7 shows that should be on your TV radar this week
Watch them or avoid them? For better or worse, here are seven shows that should be on your TV radar in the next seven days (March 30-April 5). Also be aware that NBC has dropped “The Chopping Block” (7 p.m. Wednesdays). All times are Central.
1. “ER” series finale. The big farewell (8-10 p.m. Thursday on NBC) after 15 years will be preceded by a retrospective special (7 p.m.). Alexis Bledel, Rory on “Gilmore Girls,” arrives as a new intern.
2. “Damages” season finale (9 p.m. Wednesday on FX). I am too far behind on the season to watch the 90-minute finale, but if you’re caught up, you can also be happy that “Damages” has already been picked up for a third round.
3. ”Cupid,” premiere, 9 p.m. Tuesday on ABC. Rob Thomas remakes his cult hit, with Bobby Cannavale as the man who thinks he’s Cupid and Sarah Paulson (”Studio 60″) as his shrink. Nobody loves romantic comedy more than I do, but Cannavale and Paulson need more chemistry to carry this premise.
4. “Osbournes, Reloaded,” 8:25 p.m. Tuesday on Fox. What is this show? A variety-prank-parody hybrid? A train wreck in the making? I think I can say with confidence that nobody cares about the Osbournes anymore. Please don’t prove me wrong by sticking around after “American Idol” for this preview.
5. “I Get That a Lot,” 7 p.m. Wednesday on CBS. On April Fool’s Day, celebrities participate in pranks. Eek. Is there a chance this is an April Fool joke, and CBS will actually air, say, a “Judging Amy” rerun? No?
6. “Life on Mars,” series finale, 9:02 p.m. Wednesday on ABC. The series is canceled, but creators promise an explanatory wrap-up. Also ending its season is CBS’ “Eleventh Hour” (9:01 p.m.) This is the 18th of 18 episodes ordered for the season; fate uncertain.
7. “The Tudors,” Season 3 premiere, 8 p.m. Sunday on Showtime. With Anne Boleyn dispatched, King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) marries Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis). Next up this season is Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves, the fourth Mrs. Henry. The “Tudors” premiere is followed by the Season 1 finale of “The United States of Tara” (9 p.m.)
Any idea when Judging Amy will be back for its new season? Wait…should I save that question for chat?!
The original version of Cupid from 10 years ago starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall was great, but it was scheduled against the then undefeatable NBC Thursday night line-up and then cancelled when it couldn’t do the impossible task of defeating Seinfeld in the ratings. I don’t hold out much hope for the new version - Cannavale and Paulson are pale substitutes for Piven and Marshall.
Still, I hope it does well enough to spur a DVD release of the original series.
and always catch Lie To Me and Mentalist, of course; and the Friday one about SWAT unit. Medium’s getting a speck violent for my tastes, tho; used to be great. And Law and Order, of course. Special Victims Unit usually no good; stories ok, acting and personal lives boring. Just a thought or two.
why so early for the ER series finale? I would have thought they would air the finale during May sweeps.
Gotta love Life on Mars. A truly unique show!
Great to hear about Damages. It’s so good. So many twists and turns. It’s so in depth and this season has been great. Especially, the last 2 weeks twists.
Thanks for the reminder: 1) Yeah no more ER!!, 2) I almost forgot to setup my DVR for Osbournes and Get that a Lot… Now I have them set! Thanks!
Hooray for the Tudors return. I need something to watch now that Big Love is done for the season.
Sorry to see the Chopping Block hit the bricks, but I’m not really surprised.
Marco Pierre White is NO Gordon Ramsey (even though the promos said he’s the man who made Gordon Ramsey cry). The set-up and elimination process was also predictable (the usual catfights between people). The only thing I liked about the Chopping Block were the food critics’ comments that made the contestants squirm.
The Chopping Block promised a lot of sizzle, but never got there. In food terms, it was like a bowl of lukewarm, bland oatmeal-something you only eat a few bites of before you throw it in the garbage. Very, very sad.
BTW: Please, PLEASE don’t even give Osbournes Reloaded a minute of your time. Gail, you are on the money when you say this new “reality” comedy series may be a trainwreck for FOX and that no one really should care about the Osbournes anymore.
I’ve seen the promos. Nothing will drive me to watch this piece of junk after American Idol. Hopefully people who are smart and like good TV will follow suit and force this pathetic attempt at entertainment to the chopping block quickly.
When I was a teenager, I remembered Ozzy’s antics on stage during concerts and thought it was cool. Series like Osbournes Reloaded are simply moronic to me now.
BillHaas–I disagree with you about both Medium and SVU…I feel that both shows are at the top of their game…especially SVU…and compared to most “cop shows,” they barely delve into their personal lives.
As far as Medium, isn’t it only like 5 episodes into the season…I guess you meant it has gotten progressively more violent since it started 3-4 years ago?