Program Planner: Nov. 16-22
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Nov. 16:
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
◊“Brothers & Sisters” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Justin cooks up a plan to set Saul up with an unlikely candidate for a date (Dave Foley, “NewsRadio”).
◊“The Chef Jeff Project” (9 p.m. on Food Network): Chef Jeff Henderson, a former prison inmate turned successful executive chef, takes six struggling young adults to The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-Los Angeles where they create resumes, cook for some of the top chefs in Los Angeles and interview for admission.
◊“Cold Case” (8 p.m. on CBS): Lilly and the team reopen the 1989 murder case of a Russian opera prodigy who defected with her family before the Berlin Wall came down.
◊“Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m. on ABC): Everyone gathers at a club to see the guys play in the annual “Battle of the Bands” when a fire erupts, threatening the lives of those in attendance.
◊“Half Ton Dad” (8 p.m. on TLC): Kenneth Brumley weighs 1,022 pounds and is the biggest patient Renaissance Hospital in Houston has ever seen. He undergoes a series of major surgeries to save his life.
◊“Half Ton Mom” (7 p.m. on TLC): Renee Williams, 29, is a mother of two and weighs nearly 900 pounds. She undergoes life-threatening surgery in a bid to save her life.
◊“Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special” (8 p.m. on Comedy Central): The comedian and his puppet pals take the stage for a holiday-themed ventriloquist comedy.
◊“JFK: Inside the Target Car” (8 p.m. on Discovery): Marking the 45th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy, this new special examines that fateful day in Dallas. A team of expert use forensics and Zapruder film archives to prove that the only bullets fired were from the Texas School Book Depository.
◊“Masterpiece Contemporary” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This new docudrama titled “Filth” ” stars Julie Walters (”Harry Potter” movies) as British schoolteacher Mary Whitehouse, who spent three decades crusading against sex and violence on television.
◊“Total Request Live” (7 p.m. on MTV): Carson Daly and Damien Fahey co-host the show’s finale that will feature performances by Beyonce, 50 Cent, Backstreet Boys and Fall Out Boy, as well as a look back at the show’s best moments.
MONDAY, NOV. 17
◊“Chuck” (7 p.m. on NBC): Chuck and Jill (Jordana Brewster, “As the World Turns”) are enjoying the honeymoon stage of their rekindled relationship. Meanwhile, corporate efficiency expert Emmett (Tony Hale, “Arrested Development”) is out to get Chuck.
◊“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): In the show’s 150th episode, Horatio and the team must find an innocent baby who was kidnapped by a murderer.
◊“Einstein” (8 p.m. on History): This new two-hour special tells the story of Einstein’s 15-year struggle to prove his concept known as the theory of general relativity.
◊“One Tree Hill” (8 p.m. on CW)(Pictured above is The CW Photo featuring Hilarie Burton and Chad Michael Murray): Series star Chad Michael Murray (Lucas) wrote this new episode that has a 1940s ‘‘Casablanca” theme, with Karen’s Cafe done up like a nightclub.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: Rock Hudson was born on this day in 1925, and TCM celebrates by airing four of his films, including 1970’s “Darling Lili” (10:15 a.m.) and 1948’s “Fighter Squadron” (3:15 p.m.).
◊“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (7 p.m. on Fox): Sarah’s nightmares creep into her real life. Richard Schiff (”The West Wing”) guest stars.
◊“Thanksgiving Turkey” (8 p.m. on Food Network): Host Alton Brown answers every question imaginable about the star of the Thangsgiving meal — the turkey.
◊“Trivial Pursuit” (11 a.m. today-Friday on KOCB-34): It’s “Judges Week” on the game show, and each day will feature a different TV judge as captain for “America’s Team.” Taking part are Judge Joe Brown, Judge Alex Ferrer, Judge Cristina Perez and Judge Lynn Toler.
◊“Worst Week” (8:30 p.m. on CBS): Sam and Mel are on pins and needles when Sam’s politically incorrect father (Fred Willard, “Everybody Loves Raymond”) and his extroverted mother meet the Claytons for the first time the day before the wedding.
TUESDAY, NOV. 18
◊“Brothers to Brutha” (9:30 p.m. on BET): This new docu-drama follows the Harrell brothers from the R&B group Brutha.
◊“The IFC Media Project” (7 p.m. on IFC): Peabody and Emmy Award winning news correspondent Gideon Yago hosts this new documentary series that examines the current state of investigative journalism and how it affects out preceptions of the world around us.
◊“Nova” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): The new episode ‘‘The Bible’s Buried Secrets” reveals information about the early Israelites and the evolution of their belief in one God.
◊“Shipwreck! Captain Kidd” (8 p.m. on National Geographic): This new special tells the real-life story of Capt. William Kidd, who captured the Quedagh Merchant ship but abandoned it to face criminal charges in New York.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19
◊“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): The team must profile a self-confessed serial killer who turns himself in, but sends them on a massive manhunt to find his latest victims before it is too late. Jason Alexander (”Seinfeld”), Ali Landry (”Eve”) and Nicholas Brendon (”Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) guest star.
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): In the show’s 100th episode, two victims named Mac Taylor turn up dead and 15 others with the same name, including Det. Mac Taylor, must determine the killer’s motive before they strike again.
◊“Law & Order” (9 p.m. on NBC): Detectives Cyprus Lupo and Kevin Bernard investigate the murder of an environmentalist’s wife. Ned Beatty (”Superman”) and Sherry Springfield (“ER”) guest star.
◊“The Real George Washington” (8 p.m. on National Geographic): This new special is packed with surprising facts about the first president, including his career as a spy.
◊“Shaken No Stirred” (8 p.m. on My Network TV): Pamela Anderson (“Stacked”) is the guest of honor in the second installment of this Vegas-style roast. Toasting her will be commedians Anthony Anderson, DL Hughley and Paul Rodriguez.
◊“UFO Hunters” (9 p.m. on History): This new episode revisits one of the oldest reported UFO cases. It is from 1897 when people in Aurora, Texas, reportedly saw a strange craft crash into a windmill, found and buried an alien body, and dumped the crash debris down a well.
THURSDAY, NOV. 20
◊“30 Rock” (8:31 p.m. on NBC): When Jack and Liz are invited to a dinner party, the eccentric host (Steve Martin, “The Jerk”) becomes enamored with Liz.
◊“Iconoclasts” (9 p.m. on Sundance): This installment of the series that pairs two leading innovators from different fields to discuss thetr passions features Cameron Diaz (”Charlie’s Angels”) and architect Cameron Sinclair.
◊“Live From Lincoln Center” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installment ‘‘Gil Shaham and Orpheus in the Penthouse” brings together violinist Shaham and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to perform the music of another violin virtuoso, 19th-century Spanish musician and composer Pablo de Sarasate.
◊“Thanksgiving Leftovers” (8 p.m. on Food Network): Food Network stars Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri show viewers what to do with leftovers from the Thanksgiving table.
◊“Unexplained With George Noory” (10 p.m. on SCI FI): The popular radio personality returns with five new episodes exploring the unkown. Each half-hour episode will feature in-depth interviews with experts on subjects such as reincarnation, witchcraft and alien abduction.
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
◊“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (7 p.m. on Fox): Jennie Garth (”Beverly Hills, 90210″) heads back to the classroom to test her grade-school skills for the American Heart Association.
◊“Larry the Cable Guy’s Star Studded Christmas Extravaganza” (8 p.m. on CMT): The comedian’s 90-minute special is deisgned to be a throwback to the old school holiday variety show. Guest stars include Oklahoma country music artists Toby Keith and Blake Shelton, former NFL standout Terry Bradshaw and fellow comics Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Lewis Black.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: Eleanor Powell was born on this day in 1912, and TCM celebrates by airing three of her films, including 1937’s “Rosalie” (5 a.m.) and 1941’s “Lady Be Good” (9:15 a.m.).
SATURDAY, NOV. 22
◊“CNN Presents: One Crime at a Time” (7 p.m. on CNN): CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien shadows New Orlean’s new inspector general and police officers to get a first-hand look at the factors that plague the Big East and endanger its future.
◊“Lost City Raiders” (8 p.m. on SCI FI): James Brolin (“”Pensacola: Wings of Gold”), Ian Somerhalder (“Lost”) and Jamie Thomas King (“The Tudors”) play a family that sets out to salvage the past and ends up fighting to save the future.
◊“The Naked Brothers Band: Operation Mojo” (8 p.m. on Nickelodeon): In this new one-hour movie based on the TV show, Nat sees a tabloid photo of Rosalina smooching with a young Frenchman during her round-the-world cruise and becomes convinced that he’s losing her.
◊“An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving” (8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): Jacqueline Bisset stars in this new original movie based on the 1881 short story “An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving” by Louisa May Alcott. It tells the story of a young woman searching for her true path amidst a holiday season of decisions and discoveries.
–Penny TV
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
has anyone watched “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”?how is it?