News & Notes
Over on cable, A&E has the third season premiere of Storage Wars, ABC Family has the third season premiere of Pretty Little Liars and the first summer season premiere of Jane by Design, BET has the fifth season finale of The Game and the second season finale of Let’s Stay Together, Lifetime has the third season premiere of Dance Moms, Oxygen has the second season premiere of The Glee Project, style has the fifth season finale of Giuliana & Bill, TNT has the third season premiere of Rizzoli & Isles and the second season premiere of Franklin & Bash, and WE tv has the series premiere of Kendra on Top.
Prime Picks
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family): Season Premiere. Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer all come back together after a summer apart to deal with recent traumatic events. Plays again later. The last nine episodes of season two replay leading up tonight’s third season premiere.
Jane by Design (ABC Family): Summer Premiere. Jane is worried about seeing Billy again after two months. Ben tries to help his sister keep her secret from his girlfriend and her guidance counselor. Tonight’s episode is a lot of fun in a very Ferris Bueller-y way. I didn’t particularly care for how they ended the first half of this season, but that gets reset somewhat as the second half begins.
Franklin & Bash (TNT): Season Premiere. Peter and Jared are trying to land a big client and really help themselves at the firm. Peter has to deal with a beautiful police officer in another case. Plays again later. This show is just plain mindless fun and this episode highlights that.
Other Option
- Rizzoli & Isles (TNT): Season Premiere. Jane and Maura are at odds after the shooting that ended last season. Jane’s relationship with Agent Dean gets out. Plays again later. Seven season two episodes replay leading up to tonight’s third season premiere. This show just isn’t good. The writing is weak, which brings down everything else. I can’t quite figure out why this is one of TNT’s top rated shows. Do you watch? Maybe you can tell me why?
Sports Notes
- ESPN has NBA Playoff action tonight.
- MLB Network has a game tonight.
Late Night
- Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime): Repeat. This past Sunday night’s fourth season premiere episode, “Welcome Back,” replays. Plays again later.
- Longmire (A&E): Repeat. This past Sunday night’s series premiere episode, “Pilot,” replays. Plays again later.
TV Marathons
ABC Family has 10 episodes of Pretty Little Liars.
BET has 20 episodes of The Game.
ION has six episodes of Criminal Minds tonight.
TNT has eight episodes of Rizzoli & Isles.
TV One has 12 episodes of The Jeffersons early.
USA Network has 13 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
What are you most looking forward to watching on TV tonight?
WOW, I can’t believe you don’t like Rizzoli and Isles. I love this show.
The main reason I love it is the relationship between the main two leads.
To each their own though I suppose.
I love Rizzoli & Isles because of the relationship between the two lead characters, the strong female archetypes, good story lines and good secondary characters. I hate to say it but I don’t get how you don’t like this show but like the “plain mindless fun” of Franklin & Bash which I consider over the top ridiculous and a waste of time.
Keith, I’d say the relationship between the two leads is the best part of the show, but there isn’t enough around it to keep me interested.
Maria, I guess where we disagree is with the story lines and the secondary characters. The writing is so poor that the mysteries are not interesting and it makes actors that I’ve liked in other things not come off very well. I would argue that Rizzoli & Isles is just as “mindless” as Franklin & Bash, but a whole lot less fun. I wish Rizzoli & Isles was over-the-top or at least something more than a pedestrian procedural with a sometimes compelling core relationship.
But, then Keith is right as well, “to each their own.” That is the great thing about TV, there are so many options and we don’t all have to like the same things. Both of you will continue to love the show and I will continue to wish is was better.