The admittedly erratic Remote Patrol for Tuesday, October 14, 2008 by Thomas Allen Heald, Esquire All times Eastern, for PBS programs, check local listings
--- 10 p.m. "ELI STONE" (ABC) is no longer having visions, unless you count his therapist, guest star Sigourney Weaver. I admittedly discounted the show when it debuted and caught up with it on DVD on the advice of friends. It's well-meaning, but still a lower tier show, not unlike NBC's "Life" when it comes to high concept shows with a somewhat new age alternative spiritual sense. The writing's just not to the level of the admittedly gimmicky Paul Haggis, Bryan Fuller, or David Manson series I consider great humanity shows. I dislike Greg Berlanti's ABC mothership "Brothers and Sisters," and got a bit lost with his admirable, but quickly bogged down "Dirty Sexy Money." "Stone" does at least have a relatively basic premise (Lawyer asked to be better than he chooses to be) and works better than his sprawling soaps. So I'll move it into the "Tivo and let it stack up and either watch or delete later in bulk" category. 11 p.m. I'll admit, "SEX CHANGE HOSPITAL" (WE) sounds like a John Waters directed "Muppet Show" sketch. But, having had a city councilman end her term with a reassigned gender, I've had the chance to deal with the complexities of transgender issues. Would'ja believe (as Maxwell Smart might ask) that the "Sex Change Capital of the World" is in the Old West mining town of Trinidad, Colorado? Sundance Channel has had a couple of documentary series on young trans issues. By focusing on a wider age range, I think this miniseries (despite the provocative title and interesting carrier, one of the countless "women's issues" channels) might be both more affecting and effective. C'mon, you'll watch people pimp their rides or blow things up on "Mythbusters." Why not learn how a retired grandfather or construction workers came to terms with their sexuality? NIGHT LIGHTS * Tavis aligns the stars for Tim Reid. * Josh Brolin and Amy Sedaris liberally apply themselves to Dave. * Jay displays his rapier wit with Dakota Fanning and Christopher Meloni. * Kristen Bell tries to explain to Craig why people should still watch "Heroes: Villains." --- But the conversation doesn't end here, add your own suggestions or discuss mine on the "TV or Not TV" Google list. "The Remote Patrol" is copyright © 2008 Thomas Allen Heald and Gigantic Rear Projection, Ltd. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Like TV only smarter. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
