Tonight on the Tube: Charlie Jade, Doctor Who & Battlestar Galactica

News & Notes

On cable tonight, Animal Planet has the fourth season premiere of Meerkat Manor, Discovery Channel has the second season finale of Man vs. Wild, Sci Fi has the series premiere of Charlie Jade, and Travel Channel has the series premiere of Ecoluxe.

In Fall 2008 TV Schedule news, FOX has decided to move their premiere schedule back a week to September 1st.

Prime Picks

America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC): Repeat. Mildly amusing videos sent in by people around the country.

According to Jim (ABC): Repeats. Picking two episodes of this as the best thing in the second hour of primetime, should tell you how much I dislike Ghost Whisperer and also how poor the choices are for Friday nights on the networks, especially during summer.

Numb3rs (CBS): Repeat. Don and the team are investigating illegal toxic waste dumping after a sinkhole opens up under a school playground, in “Waste Not” from season three.

Solid Selections

White Chicks (FOX): Released 2004. Two black male FBI agents go undercover as two white female socialites in an attempt to stop a kidnapping. Runs two hours.

20/20 (ABC): Repeat. Investigative reports.

Cable Choices

Charlie Jade (Sci Fi): Season Premiere. This is the story of an individualistic private investigator that lives in a world full of large and greedy corporations. He is investigating why the corpse of a beautiful young woman has no identity. This just doesn’t happen in his world. During his investigation he finds a facility out in the desert that could shed light on the situation and ends up in a big explosion, sends him into a universe that is parallel to his. He can’t believe how similar, yet how different this new world is. He then ends up in a battle to save his home world along with the one he is now in and a third one as well, which is absolutely pristine and completely pacifist, with an underlying terror.

Doctor Who (Sci Fi): New. The Doctor meets the most important woman in his life while on a world in the middle of an endless war. Plays again later.

Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi): New. Viper pilots and Cylon rebels try to collaborate together to put together a plan to fight their mutual Cylon enemy. Plays again later. Next week is the mid-season finale.

Other Options

• Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels (Food Network): New. Rachael visits her favorite spots in “Napa/Sonoma.” Plays again later.
• What Not to Wear (TLC): New. An aspiring actress gets a makeover. Plays again later.

Sports Notes

• ESPN2 has Friday Night Fights with a light welterweight bout scheduled for 12 rounds.
• Golf Channel has LPGA action with the second round of the McDonald’s Championship.

Late Night

• House (USA): Repeat. This past season’s finale episode, “Wilson’s Heart,” replays.

TV Marathons

Bravo has nine episodes of Top Chef early.
MTV2 has 10 episodes of Punk’d early followed by 10 episodes of Run’s House.
Sci Fi has eight episodes of Firefly early.
USA replays the first 10 episodes of this past season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent to get you ready for the return of new episodes this Sunday before a new episode of In Plain Sight.
VH1 has nine episodes of the Jesse Palmer season of The Bachelor.