News & Notes
Tonight, ABC has the first season finale of Here Come the Newlyweds and NBC begins playing repurposed episodes of USA’s Monk and Psych.
Over on cable, BBC America has the fifth season premiere of Wire in the Blood, MTV has the season finale of That’s Amore, and TLC has the first season finale of I Can Make You Thin With Paul McKenna.
In returning show news, ABC will have the return of Desperate Housewives with new episodes next week.
Prime Picks
Monk (NBC): Repeat. Monk seems to have made a new friend, but guest star Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I.) may just be too good to be true, in this episode from season four. If you haven’t watched Monk before, you should give it a shot, as it is a lot of fun.
Psych (NBC): Repeat. In this episode from season two, “Psy vs. Psy,” the Feds bring in their own psychic to work on a case. Lou Diamond Philips (Numb3rs) guest-stars as an FBI agent. Speaking of a lot of fun, Psych fits that bill, as it has become one of the TVaholic’s favorite shows. Keep you eyes peeled for pineapples and ears ready for rapid-fire 80s pop culture references.
Dexter (CBS): Repeat. In episode eight, “Shrink Wrap,” Dexter is after a killer unlike any he has ever seen.
Solid Selections
Everybody Hates Chris (The CW): New. Chris is desperate to make some cash in order to go to a concert. Rochelle has an injured arm and it gives her an excuse to take some time off from taking care of the family.
King of the Hill (FOX): New. Peggy is trying to sell a house, so she gets some actors to play a family living there, instead of the strange people that actually live there. FOX recently announce that the show would be back for a 13-episode 13th season.
Cold Case (CBS): New. Lilly and Valens go to West Virginia to pickup a suspect in a homicide. Runs 61 minutes.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC): Repeat. Detectives realize that a recent murder shows signs of a copycat serial killer, in the episode “Svengali” from earlier this season.
Cable Choices
Challenge (Food Network): Repeat. Pastry chefs compete for a $50,000 prize in the “World Pastry Championship.” Plays again later.
John Adams (HBO): New. Part five of seven, “Unite or Die,” has Adams as the first vice president. The struggle between the British and the French proves difficult on his relationship with Jefferson. Adams becomes president in 1796. Runs 75 minutes and plays multiple times throughout the week. Started watching this via on demand last weekend. The second and fourth installments are very good, as they lead up to the Declaration of Independence being read for the first time and George Washington being sworn in as the country’s first president, respectively. Looking forward to the final three segments. What about you, have you been watching John Adams?
Other Options
- Army Wives (Lifetime): Repeat. Episode five, “Independence Day,” replays, where Roxy finds out about Marilyn’s affair and Chase gets called away on a missing leaving Pamela devastated. Plays again later.
- Breaking Bad (AMC): Repeat. Episode four, “Cancer Man,” replays, where the DEA thinks there might be a new drug kingpin in town. Plays twice and again later.
- Dirt (FX): New. While covering an awards show, it turns out that the real story is backstage. Plays twice and again later. Next week is the season finale.
- Family Guy (FOX): Repeats. “Blue Harvest, Parts 1 and 2” replay, where Peter tells the family the story of Star Wars during a power outage.
- Iron Chef America (Food Network): New. Iron Chef Cat Cora takes on chef Ken Oringer. Plays again later.
- Throwdown With Bobby Flay (Food Network): New. It is an “Arroz Con Pollo” throwdown. A repeat episode follows. Both play again later.
- Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union (Showtime): New. Tracey Ullman does impersonations and skewers pop culture. Plays twice.
- The Tudors (Showtime): New. Henry is trying to undermine the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in England. Anne wants to consummate her relationship. Plays again later.
Sports Notes
- ABC has an NBA doubleheader with the Golden State Warriors at the New Orleans Hornets followed by the Dallas Mavericks at the Phoenix Suns.
- CBS has the men’s final of the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament followed by women’s golf action with the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
- ESPN has Final Four action from the NCAA Women’s Championship Tournament.
- ESPN2 has Arena Football action early and later has Sunday Night Baseball with the Chicago White Sox at the Detroit Tigers.
- FOX has NASCAR racing with the Sprint Cup: Samsung 500.
- NBA TV has the Denver Nuggets at my hapless Seattle Supersonics.
- NBC has NHL action followed by men’s golf action with the final round of the Shell Houston Open.
- TBS has MLB action early with the Boston Red Sox at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Late Night
- Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi): Repeat. Last Friday’s season four premiere, “He That Believeth in Me,” replays.
- Mad Men (AMC): Repeat. Episode 12, “Nixon vs. Kennedy,” replays, where the staff pulls an all-nighter on election night.
- The Riches (FX): Repeat. Last Tuesday’s episode, “Field of Dreams,” replays, where Wayne is trying to get Hugh out of his depression, so he can save the Bayou Hills deal.
TV Marathons
A&E has five episodes of Cold Case Files.
AMC has Death Wish, Death Wish II, Death Wish 3, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, and Death Wish V: The Face of Death.
BET has 16 episodes of Diff’rent Strokes.
Disney Channel has 15 episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place.
E! has 10 episodes of Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood.
MTV has 11 episodes of America’s Next Top Model.
TLC has 12 episodes of Flip That House.
TNT has The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Travel Channel has eight episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.