IA.,
Feb 04, 2008
It's beginning to look like we're going to have some news on a possible end to the WGA strike before too much more time passes. We can only hope, since from the looks of some of the shows premiering this month, the creative bottom of the barrel can't be far away. NBC is bringing back Knight Rider, and that may not be the network's worst idea in February. Shows are listed in order of their premiere dates.
Flavor of Love 3 (VH1, today/Monday, 11 AM):
The show that kicked off the mania for "Grade-C celebs looking for love" train wrecks begins its third and one would expect last season with a casting special tonight. Among the young ladies in the new cast are a pair of twins Flavor Flav nicknames, Thing 1 and Thing 2. Let's hope no one from this season goes on to their own spin-off.
Welcome to the Captain (CBS, tonight/Monday, 8:30):
There's an honest-to-goodness sitcom arriving tonight, on the night and the network that has still managed to make the format work. This is the sort of show we get every few years, one that examines the lives of the disparate folks living in one apartment building, a remnant of old-time L.A. dubbed "The Captain." This being Tinseltown, everyone works in entertainment or wants to. The show is centered on roommates played by Fran Kranz, a moviemaker, and Chris Klein, an accountant. Jeffrey Tambor will no doubt lend what class he can as a screenwriter whose career peaked with Three's Company, and Raquel Welch -- you read that correctly -- is cast against type as a bombshell (hey, just because she's pushing 70 doesn't mean she's going to be playing grandmas).
New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS, tonight/Monday, 9:30):
Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues to escape the Seinfeld curse by the skin of her teeth. This series has always been an uneasy fit in the guy-oriented CBS Monday night lineup, but there's really no other place to put it.
Paradise Hotel 2 (MyNetwork TV, tonight/Monday, 9 PM; Fox Reality, February 5, 1 AM):
That's right, one of the sleaziest reality shows ever is coming back nearly five years after it first aired on Fox. The show brings together singles, preferably with IQs solidly in the two-digit range, to hang out in the tropics and remove clothing. Eliminations occur when contestants are left partner-less. The gimmick here is that the Fox Reality episodes are "mature" versions of what aired the previous night on MyNetworkTV. Well, maybe. Make Me a Supermodel is raising the bar (or lowering it) for reality show flesh baring. I suspect Paradise Hotel doesn't go quite that far.
Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America, preview February 7, 9PM; regular episodes February 12, 9 PM):
Nine teams, most of them spouses or couples, will each be given an empty restaurant to whip into shape within a week. The lowest-rated eateries will then face off in an elimination challenge, and at season's end the winning team will be presented with their own restaurant and chef by snooty French guy Raymond Blanc. There are fifteen episodes but only nine teams, so there will be numerous weeks with no one eliminated. I've worked in a restaurant and the pressure can make sane people go around the bend, so meltdowns are to be expected.
Lipstick Jungle (NBC, February 7, 10 PM):
NBC knew by going last that it would face unfavorable comparisons with Cashmere Mafia, but since that ABC series has been a critical failure, perhaps they can make that the selling point; "If you have time for only one Sex and the City rip-off this winter, make it this one!" Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price star as friends with high-powered jobs in (where else) New York. Candace Bushnell herself is one of the executive producers.
Big Brother (CBS, February 12, 9 PM):
The summertime guilty pleasure gets a winter tryout thanks to the strike. A big part of this show involves tanned young bodies hanging around outdoors for the benefit of TV and Internet viewers, so I'll be curious to see how the iffier winter weather affects the Big Brother experience. The cast and possibly the season's big "twist" will be announced later in the week.
Jericho (CBS, February 12, 10 PM):
You wanted more apocalyptic America, and now you're gonna get it. It got off to a decent start last season, but never really regained its audience after taking a Lost-style hiatus. The series and its "nutty" fans have seven episodes to make their cases for a permanent comeback.
Knight Rider (NBC, February 17, 9 PM):
This isn't a series, just a two-hour movie, but it hearkens back to the days when TV movies were a key part of network lineups and often served as de facto series pilots. There's little doubt that if this does well, it's going back into production for good. For those that don't already know, it's about a man, his talking car, and the various bad guys they take down. David Hasselhoff put down the hamburger long enough to put in an appearance as Michael Knight.
My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (NBC, February 18, 8 PM):
You know, if they had just called it My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad, which is what we all used to say on the playground, this show would have been a lot more fun. This is a game show featuring dads in various competitions, first prize being that the old man becomes an even bigger insufferable boob around the house. Dan Cortese, who used to be annoying in various MTV shows, is the host.
Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW, February 18, 9 PM):
Here's my advice for the women in this year's show: look at the contract. Because as we know from last season, just because you say you're casting for a new Pussycat Doll doesn't mean the winner is actually going to, um, become a Pussycat Doll. This season is essentially Making the Band except that Dolls overseer Robin Antin is running the show, and this new group will have an even dumber name than "Danity Kane."
Amnesia (NBC, February 22, 9 PM):
It's getting to be game shows and nothing but on NBC. Dennis Miller hosts as contestants have to answer questions about events in their own lives. This sounds like the type of show I might do well at as long as they avoided asking questions about anything that ever happened to me on a Saturday night.
Quarterlife (NBC, February 26, 10 PM):
This has been airing since November in webisode format, so we'll see how it does on TV. Since the show's target audience are the exact people who are most apt to go online to watch television, my guess is things won't go well for NBC. It's an Edward Zwick/Marshall Herskovitz show, with all the navel-gazing that implies; and since it's about a young woman with a video blog, the narcissism quotient could exceed even Thirtysomething levels.
