TV BEST BETS
‘Rescue Me,’ ‘The Hills’ return; new series debut
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, April 06, 2009
A couple of dramas end their runs (“Life,” “Trust Me”), probably forever.
A couple of successful shows (“The Hills,” “Rescue Me”) return with rabid fans hungry for more.
FX
Dennis Leary returns in ‘Rescue Me’ after a long break because of the writers’ strike.
And a variety of new shows pop into sight (“The Unusuals,” “Surviving Suburbia,” “Harper’s Island,” “Parks & Recreation”) with varying degrees of buzz. NBC’s “Parks & Recreation” Thursday has probably gotten the most advance promotion while CBS’s “Harper’s Island” the same day is the biggest risk.
MONDAY
• “Chuck,” 8 p.m. NBC — Chuck’s dad (Scott Bakula) pops by.
• “Dancing With the Stars,” 8 p.m. ABC — Steve Wozniak finally went home, but the other Steve, Steve-O, probably won’t be around much longer.
• “House” 8 p.m. Fox — Meat Loaf guests, playing a dying man on his death bed who mysteriously starts improving.
• “24,” 9 p.m. Fox — Jack is sick with a biological pathogen but the FBI still puts him to work.
• “Surviving Suburbia,” 9:02 p.m. ABC (new series) — Bob Saget returns to sitcom land but no Olsen twins in sight!
• “The Hills,” 10 p.m. MTV (season debut) — Lauren celebrates her birthday and (gasp!) Heidi shows up.
• “Medium,” 10 p.m. NBC — James Van Der Beek guests.
TUESDAY
• “American Idol,” 8 p.m. Fox — Only two women left out of eight. Theme tonight is the year the contestant was born, so plenty of ’80s cuts are forthcoming.
• “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” 8 p.m. NBC — The challenge winner gets to decide solely to eliminate another contestant. That’s heavy!
• “Dancing With the Stars,” 9 p.m. ABC — The Pussycat Dolls (yes, why are they still around?) perform with Missy Elliott.
• “Trust Me,” 9, 10 p.m. TNT (season finale) — With poor ratings in tow, these are probably the last episodes you’ll ever see.
• “Rescue Me,” 10 p.m. FX (season debut) — After a long break because of the writers’ strike, FX is bringing 22 episodes of this dramedy. Tommy may get booted from the firehouse for pretending to be his dead cousin. And check out a hilarious recurring turn by Michael J. Fox.
• “My Boys,” 10:30 p.m. TBS — Who is PJ’s boyfriend? Her buddies work their P.I. skills.
WEDNESDAY
• “America’s Next Top Model,” 8 p.m. the CW — Claymates rejoice! Clay Aiken is guest judge.
• “Life,” 9 p.m. NBC (season finale) — Crews’ partner Reese has gone missing, and the details about the conspiracy against Crews will finally be revealed.
• “American Idol,” 9 p.m. Fox — Scott MacIntyre’s time may soon be up. Kellie Pickler performs.
• “Lost,” 9 p.m. ABC — The Smoke Monster returns, and Ben must be judged for his sins.
• “CSI: NY,” 10 p.m. CBS — Yet another “Idol” alum alert: Katharine McPhee guests as a singer with murderous revenge — and not against Daughtry.
• “High School Reunion,” 10 p.m. TV Land (season finale) — Sleepover time for the final night during this 20-year high school reunion writ large.
• “The Unusuals,” 10:02 p.m. ABC (new series) — Yes, a detective show! In New York City! So original! Amber Tamblyn stars.
THURSDAY
• “Bones,” 8 p.m. FOx — Angela’s father (Billy Gibbons of ZZTop) seeks revenge on Hodgins.
• “Survivor: Tocantins,” 8 p.m. CBS — Flirty Sydney misses out on the merge tonight after being ousted last week. A pair of exiles make a “shocking discovery.”
• “The Office,” 8 p.m., 9 p.m. NBC — Without Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott’s attempt to start his own paper company will surely crumple.
• “Parks & Recreation,” 8:30 p.m. NBC (new series) — The creators of “The Office” try to re-bottle the magic with Amy Poehler playing a clueless bureaucrat in a small Indiana town .
• “Harper’s Island,” 10 p.m. CBS (new series) — This is a bit like “Survivor” meets “Every Cheesy Horror Flick from the 1980s.” Just really really boring.
FRIDAY
• “Ghost Whisperer,” 8 p.m. CBS — The CBS description for this episode sounds oddly generic, about Melinda helping a ghost finish unsettled business. Isn’t the case every week?
• “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” 8 p.m. Fox (season finale) — John’s world is rocked to the core after he faces Weaver.
• “Friday Night Lights,” 9 p.m. NBC (season finale) — Thanks to DirectTV, fans of this show will get two more seasons even as several key characters graduate high school.
• “Numb3rs,” 10 p.m. CBS — The team investigates a dangerous extreme animal rights group.
• “Head Case,” 10 p.m. Starz — A newly hitched Dr. Goode counsels Janeane Garafalo and Bridget Marquardt.
WEEKEND
• “Thrilla in Manilla,” 8 p.m. Saturday HBO — You saw “Ali” with Will Smith. See the real thing here.
• “Groomer Has It,” 9 p.m. Saturday Animal Planet (new season) — The wild and woolly world of animal groomers rears its ribbon-bowed head again.
• “Nora Roberts’ Tribute,” 9 p.m. Saturday Lifetime — Brittany Murphy plays an actress whose past comes back to haunt her.
• “Breaking Bad,” 10 p.m. Sunday AMC — Walt’s secret may be in jeopardy thanks to Skylar.
• “Celebrity Apprentice,” 9 p.m. Sunday NBC — We’re still scratching our heads over Trump’s arbitrary firing of T-Boz last week.
• “Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union,” 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Arianna Huffington has become more popular since Ullman began impersonating her. Coincidence?
