News & Notes
Over on cable, Bravo has the second season premiere of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover and a Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel comedy special, HBO has a By the People: The Election of Barack Obama special, Planet Green has the first season finale of Planet Mechanics, Sundance has the third season finale of Big Ideas for a Small Planet, and truTV has the second season finale of Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Prime Picks
V (ABC): Series Premiere. The Visitors arrive promising to help and calling for unity around the globe. The cast is outstanding and this series debut episode is great TV. There is a lot going on and a couple of nice twists along the way. As would be expected a quarter century later, the special effects are quite an improvement over the original V miniseries. Definitely one of my favorite new shows of the season. Can’t wait to see where they go from here.
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS): New. A wealthy bachelor dies at a party and the team stumbles onto something bigger while investigating.
Sons of Anarchy (FX) New. Jax and Clay are still at each other and things blow up even bigger when problems arise with the adult film business. Plays twice and again later. This is an absolutely great episode that will leave you not wanting to wait for the next one, which turns out to be even better.
Solid Selections
NCIS (CBS): New. Gibbs has to wonder about his mentor when two mercenaries end up dead on Gibbs’ boat.
Melrose Place (The CW): New. Riley and Jonah get into it at a wedding she is helping him film. Ella has questions for Lauren after she finds an envelope of cash and some new clothes.
The Good Wife (CBS) New. Alicia accepts a conjugal visit with her husband to get information from him, since her new client was convicted while Peter was the state’s attorney.
Other Options
- 90210 (The CW): New. Gia and Navid are looking into school drug use and it leads them to Annie’s boyfriend. Naomi and Silver are worried about Adrianna and her possibly relapsing after recent events.
- Chopped (Food Network): New. Some unfamiliar ingredients are found troublesome. One contestant doesn’t care for the judges’ opinions. Plays again later.
- Dirty Jobs (Discovery Channel): New. Mike recycles electronic waste. Plays again later. Last week’s episode replays right before.
- The Next Iron Chef (Food Network): Repeat. This past Sunday’s episode, “Pressure,” replays. Plays again later.
Sports Notes
- ESPN2 has college football action with Bowling Green at Buffalo.
- NBA TV NBA action with the team that shall not be named at the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Versus has NHL action.
Late Night
- Greek (ABC Family): Repeat. Last night’s fall finale episode, “Friend or Foe?,” replays.
- Mad Men (AMC): Repeats. The last two episodes replay twice.
- nip/tuck (FX): Repeat. Last Wednesday’s episode, “Briggitte Reinholt,” replays.
TV Marathons
Bravo has six episodes of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover.
Discovery Channel has six episodes of A Haunting.
Oxygen has 19 episodes of Roseanne.
Syfy has eight episodes of the 1984 V TV series followed by a replay of the original V miniseries.
USA has 18 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
