod for help with something on a new Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7pm). Stephen Root continues his stint on the show. There’s a neat crossover with the beloved shortlived series Wonderfalls as Beth Grant guest stars in this episode as “Marianne Marie Beetle” which is a character she played in the “Muffin Buffalo” episode of Wonderfalls. Cool! Douglas Petrie wrote this episode.
It just isn’t Christmas without viewing the classic special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 7pm – 8:01pm). If you prefer to be able to watch the show any time you want, you might be interested in the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVD
Al Roker hosts this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC, 7pm) special. Performers scheduled to appear: Beyonce, Tony Bennett, Neil Boyd, Jonas Brothers, Harry Connick Jr, David Cook, Rosie O’Donnell and The Broadway Kids, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, and Solange Knowles.
Two more new episodes of Time Warp (Discovery, 7pm and 11pm, 7:30pm and 11:30pm).
Two-hour series premiere of Secret Millionaire (FOX, 7pm – 9pm). Millionaires go “undercover” to work and live in impoverished parts of the country. Eventually they’ll decide which of their newfound friends, neighbors, or co-workers should receive a gift of at least $100,000 of their own money. There will be six hours of this limited run series, the first two air tonight. Subsequent one-hour episodes will air on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 7pm for the next two weeks.
A sheriff’s deputy is found dead on a reservation in this new episode of Life (NBC, 8pm). And, well, we see what happens after the events of the last new episode too, I presume.
Addison and Charlotte work together to try and save a pregnant woman who is in a coma along with her unborn child on a new Private Practice (ABC, 8pm). Jayne Brook and David Sutcliffe continue their stints on the show as Pete’s girlfriend Meg and Addison’s boyfriend Kevin. Other guest stars include Brian Benben (of Dream On), Andy Milder (who plays “Dean” on Weeds), and Noah Bean (who was “David” on Damages).
One of the Panthers games is chosen to be the “high school game of the week” which means it will be broadcast nationally in this 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 (in slightly shorter versions) on NBC starting on January 16th.
Series premiere of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with . . . (Sundance, 8pm and 10pm; also at 1am and 1pm on Sunday and 11pm on Monday). This new series is hosted by Elvis Costello and will include interviews and performances. Elton John is his guest for the first episode.
LL Cool J and Taylor Swift host The Grammy Nominations Live: Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night (CBS, 8:01pm – 9:01pm). The Grammy nominations are announced during this special; Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, B.B. King, John Mayer, and Taylor Swift are scheduled to perform.
Mythbusters (Discovery, 8pm, 10pm, midnight) is a rerun of the “Phone Book Friction” episode.
New Inside the NFL (Showtime, 8pm).
Katee Sackhoff (who plays “Starbuck” on Battlestar Galactica) guest stars in a new Law & Order (NBC, 9pm) or at least that’s what the commercials tell me– the press release from NBC doesn’t mention her name at all, but does say that Clancy Brown guest stars in this episode.
It’s already time for Karen and Simon Elder’s wedding on Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 9:01pm). Yikes! That sure happened fast, but I guess by now Karen is an old pro at getting married. I’m guessing Tripp and Nick will try to prevent the wedding from happening.
The contestants compete in a fast food demo challenge in order to earn an appearance on the Today show on Top Chef (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 1am). Rocco DiSpirito is in this episode.
Season premiere of The Contender (Versus, 9pm). For more on this season of the show, including where to see it, check out the official website.
The team at Prototype This! (Discovery, 9pm and 1am; also on Sunday at 10am) tries their hand at “Automated Pizza Delivery”.
Janine is in labor and the double-wedding may have a change of venue in the two-part season premiere of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne (TBS, 9pm, 9:30pm). Part one airs at 9pm, part two airs at 9:30pm.
New episode of Chocolate News (Comedy Central, 9:30pm and 11:30pm; also on Sunday at 10:30pm and 1:30am).
Late Night
Arianna Huffington on The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).
Barbara Walters on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).
Paris Hilton, Elvis Costello & Jenny Lewis, and a Top Ten List by Ricky Gervais on a rerun of The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).
Christiane Amanpour, Tom Jones on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC, 10:35pm). My parents saw Tom Jones in concert at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Just thought you should know.
Senator John McCain, the Steeldrivers on a rerun of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).
Elizabeth Banks, Jay Mohr on a rerun of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).
Denis Leary, Alan Rickman, Ice Cube on Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, check your local listings).
Brett Whitcomb, Chris Thrash, Panic at the Disco on a rerun of Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).
