Fall TV Preview: Day Four 2006

The wonder of Wednesday...

by Frank Pittarese

Last time, I sat in judgement of Tuesday night’s broadcast lineup. While the return of Gilmore Girls excites me the most, I can happily report that the evening isn’t a complete crapfest. But what does Wednesday have in store…?

Wednesday’s New Shows: What’s Hot?
Jericho (CBS, 8 pm) is about the end of the world. Seems there’s been a nuclear holocaust, but the small town of Jericho, Kansas has survived…somehow. The locals must now fend for themselves, cut off from the outside world (which may or may not exist anymore). Yay, apocalypse! Fox tried out this premise in sitcom form over a decade ago with Woops! That lasted ten weeks, and from what I recall, was pretty bad, except for some giant mutant spiders that terrorized the Gilligan’s Island-like cast. This show lacks the spiders (and the Howells), but looks pretty damn intriguing. Executive producer John Turteltaub describes it as “an odd mixture of 24 and Little House on the Prairie.” On that alone, I’m sold.

The Nine (ABC, 10 pm). Okay, I’ll straight-up admit that I’m a sucker for hostage episodes of any given TV show. Best Knot’s Landing episode? The one where all the women are held hostage in Val’s house (though the ghost episode is a close second). Best Third Watch? The one where Officer Yokas is held hostage in a bank (though the ghost episode is a close second). (That is not a typo.) This entire series rides on that premise. Nine strangers are held hostage in a bank for 52 hours. Their lives are changed forever. Each week, we’ll see how the incident has affected each hostage. We also get an extended flashback sequence to the crisis itself, which will fill in the blanks, reveal secrets, etc. Here, as opposed to on Lost, the flashbacks will actually advance the plot or explain something, so thumbs up to that. I’m all over this -- for the four weeks it’ll be on!

30 Rock (NBC, 8pm). Did you read my entry about Monday night’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip? Take that, reverse it, and you’ve got 30 Rock. It’s a half hour sitcom that takes place behind the scenes at a Saturday Night Live-type TV show. Created by former SNL head writer Tina Fey, and starring former SNL performers Tracy Morgan and Rachel Dratch, as well as frequent guest-host Alec Baldwin, this looks to be the best of the season’s new sitcoms. Granted, that’s not saying much -- most new sitcoms suck monkey sphincter -- but these people have experienced the late-nite live comedy show first hand, they’re a funny crew, and, if NBC lets them, they’re not afraid to push the envelope. The only foreseeable problem is that the network is pairing this with the dreary-looking Twenty Good Years -- and Twenty Good Years is the lead in! Bad idea, NBC. Good lookin’ show, though.

Wednesday’s New Shows: What’s Not?
Twenty Good Years (NBC, 8 pm). John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor are two buddies who, in their old age, decide to make the most out of life, figuring they’ve got “twenty good years” left in ‘em. Have you seen the commericals for this? Where’s the funny? I’ll tell you where it is: in The Odd Couple. Go watch that, instead.

Kidnapped (NBC, 10 pm). The teenage son of some rich folks gets (insert series title here). Jeremy Sisto goes after him and blah-de-blah. This is another one of those “long term plan” shows, and it doesn’t sound strong enough to last a full season, so goodbye plot resolution, and thank you for trying. Those scamps over at Fox are running a similar show called Vanished, which I gleefully ignored in my Monday review. Here’s a shout out to both of ‘em: not interested!
 
Wednesday’s Old Shows: What’s the Deal?
Lost (ABC, 9 pm). Look, if you’ve been watching this for the last two years, you know you’re coming back -- don’t even lie to me. If you haven’t, you’re not going to bother. Here are some key words and phrases: Dharma Initiative, hatch, The Others, Hurley’s numbers, Tailies. Know what they mean? Care what they mean? You’re already sold. If not, well…I can’t recommend jumping on board now. Better to rent the first two seasons on DVD first. Lost can be dense when watched faithfully. Coming in blind is a losing battle. My hopes for this season? Less flashbacks (at this point, they're just filler, contributing nothing to the island mystery, which is what everyone really cares about, anyway). Less Kate (when she’s not unlikeable, she’s flat-out boring -- a double threat). And less…drawn…out…storylines. A faster pace would be appreciated, please and thanks. As usual, we’re promised big surprises, new characters, and major twists. The bottom line: this could be the turning point for a series. Screw us, and we will get lost.

America’s Next Top Model (The CW, 8pm). Crazy Tyra! Bitchy models! Evil models! Crazy gays! Bitchy Tyra! Bitchy gays! Evil gays! Crazy models! Stupid Tyra! Stupid, stupid models! Wigs! Fashion! Judging! One of the best reality shows ever. Love it!

One Tree Hill (The CW, 9 pm). This is still on? Seriously?

CSI: NY (CBS, 10 pm). Stop trying to hurt me, CBS. I’ve never done anything to you.


And that’s Wednesday. Watch with care.

Up next: the living hell that is Primetime Thursday!