TV Best Bets for the week ahead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, September 01, 2008
This week, there’s the Republican National Convention, the revamped new generation “90210” and the final season of FXs’ seminal drama “The Shield.”
Monday
Adam Taylor/NBC
‘America’s Got Talent’ judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff.
• “Gossip Girl” 8 p.m. the CW (season debut) — The stumbling CW is hoping hype and publicity will give this show a bigger lift as the teens frolic in the Hamptons.
• “Prison Break” 8 p.m. Fox (season debut) — Linc and Michael are finally out of prison but not out of trouble. The Feds are forcing them and the gang to work to take down the Company. Yes, they call the bad guys “the Company.” Silly, eh? Not as silly as how they finally get rid of that full-body tattoo Michael’s been sporting since the original prison break season one. Still, there is good news for Michael when it comes to his lost love Sara.
• “One Tree Hill” 9 p.m. the CW (season debut) — So what happens to Lucas and his squeeze after his marriage proposal?
• “The Middleman” 10 p.m. ABC Family (season finale) — Alternative universes are fun places to explore in sci-fi land, but will Wendy enjoy her alternative life?
Tuesday
• “America’s Got Talent” 8 p.m. NBC — We find out tonight whether Atlanta’s singing quartet Kazual makes it to the next round.
• “90210” 8 p.m. the CW (series debut) — A new crew of brash high school kids arrive while Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth resurrect their original characters.
• “Wanna Bet” 9 p.m. ABC (sesaon finale) — Cool trick someone will try to pull off: light 200 candles in two minutes — with a yo yo.
• “The Shield” 10 p.m. FX (season debut) — The final season starts with Vic Mackey in trouble. Isn’t he always? In this case, season two Armenian mobsters come back to haunt him.
Wednesday
• “America’s Next Top Model” 8 p.m. the CW (season debut) — The biggest twist this year is the show’s first transgendered contestant named Isis.
• “Bones” 8 p.m. Fox (season debut) — Bones and Brennan go to London for speeches and end up helping with a murder.
• “Project Runway 9 p.m. Bravo — Fashion legend Fiane von Fustenberg is this week’s guest judge.
• “Top Design” 10 p.m. Bravo (season debut) — Two Atlantans vie for $100,000: Kerry Howard and Natalie Williams.
• “Sons of Anarchy 10 p.m. FX (season debut) — This tough gun-running biker family is kind of like a tatted up version of “The Sopranos,” — just a lot duller.
Thursday
• “Kitchen Nightmares” 8 p.m. Fox (season debut) — Gordon Ramsay yelling at some hapless restaurant owner never ever gets old.
• “Gong Show With Dave Attell” 10 p.m. Comedy Central (season finale) — J.B. Smoove (“Til Death”) joins Jim Norton and Atlantan Ron White at the judges’ table. .
• “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover” 10 p.m. Bravo — Tabatha yelling at some hapless salon owner hasn’t gotten old — yet.
• “The Cho Show” 11 p.m. VH1— This show looks suspiciously like “Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List” but Cho says it’s semi-scripted. This ep, she goes camping.
Friday
• “Stand Up For Cancer” 8 p.m. ABC, NBC, CBS— This star-studded affair to raise money for cancer research features the likes of Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and Kirsten Dunst.
• “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” 8 p.m. Fox (season debut) — George education super Kathy Cox parries with Jeff Foxworthy.
• “Monk” 9 p.m. USA (100th episode) — John Turturro, Sarah Silverman, Andy Richter, Howie Mandel and Sharon Lawrence all reprise their former roles in this very special episode.
• “DogTown” 9 p.m. National Geographic (season debut) — Check out how some of Michael Vick’s worst-case dogfighting dogs are rehabilitated in a two-hour special edition.
Weekend television
• “What’ll Ya Have: A History of the Varsity” 6:30 p.m. Saturday. PBA — This documentary features interviews with Johnny Isakson, Dale Murphy, Truett Cathy, Sonny Perdue and the late great counterman Erby Walker.
• “Cops/America’s Most Wanted” 8 p.m., 9 p.m. Saturday. Fox (season debut) — These shows about many bad boys, bad boys, are truly staples, 21 seasons for “Cops,” 22 seasons for “AMW.”
• “John Edward Cross Country” 10 p.m. Saturday. WE (third season debut) — Somebody is watching this crud, even if it’s not us.
• “2008 Video Music Awards” 9 p.m. Sunday. MTV — Brit comic Russell Brand tries to break into the States as host and some obscure group named the Jonas Brothers will perform along with Kid Rock and Pink.
• “America United: In Support of Our Troops” 9 p.m. Sunday. ABC — Part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson joins a cavalcade of stars including Toby Keith, Pamela Anderson and Carlos Mencia for this two-hour variety special.
• “True Blood” 9 p.m. Sunday. HBO— Former Marietta man Alan Ball (“Six Feet Under”) comes back to HBO with this dark, yet compelling drama starring the amazing Anna Paquin as a clairvoyant who falls for a vampire.
• “Entourage” 10 p.m. HBO— Vince’s “Medellin” bombed and his career is in the dumper. He goes into hiding in Mexico. Now E and Ari have to drag him back to the States.
