| A midweek reality
binge Wednesday nights have become kind of strange. Home to two of network television's stronger-scripted dramas, "The West Wing" and "Law & Order," the night is quickly becoming a reality-television train wreck. Tonight, viewers have to choose between the third installment of the season premiere of "American Idol" (8 p.m., Fox) and the corporate guilty pleasure "The Apprentice" (8 p.m., NBC). Both shows feature awkward auditions. On tonight's "Apprentice," the winless Versacorp guys swing for the fences and put the hapless Sam in charge. Meanwhile, on "The Bachelorette" (9 p.m., ABC), Meredith goes on a date with Rich, the guy who wowed her with a fluffy pink slipper, while the rest of the would-be Prince Charmings go on group dates that involve ATV driving and other gung-ho activities. New this week is "Todd TV" (10 p.m., FX), a spoof on reality television that allows viewers to "program" the hero's very existence, making Todd's decisions for him. And then there's "'Til Death Do Us Part" (10:30 p.m., MTV), documenting the marriage of guitarist Dave Navarro and actress Carmen Electra. Wasn't she the woman whose marriage to Dennis Rodman ("Celebrity Mole Yucatan") dissolved with Britney-like alacrity? OK, it lasted for nine days. That's an eternity on reality television. -- "The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's" (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings) explores a frightening disease from both a personal and historical perspective. But the most harrowing facts to emerge from this program involve cold hard cash. A little more than a decade ago, there were roughly a half a million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's. Today the number is closer to five million, and the caseload and its attendant costs is set to explode as millions of baby-boomers enter their senior years. One expert contends that by the year 2030 the entire federal budget could be devoured by the need to care for victims of the mind-robbing disease. The film is followed by "Alzheimer's: The Help You Need" (10:30 p.m., PBS, check local listings), hosted by David Hyde Pierce, whose father and grandfather have suffered from Alzheimer's. -- "Chappelle's Show" (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central) enters its second season with more brutally funny and provocative sketches from Dave Chapelle. Dave offers some outlandish variations on political ads and explores the music-video-inspired theory that even the most mundane activity, like doing your laundry, looks sexy when filmed in slow motion. Never one to shy away from racial or political controversy, this season of "Chappelle's Show" will feature a look at what "fair and balanced" reporting would be like if Fox News was around to cover the Civil War. TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS -- Scheduled on "60 Minutes II" (8 p.m., CBS): Virus hunters; a profile of Larry David, the curmudgeon behind "Curb Your Enthusiasm." -- Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart star in the incomparable 1940 comedy "The Philadelphia Story" (8 p.m., Eastern, Turner Classic Movies). -- The search for Zoey continues on the repeat season premiere of "The West Wing" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14). -- Ryan plans to expose Oliver on "The O.C." (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG). -- A runway competitor turns vicious on "America's Next Top Model" (9 p.m., UPN). -- Scheduled on "48 Hours Investigates" (10 p.m., CBS): a doctor charged with sexually harassing a patient with multiple personalities. -- A killer's lawyer withholds key information on "Law & Order" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14). -- Just what will the "Celebrity Mole Yucatan" (10 p.m., ABC) gang do without Corbin Bernsen's sage advice? -- Perhaps no band better sums up the punch-line status of certain androgynous New Wave music than Flock of Seagulls. The moody Brits with absurd coiffures regroup for "Bands Reunited" (10 p.m., VH1). CULT CHOICE A real-estate mogul is linked to a tinsel-town monster in the 1997 horror film "House of Frankenstein 1997" (7 p.m., Sci Fi), starring Adrian Pasdar and Teri Polo. SERIES NOTES Competitive candy sales on "My Wife and Kids" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG,D,L) ... Archer receives aid from some blue-hued aliens on "Enterprise" (8 p.m., UPN, TV-PG) ... Clark learns a new super-skill on "Smallville" (8 p.m., WB, TV-PG,L,V). Political theater on "It's All Relative" (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). Carrie's doctor problem on "King of Queens" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) ... Hallucinations on "Angel" (9 p.m., WB, TV-14,D,L) ... Underground woes on "Becker" (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG). LATE NIGHT Kristin Davis and Bruce McCall appear on "Late Show with David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno hosts Clay Aiken on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC). Donald Trump and Jeff Garlin are scheduled on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (12:35 a.m., NBC). |
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Copyright 2004, United
Feature Syndicate, Inc. United Feature Syndicate | ||||||||
Charles Mims
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
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