  By Kevin
McDonough | ||||||||||
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'Friends' have overstayed their welcome Does anyone care about "Friends" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) anymore? Tonight, a shocking secret about Chandler inspires the gang to reminisce. Gee, I guess it's already time for this season's "clip show." This comedy, which just won the People's Choice Award, has been anything but choice this season. Not to quibble, but nothing has happened. Not that there's anything wrong with a show about nothing. But this year's "Friends" has been pretty laugh-free as well. So far this season, Joey and Rachel went out and nothing happened. Ross got drunk and got dumped by his brainy girlfriend (Aisha Tyler). Chandler and Monica can't conceive. Even Phoebe's engagement seems like an afterthought. One week it's the center of attention, and then it goes unmentioned for weeks on end. At least it's not as forgotten as her triplets, who've been ignored for years at a time. And who is taking care of Ross and Rachel's baby while they yuck it up at Central Perk? All shows have their natural life spans, and "Friends" has been stumbling around like a zombie for two years. NBC honcho (and "Coupling" champion) Jeff Zucker made a big deal out of the fact that he convinced the "Friends" gang to stay on the air for another season. Actually, the deal consisted of paying them a king's ransom for an abbreviated season, which includes tonight's clip show. Some five years back Jerry Seinfeld was offered a significant fraction of a billion dollars to keep his show on the air. But he knew, and most viewers agreed, that "Seinfeld" had run its course. It's too bad the "Friends" crew didn't show the same discretion. Good season or bad season, the only thing that matters about this year's "Friends" is that it's the last season. The maudlin countdown to the final episode has already begun. Consequently, Jennifer Aniston appears with Diane Sawyer on tonight's "PrimeTime." -- Sex, lies and audiotapes loom large in "From China with Love" on "Frontline" (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings), a detailed look at a complicated spy case that reveals much about the inner workings and bureaucratic dysfunctions of the FBI. "Love" follows the two-decade relationship between maverick FBI agent J.J. Smith and his Chinese contact (and lover), Katrina Leung, known to the agency as "Parlor Maid." Leung was considered a great asset for American intelligence until April 2003, when she and Smith were arrested after the FBI began to suspect that their "Parlor Maid" was really working for Chinese intelligence. -- Directed by Martin Scorsese, the documentary "Lady by the Sea: The Statue of Liberty" (8:00 p.m., History) offers an hour-long meditation on the notion of liberty and the statue itself. The film will reflect recent efforts to reopen the landmark to the public. It has been closed since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS -- A 14-year-old murder case appears to have been staged on "Cold Case" (8 p.m., CBS). -- A grieving husband goes on a shooting rampage in the morgue on "Tru Calling" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14,V). -- A team member dies during a violent kidnapping attempt on "Threat Matrix" (8 p.m., ABC). -- A contestant falls asleep on the job on "The Apprentice" (8:32 p.m., NBC, TV-14). -- Death comes to a stuffed-animal enthusiast on "CSI" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14,V). -- Grace's sister (Geena Davis) visits on "Will & Grace" (9:32 p.m., NBC, TV-14). Minnie Driver and John Cleese also guest star. -- Malone fears that a missing lawyer may suffer from mental illness on "Without a Trace" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG,V). -- Caring for struggling newborns puts Neela and Abby through the emotional wringer on "ER" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14). -- Scheduled on "PrimeTime" (10 p.m., ABC): an interview with Jennifer Aniston; a disabled man's unusual friendship with an NHL veteran. CULT CHOICE An actor (Richard Dreyfuss in an Oscar-winning performance) moves in with a single mother (Marsha Mason) in director Herbert Ross's 1977 adaptation of Neil Simon's comedy "The Goodbye Girl" (10 p.m., Turner Classic Movies). A new version of this drama airs tomorrow night on TNT, starring Patricia Heaton and Jeff Daniels. SERIES NOTES Wrestling on "WWE SmackDown!" (8 p.m., UPN, TV-PG,D,L,V) ... Amateur acts on "Steve Harvey's Big Time" (8 p.m., WB). Imaginary friends on "All About the Andersons" (8:30 p.m., WB, TV-PG). The girls return to Arkansas on "The Simple Life" (9 p.m., Fox, r) ... A burger-joint manager goes under the knife on "Extreme Makeover" (9 p.m., ABC, r) ... Improvisation on "Jamie Kennedy Experiment" (9 p.m., WB, TV-14,D,L) ... A driver's ed disaster on "Run of the House" (9:30 p.m., WB, TV-PG-D). LATE NIGHT Dave Chappelle, Carmen Electra and The Shins appear on "Late Show with David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno hosts JC on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC). Ben Stiller, Sarah Ferguson and Rich Hall chat on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Anthony LaPaglia, Mia Kirshner and Juvenile are booked on "The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn" (12:37 a.m., CBS). |
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Copyright 2004, United
Feature Syndicate, Inc. United Feature Syndicate | |||||||||
Charles Mims
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