What2Watch: The Grammys, Heroes, Life, Nip/Tuck

Charlie Toft February 2, 2009

Beginning with the Super Bowl and ending with the Oscars, Sundays in February are among the last truly communal television dates in this country. The 51st annual Grammy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.) aren’t quite in the same class when it comes to viewership, but as the most prestigious of the music awards shows, and the only one that tries to fit all genres under one umbrella (yes, there’s typically even a classical segment), it stands apart from its many imitators. Scheduled performers include Lil’ Wayne, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry and the ubiquitous U2. The record of the year nominees are the too-cool M.I.A. for “Paper Planes,” British soul throwback Adele for “Chasing Pavements,” Simon Cowell protege Leona Lewis for the can’t-escape-it “Bleeding Love,” your mom’s favorite rock band Coldplay for “Viva La Vida,” and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss for “Please Read the Letter.” The Plant/Krauss collaboration is by far the most obscure of the nominees, but given that Krauss is still in her thirties and already holds the record for most Grammys won by a woman, it’s the safest bet in your office pool. Also a safe bet: You’ll be able to tell what brand and color of underwear Lil’ Wayne is wearing.

Also this week:

Monday: Heroes (NBC, 9 p.m.): The producers are promising us that they really really really mean it this time, and that the show is finally going to stop being terrible. I’d say it couldn’t get any worse, but I don’t want to give them a challenge. The new episode cycle, called “Fugitives,” commences with many of the heroes back where they were at the start of the series, attempting to live average lives, until they realize that a shadowy force is out to capture them.

Tuesday: Nip/Tuck (FX, 10 p.m.): I hate to play the “you won’t believe what they did on Nip/Tuck” game because outrageousness is pretty much what the show is about, but still, it’s not every day I see a woman slice off her breast with an electric carving knife, and I’ve had some pretty disappointed dates. This week, Raj’s father drops by the office with a request, Matt worries that he’s being ignored, and Christian and Liz work at their new employee/boss, lesbian/horndog relationship.

Wednesday: Life (NBC, 9 p.m.): I tell myself that every time this series comes back from one of its little hiatuses, it’s a tiny miracle that should be cherished. This week, Charlie and Dani look into the shooting of a retired NASA pilot (didn’t they just kill an astronaut on SVU?), while Charlie also hunts for clues to the identity of his own shooter.

Thursday: The Beast (A&E, 10 p.m.): I haven’t yet had the opportunity to write about this series, which is definitely less awful than most of the Patrick Swayze oeuvre. Barker (Swayze) and Dove (Travis Fimmel) realize that there’s more to the case of a jewelry embezzler than originally meets the eye, as the stolen property is intended to pay off blackmailers who have infected the thief’s son.

Friday: Friday Night Lights (NBC, 9 p.m.): NBC claims to be happy with the ratings FNL is getting so far, which are a lot like the old, lousy ratings except that the show is now less expensive for the network. Well, that’s a ray of hope, at least. This week, Tyra finds a new guy less geeky than Landry, Matt’s mother moves back into the picture, and Smash Williams heads off on the adventure that is college.

Saturday: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (TNT, 8 p.m.): The sort of uplifting programming that you see during Black History Month, this stars Cuba Gooding Jr. in the true life story of Carson, who emerged from poverty to become one of the nation’s elite neurosurgeons, with the aid of a mother (Kimberly Elise) who insisted her children stop watching so much TV. An excellent thought, but: at least watch everything in What2Watch.