What2Watch: There's Life In The Old Survivor Formula Yet

Survivor is easy to take for granted in its sixteenth go-round, and the format of the show almost guarantees that there will be stretches of a season -- if not entire seasons -- that are simply not very interesting. But last week's episode of Survivor: Micronesia, which climaxed with would-be kingpin Ozzy trying to engineer a backstab only to get backstabbed himself, was easily one of the most entertaining in the show's history, and raises hopes that things are coming to an end on a high note, despite the departure of so many major characters already.

Tonight (CBS, 8 p.m.), Parvati deals with the fallout from having gone with one alliance while selling out the other one -- namely, James and Amanda. James, a decent enough guy who is in the unenviable position of being the most out-of-it player in consecutive seasons, seems especially peeved. I'm just pleased that those annoying "girlz rule!" ads CBS has been running all week are actually giving Natalie a personality. Better late than never, I guess.

My Name Is Earl (NBC, 8 p.m.): Randy assumes personal care of Earl and teams up with Darnell and Joy to tackle the next item on the list.

Overhaulin' (TLC, 8 p.m.): A new season begins with the team helping a man with new responsibilities work on a '65 Mustang. No greater love can you show for your fellow man than that.

Smallville (CW, 8 p.m.): Chloe creates a situation while investigating power surges for Clark, and Jimmy considers whether he should agree to do favors for Lex in the future if Lex helps Chloe now; Clark hunts for Brainiac in an attempt to save Lana.

Ugly Betty (ABC, 8 p.m.): Betty celebrates her return from over three months of exile by having a birthday, but Charlie's return to New York puts a damper on the big day; Wilhelmina continues her attempt to interfere with Daniel's new relationship with her sister Renee.

Scrubs (NBC, 8:30 p.m.): The network prepares to say goodbye to its longest-running sitcom by shifting it to a lower profile slot for the end of the season. Tonight, Elliott tries to fulfill her promise to Kelso by interceding with the board on his behalf, while J.D. and Turk try to show up Cox.

All-Girl Getaways (Fine Living, 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.): This new series covers vacations ... with no men. Well, shucks. The debut episode follows four women on a Caribbean cruise; at 9:30, several friends visit Philadelphia. Yeah, you really don't want to eat a cheesesteak around the opposite sex.

American Chopper (TLC, 9 p.m.): Orange County works on a bike for the nutritional supplement company BSN; Senior and Junior have an argument over missing tools.

CSI (CBS, 9 p.m.): The CSIs seek the help of imprisoned Drops (Method Man, last seen on screen eating lead on the finale of The Wire) to solve the murders of two men in the same apartment building.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 9 p.m.): Six weeks down the road (in show time), George and Lexie have moved in together, Callie and Erica have become friends (Hahn made a friend!), Derek is dating Rose, and Bailey judges a surgical contest. Amy Madigan, always a welcome sight, makes her debut as a staff psychiatrist.

Supernatural (CW, 9 p.m.): Sam and Dean accompany the crew of a Ghost Hunters-like series to a haunted mansion, where the crew members proceed to get zapped one by one. Sounds like good clean fun.

The Office (NBC, 9 p.m.): Michael and dwight head to New York, hoping Ryan can hook them up with some excitement; back in Scranton, the other staffers work on Saturday per Ryan's orders.

30 Rock (NBC, 9:30 p.m.): The new time slot is probably a good idea, since The Office is a superior lead-in to My Name is Earl. Tonight, Jack learns that he is to be the successor of Don Geiss (Rip Torn), while Tracy is concerned that he might be embarrassing his family. He's just now figuring that out?

ER (NBC, 10 p.m.): Kovac learns one of those proverbial ER life lessons from a cancer patient (Hal Holbrook); Neela discovers a complication from her torn aorta case; Abby treats a teenager who has been beaten.

House Hunters (HGTV, 10 p.m.): An Austin family wants a house by a lake. But they also want a pool. Just use the lake, people! Water is scarce.

I Know My Kid's a Star (VH1, 10 p.m.): The remaining kids perform in a scene with soap actors. Now this has potential, should any of these kids have real talent, because soap children are some of the worst actors you'll see anywhere.

Into America's West With Jeff Corwin (Travel, 10 p.m.): An exploration of Yosemite National Park and the surrounding valley.

Lost (ABC, 10 p.m.): Man, it's good to see you again, even if the 10:00 thing didn't work so well the first time you tried it. Tonight, Locke's camp comes under attack at last, and Jack finds a body washed up on shore.

Miami Ink (TLC, 10 p.m.): A new season of colorful fun begins with Darren surprising everyone by coming back; Ami goes along with Nunez's plans for a new shop.

Rock the Cradle (MTV, 10 p.m.): Double elimination coming tonight. Bummer about A'Keiba getting voted off, but as I said last week, the appearance didn't match the vocals. Chloe Lattanzi is too bizarre not to win this thing.

Step It Up and Dance (Bravo, 10 p.m.): Luke Cresswell, the creator of Stomp, instructs the dancers in the percussive dancing style he's best known for.

Without a Trace (CBS, 10 p.m.): The team learns some disturbing news about a man who woke up from three years in a coma and then promptly went missing.

Ace of Cakes (Food Network, 10:30 p.m.): Geoff is inspired to make a Corvette cake after driving the real thing; a skate cake is made for a roller derby.

Lil' Bush (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.): Lil' George and the rest have to rescue Lil' Cheney, who is kidnapped in Afghanistan for a high profile heart transplant -- as a donor.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us