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Critic's corner
HOTLANTA Real Housewives of Atlanta 9 p.m., Bravo I love it that Bravo has created a franchise out of the whole "Real Housewives" thing, from Orange County to New York to, now, the South. And I love it that the channel is premiering the Atlanta series opposite a presidential debate. The names of the belles are NeNe Leakes, DeShawn Snow, ...
Critic's corner
MORE KUDOS VH1 Hip Hop Honors 10 p.m., VH1 Tracy Morgan hosts the fifth annual show celebrating all things hip-hop. This year, the honorees are Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, Too Short, and Slick Rick. Performers include Q-Tip, Big Boi, and Ghostface Killah.
On 'The Last Enemy,' Big Brother is watching everybody
Before "Big Brother," the insipid spy-cam reality show, there was Big Brother, the terrifying, Orwellian authority figure constantly looking over our shoulder. "The Last Enemy," a compelling five-part "Masterpiece: Contemporary" thriller, works to revive all the once sinister associations attached to 24/7 surveillance. In our age of terrorism and debates about civil liberties, "The Last Enemy" proposes, George Orwell's "1984" ...
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FEY REPLAY? Saturday Night Live 11:30 p.m., Channel 7 Will Tina Fey be back yet again? Will she even have to write her skit? Or will she just borrow copy from Thursday night's vice presidential debate? All eyes on "SNL," as the series is handed an embarrassment of political material in the weeks before the election.
'Valentine' and 'Easy Money' could use a little divine intervention
Maybe I'd have relished watching any actress play a borderline nutcase who goes all "Fatal Attraction" on the tightly wrapped hero of "Dexter." But Jaime Murray, so intense as Lila on the Showtime drama, has become one of my favorite TV actresses. There's something slyly irrepressible about her and her dark eyes, even when she's playing a cool con artist ...
Romantic comedy tries too hard to impress
Remember when "so" was so overused? Well "The Ex List" officially marks the so-over-ness of "really" as a retort. Really? Really.
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The 20 Greatest Redneck Moments II 8 p.m., CMT If you can't beat the stereotypes, make a TV show about them? CMT continues its embrace of all things redneck with this look at some historical landmarks. Among them: the opening of "Smokey and the Bandit" (above, with Burt Reynolds), the premiere of "The Jerry Springer Show," when "Dueling Banjos" from ...
Critic's corner
The Vice Presidential Debate 9 p.m. Will this be cringe comedy? Will "Saturday Night Live" be able to turn around a better skit by Saturday than it did last week on the first presidential debate? PBS's Gwen Ifill moderates tonight's face-off between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. The live event from St. Louis will be airing on all the major ...
Critic's corner
Friday Night Lights 9 p.m., DirecTV's Channel 101 The third season begins tonight, but PSYCH - only if you have DirecTV. The rest of us heathens (and legally minded types) will have to wait until next February, when NBC will do the honors. I did see a preview disc of the premiere, and it's mostly good ol' "FNL." Last season, ...
On ABC, a night of series second chances
They are series, interrupted. Tonight on Channel 5, ABC is bringing back three 2007 shows whose freshman runs were completely blown off track by the writers' strike. Few viewers have probably been pining madly for the return of "Pushing Daisies" at 8, "Private Practice" at 9, and "Dirty Sexy Money" at 10, because they weren't around long enough to take ...
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MEH Fringe 9 p.m., Channel 25 So far, this series has underwhelmed me, like warmed-over "X-Files." The science is compelling, especially thanks to the special effects. But the regular characters are hard to warm up to, and the mythology is kind of so-what. Tonight, a building explodes (cool!) but a cylinder in it remains unharmed (who cares).
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ZEN COP Life 10 p.m., Channel 7 L'Chaim! After an extra-long break due to the writers' strike, this detective series returns for season 2 with a more light-hearted tone. Damian Lewis is all off-beat Zen attitude as the cop who was wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years, and Sarah Shahi is really refreshing as his partner. The tacit chemistry between the ...
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FAST FORWARD Desperate Housewives Tomorrow at 9 p.m., Channel 5 Marc Cherry, the creator of "Desperate Housewives," has said he got the idea for his show's five-year fast-forward from the executive producers of "Lost." Let's see if the time leap gives the new season of "DH" the spark it gave to "Lost." Gaby's dumpy, Bree's a lifestyle queen, and Edie ...
HBO's humor is hit and miss
The reason "Saturday Night Live" still commands attention? The electrical current of American politics, as well as return visits by Tina Fey. Not the sketch comedy. The show that has embedded countless characters and catchphrases into pop culture has little to offer right now, other than a troupe of willing comics in search of inspired material. "Mad TV," too, is ...
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Presidential Debate 9 p.m. Oh right, the campaign isn't all about Sarah Palin. It's about John McCain and Barack Obama, who will be duking it out tonight in Mississippi, with Jim Lehrer performing the moderating duties. All the networks are scheduled to air the presidential smackdown, except the CW, which is going ahead with the usual "Friday Night SmackDown!"
Rooting for the antiheroes in 'Dexter' and 'Californication'
By day, he's an Average Joe, fashionable stubble on his chin and emotional armor under his vest. Just like most American men. But by night, he dons a mask of righteous fury and rids Miami's dark alleys of its vermin.
Critic's corner
Grey's Anatomy 9 p.m., Channel 5 Mer-Der most foul? Or fair? Meredith and Derek are back together as the show returns. But I'm more interested in the arrival of Kevin McKidd (above right) as the new doc in town who may have a thang with Dr. Yang. McKidd, whose "Journeyman" didn't survive on NBC, was unforgettable in the HBO series ...
Divorced and clueless, dad keeps trying
Watching Paula Marshall in "Gary Unmarried," I kept wanting to give her a pair of knitting needles. Or a macramé kit. Or handcuffs. She gestures so madly with her hands, as if somehow motion equals funny, as if she could magically make the new CBS sitcom take flight.
Souped-up car rides with flat
What can I say? There are car chases, and there are pretty people who look like daytime soap stars, and there is Val Kilmer's voice as the voice of KITT the talking super ride.
Critic's corner
The New Adventures of Old Christine 8 p.m., Channel 4 I'm a fan of this show, mostly because I'm such a fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfus (right, with Wanda Sykes). I loved it that in her Emmy acceptance speech on Sunday, Tina Fey said: "Sometimes when I don't know how to play a scene, my husband will say, 'Just try to ...
Character and chemistry carry 'The Mentalist'
Among the most influential of TV figures? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. He's the great mustachioed granddaddy of the contemporary crime and medical procedural, having shown Hollywood how an observant, intelligent, obsessive, and arrogant guy can follow a trail of crumbs to the culprit. So many current shows - the "CSI" franchise, "House," "Life" - play ...
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PRIVATE EYE House 8 p.m., Channel 25 Tonight, in his pouty grief about losing Wilson's friendship, House hires a private detective named Lucas. That's interesting for two reasons. Lucas is played by Michael Weston (above right with Hugh Laurie), who is unforgettable to all "Six Feet Under" fans as the psycho who tortured David Fisher. And, if the character works ...
Critic's corner
PHYLLIS 4EVER Dancing With the Stars 8 p.m., Channel 5 The new season begins, with a cast that's kind of interesting (Susan Lucci! Lance Bass!) and kind of not (Kim Kardashian, Rocco DiSpirito). I'm most eager to see the token old timer, though - Cloris Leachman, 82. Good luck, Phyllis, despite your asthma, high blood pressure, bad knee, and bunion.
Prized, if not popular
NBC's "30 Rock" swept the comedy Emmys! (Small applause.) AMC's "Mad Men" won! (Smaller applause.) Bryan Cranston from AMC's "Breaking Bad" triumphed! (Sound of one hand clapping.)
Nothing surprising about 'Worst Week'
Fans of the TV drama are a little spoiled these days, what with "Mad Men," "House," "Dexter," "The Shield," "Friday Night Lights," and more. You can usually DVR two or three full nights a week of suspense, psychological tension, and, thanks to "Gossip Girl," sordid melodrama, if that's your bent. Comedy people, however, are less fortunate, with only a few ...
A look at big 'bromances' on the small screen
Ever since Jerry and George had blatant "man crushes" on other men on "Seinfeld," the idea of a nonsexual attraction between guys has become fashionable. Intimacy, understanding, and admiration in male friendships are no longer cultural taboos, and TV's straight men have become far more overt - at times, comically so - about their attractions and bonds to other men.
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REALITY CHECK The Emmy Awards Tomorrow at 8 p.m., Channel 5 Reality TV hosts are going to have their moment at the Emmys. To mark the first year of a best-reality-host statue, the nominees in the new category - Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest - will co-host the event. "Mad Men" has 16 nominations, ...
Critic's corner
Dog Whisperer 9 p.m., National Geographic The series celebrates its 100th episode with a journey through the past. Cesar Milan hosts an event to welcome back some of the dogs he's helped over the years. It's a red carpet event, of course, lined with fire hydrants. Will they howl "To Sir With Love"?
Critic's corner
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 10 and 10:30 p.m., FX This very sick show enters its fourth season tonight with an undoubtedly sick storyline involving Dee, Charlie, and their growing taste for cannibalism. Yeah, the owners of Paddy's Pub don't take taboo subjects very seriously, and I love them for that.
Critic's corner
TEXICAN ROCK Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads 9:30 p.m., Channel 2 There was a time, circa 2004, when you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing "Heaven." This documentary chronicles the journey of Los Lonely Boys to the top of the charts. Before they became Grammy winners, brothers Henry, Jojo, and Ringo Garza from Texas spent years playing cantinas ...
Critic's corner
GROW, BABY, GROW Fringe 9 p.m., Channel 25 Tonight, J.J. Abrams' new sci-fi series picks up after last week's slack premiere. Will I like it more than the pilot? I definitely love the description of the episode's plot, which involves a woman who gives birth to a full-grown infant a few hours after conception. The newborn then proceeds to age ...
Critic's corner
Blackout Gossip Girl 8 p.m., Channel 56 Ah, it's the old Serena- and- Dan- get- trapped- in- an- elevator- during- a- New- York- City- blackout- and- are- forced- to- deal- with- all- their- unresolved- issues- from- last- season- before- they- can- truly- be- together- once- again trick.
Just a faint scent of the woman
What if you started this review thinking it was about tonight's new Lifetime movie "Coco Chanel," only to discover it was really about a hot-cocoa TV channel? Because if bait-and-switch bothers you, you might be a little thrown by this three-hour biopic, which supposedly stars Shirley MacLaine as the influential fashion designer who invented the little black dress.
Critic's corner
Gym Teacher: The Movie 8 p.m., Nickelodeon I like Christopher Meloni, and I will always remember his brave performance as Keller on "Oz." But he's gotten overwrought on "Law & Order: SVU," and I'm glad to see him take on light comedy tonight. He plays a middle-school sports coach desperate to win a teacher-of-the-year award. The movie was directed by ...
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102 Minutes That Changed America 9 p.m., History Channel This documentary re-creates Sept. 11, 2001, in particular the 102 minutes between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the fall of the second tower. The show is a pastiche of material from amateur videos, FDNY and NYPD footage, radio dispatches, and network outtakes.
Critic's corner
True Blood 10 p.m., HBO Remember when Anna Paquin came up to the Oscar stage in 1994 to accept her statue for "The Piano"? She looked absolutely terrified. Now, she's 26 and confident and the star of this entertaining new HBO Louisiana vampire series. She grew up in New Zealand, but she puts on a heavy-duty Southern accent that, like ...
In 'Do Not Disturb,' jokes overstay welcome
There are bad sitcoms, and then there are bad sitcoms that simply depress. They're like a nauseating Disney ride called Existential Railroad that runs through the dark heart of American emptiness. Scripted versions of "The Jerry Springer Show," they are sound and fury signifying a headache.
'Fringe' experiments with some cool science
There's something irresistible about liquefied faces, don't you think? In the first minutes of "Fringe," J.J. Abrams's new Fox sci-fi series, we get to watch a planeload of panic-stricken passengers melt, most notably a pilot whose open-mouthed Munchian scream dissolves into torn flaps of skin. We instantly know we're in good TV-making hands, and an eruption of yellowy vomit - ...
'Privileged' has fast cars, female bonding
You can always count on bratty-rich-girl shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "90210" for at least one absurdly nasty zinger. In the CW's new "Privileged," teen snoot-head Sage Baker, looking like Rumer Willis, takes a quick gander at her plain new tutor and coldly announces: "I puke cuter than that outfit you're wearing."
Critic's corner
OH SO CHIC The Rachel Zoe Project 11 p.m., Bravo What did stylists do before reality TV and Bravo? Anyway, Rachel Zoe is the A-list celebrity stylist who absolutely MADE Nicole Richie into a style icon. Wow. Beginning tonight, her new series will document her brilliance, and her efforts to take her business to the next level.
Critic's corner
The Rachel Maddow Show 9 p.m., MSNBC Rachel Maddow has done a great job filling in for Keith Olbermann during his vacations, and beginning tonight, just in time for the final months of the presidential campaign, she'll have her own nightly political series. By the way, Barack Obama is scheduled to appear at 8 on "Countdown With Keith Olbermann."
In a star-heavy telethon, Hollywood takes a stand on cancer
It's always dicey when celebrities gather for a cause, as they did Friday night for "Stand Up to Cancer." You know the event is a good thing. You know that in our culture, people model themselves after - and open their wallets for - singers, actors, and sports stars. You know that, every now and then, Hollywood really ought to unite for something other than awards shows.
A show with fast cars, female bonding
You can always count on bratty-rich-girl shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "90210" for at least one absurdly nasty zinger. In the CW's new "Privileged," teen snoot-head Sage Baker, looking like Rumer Willis, takes a quick gander at her plain new tutor and coldly announces: "I puke cuter than that outfit you're wearing."
Critic's corner
VINCE & CO. Entourage Tomorrow 10 p.m., HBO The series is finally back, and my fingers are crossed. Last season was a bit of a bummer - not enough plot development, and too much "Medellin." The boys (including Adrian Grenier and Kevin Connolly, above) seemed to overstay their welcome. Let's see if the writers can move the story forward, now ...
Star-heavy Hollywood takes a stand
It's always dicey when celebrities gather for a cause, as they did last night for "Stand Up to Cancer." You know the event is a good thing. You know that in our culture, people model themselves after - and open their wallets for - singers, actors, and sports stars. You know that, every now and then, Hollywood really ought to ...
'True Blood' mixes dark humor and gothic romance
Watching vampire stories, you inevitably dwell on death, as human bodies are punctured, drained of spirit, left pallid and rubbery. Why on earth do we love telling ourselves these gory, nighttime tales of blood thirst, from "Dracula" and Anne Rice's vampire chronicles to the forthcoming "Twilight" movie and the new HBO show "True Blood," which premieres Sunday at 9?
Critic's corner
Stand Up to Cancer 8 p.m., Channels 4, 5, 7 Hollywood is one big happy family, right? Tonight, ABC, NBC, CBS, and a whole mess of famous people - Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Lance Armstrong, Halle Berry, James Taylor, David Cook - are uniting to raise money for cancer research. They'll make appearances, and they'll also be standing by the ...
Critic's corner
Big Brother 10 8 p.m., Channel 4 They've been having fun all bummer long. Forbes 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces 8 p.m., E! Debt her out of my heart.
'90210': New generation, same old story
Really, the original "Beverly Hills 90210" was pretty bad. Maybe some of us have romanticized the Fox series since it left the air in 2000, and blocked out the fact that it was an earnest, obvious teen soap. Maybe time has dulled our memories of its sappy after-school-special lessons. Maybe the Peach Pit kids have gained an appealing camp cachet, ...
Critic's corner
Top Design 10 p.m., Bravo The show returns for its second season with a new host. Todd Oldham is out, although he will be onhand as a Tim Gunn-like mentor. And India Hicks (left) is in. An interior designer, fashion model, and socialite, Hicks also happens to be the goddaughter of Prince Charles. How jolly.
Biker gang saga 'Anarchy' has 'Sopranos' appeal
Kurt Sutter, the creator of FX's intriguing new drama "Sons of Anarchy," spent years as a writer-producer for FX's "The Shield." And it shows. About a gun-running motorcycle gang in California, the grimy, B-movie-tone "Sons of Anarchy" is similarly obsessed with brutality, amorality, and the ruthless politics of self-preservation.
Critic's corner
90210 8 p.m., Channel 56 They're back. The View 11 a.m., Channel 5 They're back for season 12.
Critic's corner
Today 7 a.m., Channel 7 NKOTB. Gossip Girl 8 p.m., Channel 56 XOXO.
In new legal drama, a case of deja vu
Remember that famous scene from "A Few Good Men," when Tom Cruise's self-righteous lawyer yells, "I want the truth!"? After watching three episodes of TNT's foolish new courtroom drama - called, ironically, "Raising the Bar" - I felt as though I'd sat through that fist-shaking Cruise clip on a nonstop loop for three hours.
'Gossip Girl' returns with rich wit
You know how "Clueless" was a reboot of Jane Austen's "Emma," and how "Ten Things I Hate About You" brought Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" to the halls of Padua High School? Well, the CW's "Gossip Girl" really has no specific canonical underpinnings, no classic blueprint that will give its fans an acceptable excuse. We have no literary defense.
It's time to watch -- and wait
Still running behind schedule due to last season's writers' strike, the networks and cable channels are premiering fewer new series this fall, and so far they've made only a handful of them available to critics for preview. Here's the lowdown on those new series I've seen, those still to come, and the returning favorites.
Critic's corner
FIRED UP FOR LOVE For the Love of Grace 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel This new movie stars Mark Consuelos, who is Kelly Ripa's husband. He plays a firefighter who rescues a woman named Grace, then falls in love with her. Talk about being hot for someone.
'Grizzly Man Diaries' is brutally honest look at nature
"The Grizzly Man Diaries," Animal Planet's new eight-episode series, arrives tonight at 9 as a very unlikely spinoff. The disturbing tone of "Grizzly Man," the 2005 documentary about the life and violent death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell, seemed to close off forever the possibility of enjoying Treadwell's voluminous bear footage.
Critic's corner
15 Most Shocking Political Sex Scandals 8 p.m., E! Alas, they're no longer shocking. Dog Whisperer 9 p.m., National Geographic A female greyhound doesn't like men. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Critic's corner
Democratic National Convention Obama. (Local translation: Obamer.) Evening 7 p.m., HBO Signature Puts the sag in saga.
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Sweet Smell of Success 10:15 p.m., TCM Back when gossip columnists and publicists were separate people.
Critic's corner
Jurassic Fight Club 9 p.m., History Channel Oops, just broke the first two rules. Smash Lab 10 p.m., Discovery Channel An unsinkable car. Don't let Baron Bomburst find out about this.
Critic's corner
Deal or No Deal 8 p.m., Channel 7 Meet the new season, same as the old season.
Slack plot takes the mystery out of 'Prudence'
In "Dear Prudence," the Hallmark Channel's newest sleuth is an amalgamation of quirks. She's Martha Stewart in a pert red wig with bangs, speaking with the perky perfection of Julie Andrews's Mary Poppins, cultivating the uncanny instinct for crime-solving of Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher, and able to pour on the va-va-voom of Jessica Rabbit when she needs to get her ...
Critic's corner
THE END Generation Kill Tomorrow at 9 p.m., HBO "Generation Kill" has taken on an unexpected tone of nostalgia as it has built up to tonight's finale. Set during the first 40 days of the war in Iraq, David Simon's miniseries (above) features a group of Marines who still think the conflict will be a quick affair. The men of ...
Critic's corner
Clueless 8 p.m., Bravo "Like, Emma." Monk 9 p.m., USA He likes a suspect. He like-likes her, too.
'The Cho Show' is all about the drama queen
Is there anyone in Hollywood who doesn't have "people" these days? Every Jane Doe with an imdb.com listing and red-carpet fibers on her heels seems to head up a "Team Doe," a pack of lackeys who make sure their diva has her day - every day. And those selfless elves - stylists, lawyers, personal assistants - keep their obsequiousness muscles ...
Critic's corner
I Want to Work for Diddy 8 p.m., VH1 Because I bake an excellent humble pie.
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Next World 8 p.m., Discovery Channel Voice-command cars, as in "cut off that guy on Dot Ave."
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The Stagers 9:30 p.m., HGTV Good luck. Break a table leg. Jurassic Fight 9 p.m., History Channel Borgnine v. Montalban.
Critic's corner
Swords 'n' sandals Into the Unknown With Josh Bernstein 10 p.m., Discovery The former host of "Digging for the Truth" (above) digs for some historical truths on his new series. Tonight, the low-key dude delves into the realities of being a gladiator, as compared to the way they've been presented by Hollywood. In the coming weeks, Bernstein will look at ...
Matthew Gilbert's TV14: Emmy shame edition
What if the Emmy voters got everything right, and all the very finest shows and actors were honored every year? Yawn. The Emmy Awards would be a perfect bore.
Critic's corner
Gone Country 8 p.m., CMT CMT's most-watched series returns with a new gang of seven who are looking to become country music stars. Among the contenders trying to impress John Rich are professional psycho Sean Young, Jermaine Jackson, and Chris Kirkpatrick. My favorite: the very not-country Mikalah Gordon, an "American Idol" alum who looks and sounds like Fran Drescher's younger ...
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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List 10 p.m., Bravo Kathy goes into soldier-rally mode for her season finale. Tonight, she visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Washington facility that came under scrutiny last year for poor conditions and bad management. Will our lady of the loose lips joke about the scandal? Oh, I think so. The Mouth will ...
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Making the Band 4 9 p.m., MTV I still contend this reality series would be more interesting if, as its title suggests, it were about groupies. Tonight, yet another season of the prefab-pop-band series begins, with Donnie Klang, Day 26, and Danity Kane embarking on a nationwide tour together. Expect plenty of drama as the kids lock horns with one ...
Critic's corner
BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER Olympics Coverage 8 p.m., Channel 7 Tonight, from Beijing: live gold-medal swimming, plus the men's team gymnastics final. Oh, and women's beach volleyball. Of course.