Tonight on the Tube: American Idol, NCIS, The Unit, Boston Legal, Dirty Jobs and Dirt

In case you somehow didn’t know, how could you not, if you have seen any FOX programming for the last month, American Idol kicks off its new season tonight. Get a look at some of the hopefuls and the unbelievably sad wannabes. Will you be tuning in tonight? Have you been waiting for American Idol’s return? Can you believe that it is the sixth season of this competition already? Can you believe that Taylor Hicks won last year? Can you believe that was last year?

Prime Picks

NCIS (CBS): New. A top Marine intelligence officer is found dead in a small town hotel room and the team investigates.

The Unit (CBS): New. William H. Macy plays the president in tonight’s episode and gives Jonas a secret assignment to carryout that not even his colonel is privy to.

Boston Legal (ABC): New. Denny finds out he is on the government’s No Fly list and wants Alan to help him get off it. A teacher is accused of wrongful death when one of her students has an allergic reaction and dies.

Solid Selections

American Idol (FOX): Season Premiere. Get a look at how the first auditions went and what the upcoming season might look like tonight. Runs two hours. I have never found this part of the show all that compelling. I will check it out once competition is open to public voting and then it gets interesting to see what happens.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC): New. Fin runs into a Brooklyn detective investigating a similar crime while investigating a rape at his son’s college.

Cable Choices

Dead Like Me (Sci Fi): Repeat. George learns that her parents may be selling the house she grew up in. Another episode plays right before this one. This was a very interesting and compelling Showtime Original series that lasted two seasons.

Dirty Jobs (Discovery Channel): New. Mike learns how to make pots out of poo. Cow manure pottery maker, now that sounds like a dirty job and smelly too.

Dirt (FX): New. Lucy is looking for a story worthy of being on the cover of “Dirt Now.” Runs 66 minutes and plays twice.

Other Options

• The Closer (TNT): Repeat. Watch the Golden Globe winner for actress in a drama series and see why she won and deservedly so.
• Eureka (Sci Fi): Repeat. The “Once in a Lifetime” episode replays.
• My Boys (TBS): Repeat. I got a chance to watch most of the season of this show out on Comcast onDemand and found it to be really good and fun to watch. You might want to check this one out. I would place this second behind 30 Rock for best new comedy to debut this television season.
• Psych (USA): Repeat. Two episodes play tonight to get you ready for the return of new episodes on January 19th.
• Veronica Mars (The CW): Repeat. The campus rape mystery is solved and a new mystery begins. The Dean has reinstated the Greek system. Veronica and the gang head to the party with date rape drug testing coasters to try and thwart the next one. The next block of new episodes begins January 23rd.

Sports Notes

• ESPN has two college basketball games.
• ESPN2 has two college basketball games followed by day 3 of tennis action from the Australian Open.
• NBA TV has the Orlando Magic at the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
• Versus has an NHL hockey game.