Top 55 TV Programs for March 22-28, 2009
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 March 22:
SUNDAY, MARCH 22
◊“Big Love” (8 p.m. on HBO): In the third-season finale, Nicki’s web of secrets gets more tangled when a surprise visitor comes to see her at the compound.
◊“Camp Woodward” (7:30 p.m. on Fuel TV): This series, which followed three teenaged action sports athletes spending the summer at a sports training facility in Pennsylvania, ends its run. See what new tricks and life lessons Larry Schmidt and Cody Davis and BMXer Hunter Bagent take away from their camp experience.
◊“Cold Case” (8 p.m. on CBS): The team tries to determine if a homeless and severely delusional paranoid schizophrenic killed his former psychiatrist by arson in 2004 — before dropping out of college and fully losing his grip on reality. Songs recorded by John Lennon are featured throughout the episode.
◊“The Color of Magic” (6 p.m. on ION): Based on the first two books in best-selling author Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, this four-hour miniseries follows the adventures of a wizardry student (David Jason, “Hogfather”) who guides a tourist (Sean Astin, “Rudy”) through a magical realm.
◊“Craig Ferguson: A Wee Bit O’ Revolution” (9 p.m. on Comedy Central): “The Late, Late Show” host Craig Ferguson steps out from behind his desk for his first stand-up comedy special in which he speaks about his experiences in rehab and living life on the edge.
◊“Dateline” (6 p.m. on NBC): With exclusive accounts from insiders and whistleblowers speaking out for the first time, NBC News’ Chris Hansen reports on who knew what and when, and explains how risky home loans helped cause a chain reaction that led to failures on Wall Street and the near collapse of the American Economy.
◊“Eastbound & Down” (9:30 p.m. on HBO): Kenny says goodbye to his life as a school teacher after scoring a big-league job offer in Miami.
◊“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7 p.m. on ABC): The team travels to Tucson, Ariz., to rebuild the home for the family of a 14-year-old girl suffering from a life-threatening blood disease who has dedicated her life to spreading awareness about blood donations. Jo Frost (”Supernanny”) volunteers with Designer Eduardo Xol at one of the family’s blood drive events for collecting and redistributing toys for ill children in the community.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): Complications arise when Gath and Shiloh military officials gather to sign the much-anticipated peace treaty.David’s noticeable absence at the peace treaty signing is called into question by Gath’s leader, impeding the ceremony.
◊“Storm Stories” (7 p.m. on The Weather Channel): A search and rescue operation is launched when a California family looking for a Christmas tree in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains gets lost when a snowstorm hits.
◊“The Unit” (9 p.m. on CBS): Series star Dennis Haysbert (Jonas) directed this episode in which the Unite fights to rescue Jonas’ old friend. But a broken helicopter gas tank and nearby guerillas impede their mission.
◊“Yellowstone” (7 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new special follows the grey wolf, grizzly bear and herds of buffalo and antelope over the course of a year in one of the world’s most spectacular wildernesses.
MONDAY, MARCH 23
◊“Chuck” (7 p.m. on NBC): Chuck doesn’t know who to trust anymore when he finds the creator of the Intersect computer. Tony Hale (”Arrested Development”) guest stars.
◊“CMT Crossroads: Shooter Jennings and Jamey Johnson” (9 p.m. on CMT): Known for their outlaw ways and their tremendous songwriting, rocker Shooter Jennings and Grammy nominee Jamey Johnson come together for a concert special taped before an invitation only audience in Nashville earlier this month. The duo collaborate on Johnson’s “High Cost of Living,” “Between Jennings and Jones” and his Grammy-nominated single “In Color.” They also perform Jennings’ “God Bless Alabama” and a cover of his father, Waylon Jennings’ song, “Outlaw Bit.”
◊“Heroes” (8 p.m. on NBC): The identity of “Rebel” is revealed with chilling consequences. Swoosie Kurtz (”Pushing Daisies”) guest stars.
◊“One Tree Hill” (8 p.m. on CW): Lucas and Julian hit a setback with the production of the film. Peyton and Haley help Mia with her new single. James Van Der Beek (”Dawson’s Creek”) guest stars.
◊“The Powder & the Glory” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): Narrated by Jane Alexander, this one-hour presentation chronicles the lives and careers of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, two immigrant visionaries who started with next to nothing and transformed cosmetics into a necessity for all women.
◊“Roomates” (8 p.m. on ABC Family): Tamera Mowry (”Sister, Sister”) stars in this new comedy series that follows a group of friends in Manhattan trying to figure out love and life in their post-collegiate years.
◊“Saving Grace” (9 p.m. on TNT): The death of a woman in the home of a well-known architect (Elias Koteas, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) opens Grace’s eyes to a new world. And Clay has a new friend (Malcolm David Kelley, “Lost”) who is also helping out at the police station.
◊“The Secret Life of the American Teenager” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): In the first-season finale, Amy gives birth to her son as friends and family gather at the hospital to support the Juergens family. After hours of labor the baby is finally born, and a deliriously tired Amy and Ashley decide to name him together.
◊“Sophie” (8:30 p.m. on ABC Family): This new series follows Sophie Parker (Natalie Brown), who appears to have everything in order: a sweet boyfriend, a successful talent agency and good friends. But all at once, everything falls apart.
◊“The Spectacular Spider-Man” (6:30 p.m. on Disney XD): The network will welcome the animated series to its lineup with three back-to-back episodes from the show’s first season. The second season of the series, based on Marvel Entertainment’s popular Super Hero, will debut with all-new original episodes in Summer 2009.
◊“Table For 12″ (9 p.m. on TLC): This new series follows the Hayes family, previously seen on the TLC special “Twins, Twins, and Sextuplets.” Eric, a police officer, and Betty, a stay-at-home mom, raise a brood that consists of 12-year-old twin boys Kevin and Kyle, 10-year-old twins Kieran and Meghan, and 4-year-old sextuplets Tara, Rachel, Ryan, Connor, EJ and Rebecca, who has cerebral palsy and is extremely special to the family.
◊“Top Gear” (7 p.m. on BBC America): James travels to California to take a look at what is being hailed as the future of motoring — the hydrogen powered Honda Clarity. The star with the reasonably priced car segment features singer Tom Jones.
◊“Two and a Half Men” (8 p.m. on CBS): The guys bump into Jake’s former teacher (Alicia Witt, Cybill”) who became a stripper after a fling with Charlie. Charlie tries to help her out by giving her a room and a job, but things spiral out of control.
TUESDAY, MARCH 24
◊“According to Jim” (7:30 p.m. on ABC): Penny Marshall (”Laverne & Shirley”) directed this episode in which Jim realizes that Cheryl has taken a strong interest in yoga with a male instructor she raves about. Jim becomes jealous and tries to figure what the hype is all about by joining her class.
◊“Bad Girls Club” (9 p.m. on Oxygen): In the third-season finale, the girls return from Mexico for their final days in the house. But the days don’t end quietly when Amber M. admits that she has a problem with one of the roommate’s closets friends.
◊“Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood” (7 p.m. on TCM): Oscar-winning filmmakers Peggy Stern and John Canemaker (‘‘The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation”) delve into the memories of Hollywood animator Chuck Jones, who created Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew and the Road Runner. The half-hour film also includes an interview with Jones and newly created animated segments.
◊“Cruise Inc: Big Money on the High Seas” (8 p.m. on CNBC): Get a look inside the $30 billion dollar cruise industry in this report from Correspondent Peter Greenberg, who spends seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet. The 14-story floating city that sails the Caribbean has a full-service medical center, a state-of-the-art surveillance system and offers passengers everything from sushi-making to Bingo to Botox.
◊“Frontline” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Interviews with leading fiscal experts and insiders in government finance illuminate this film, which investigates the causes, possible outcomes and potential solutions to America’s staggering $10 trillion debt.
◊“Nova: Extreme Ice” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): This National Geographic special follows photojournalist James Balog to apline and arctic locations across the Northern Hemisphere to capture time-lapsed footage for his Extreme Ince Survey. His findings reveal massive glaciers and ice sheets splitting apart, collapsing and disappearing at a rate that has more and more scientists alarmed.
◊“Without a Trace” (9:01 p.m. on CBS): During the search for a missing psychologist, the team discovers the victim’s brother was imprisoned for serial rape, which makes them question if his brother’s past is connected to the disappearance. Meanwhile, Martin’s relationship with Kim (Vanessa Marcil, “Las Vegas”) heats up.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
◊“Great Performances” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Ian McKellen (”Lord of the Rings”) gives a tour-de-force performance as Shapespeare’s tragic titular monarch in this special television adaptation of the Royal Shapespeare Company’s (RSC) production. This marks McKellen’s return to the RSC after a 17-year hiatus.
◊“Law & Order” (9 p.m. on NBC): While investigating the murder of television reporter Dawn Prescott, detectives Lupo and Bernard discover that she was involved in a love triangle involving another reporter at the station.
◊“Lie to Me” (7 p.m. on Fox): In the wake of a building collapse in a small town outside Washington, Lightman is brought in to determine who is at fault and winds up discovering a massive cover-up.
◊“Life” (8 p.m. on NBC): When a Los Angeles coroner is found murdered, his co-workers become prime suspects. Crews and Seever are under pressure to quickly solve the case, because if the killer is another coroner, countless murder cases could be compromised.
◊“Revealed” (7 p.m. on Gospel Music Channel): This new series takes viewers behind the scenes with gospel artists, who perform and share the stories behind the hits they have created. The first episode will feature Third Day with and in-depth look into the making of their album Revelation.
◊“Survivor: Tocantins” (7 pm. on CBS): This special Wednesday episode features a re-cap of what happened during the first 15 days in Tocantins, Brazil, and includes some never-before-seen footage.
◊“They Killed Sister Dorothy” (7 p.m. on HBO2): Martin Sheen (”The West Wing”) narrates this new documentary tells the story of a U.S. nun’s murder in the Brazilian rainforest and the trial that followed.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26
◊“American Idol Extra” (6 p.m. on Fox Reality Channel): Jillian Reynolds (”Good Day LA”) and Ace Young (Season 5 “American Idol ” finalist) co-host Season 4 of the series that gives viewers the first in-depth interview each week with the Top 10 Idol finalists, moments after their emotional elimination. Constantine Maroulis (Season 4 “American Idol” contender) returns as a special field correspondent.
◊“Bones” (7 p.m. on Fox): The half-eaten body of Cam’s former fiancee is found in the tiger cage at the zoo, and Booth and Brennan determine the death was no accident. Chad Lowe (”Life Goes On”) guest stars.
◊“ER” (9 p.m. on NBC): Many of the emergency room doctors and nurses help out at Camp Del Corazon, a camp for youngsters who have had open heart surgery. Tom Arnold (”Roseanne”) guest stars as the camp counselor.
◊“Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m. on Fox): During dinner service in a packed restaurant, tensions always run high. However, when a few celebrities (guest stars Eric McCormack and Robert Patrick) stop by for dinner the intensity really heats up.
◊“In the Motherhood” (7 p.m. on ABC): Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”) and Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) star in this new comedy that takes a look at the importance of family and friends while trying to juggle motherhood, work and love lives in an overly complicated modern world. It is based on a popular Web series of the same name.
◊“Private Practice” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): Cooper struggles with a patient’s mother, who is allowing her 12-year-old daughter to be sexually active. Josh Hopkins (”Swingtown”) and Amanda Detmer (”What About Brian”) guest star.
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
◊“The Electric Company” (4 p.m. on OETA-13): With the help of her hypnotist uncle, Annie switches brains with Lisa. The Electric Company needs to find a way to switch them back before Annie ruins Lisa’s good name with her neighborhood pranks. Grammy award-winning musician Wyclef Jean guest stars.
◊“Friday Night Lights” (8 p.m. on NBC): Lyla is still reeling after discovering that her father gambled away her college fund after she has been accepted to the college of her dreams.
◊“The Game” (7:30 p.m. on CW): When the recently fired Tasha discovers that Kelly is still working at ISM, she accuses her friend of betrayal. Stacey Dash (”Clueless”) guest stars.
◊“Her Story” (7 p.m. on ESPN): Hannah Storm (”SportsCenter”) hosts this special that highlights up-and-coming athletes, as well as the issues they face. It includes interviews with Courtney and Ashley Paris, daughters of former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Bubba Paris, who will help the University Oklahoma contend for the NCAA women’s basketball title.
◊“Mistresses” (8 p.m. on BBC America): In the Season 1 finale, Trudi struggles with her shocking discovery about Paul, while Siobhan wrestles with her decision about keeping the baby.
◊“Party Down” (9:30 p.m. on Starz): Fred Savage (”The Wonder Years”) directed this episode in which the catering team works the California College Conservative Union Caucus and anxiously awaits the arrival of keynote speaker Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
◊“Stargate: The Ark of Truth” (8 p.m. on SCI FI): This new movie starring “Stargate” series favorites Amanda Tapping, Beau Bridges, Ben Browder and Claudia Black, picks up after the “SG-1″ series finale. Searching for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the sinister Ori force, SG-1 discovers it may be in the Ori’s own home galaxy and the crew finds themselves fighting two powerful enemies.
◊“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (7 p.m. on Fox): Fearing for her life, Sarah stashes John in a safe house with the only person she believes she can rely on, Charley Dixon (Dean Winters, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”).
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
◊The 22nd Annual Kids’ Choice Awards (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosts this star-studded, slime-filled live telecast in which youngsters honor their favorites from the worlds of film, music, sports and television. Stars scheduled to appear include Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Alicia Keys, Michael Phelps, Rihanna, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, Anne Hathaway and Reese Witherspoon.
◊“Nora Roberts’ Midnight Bayou” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): Harvard-educated lawyer Declan Fitzpatrick (Jerry O’Connell, “Carpoolers”) gives up his comfortable life to buy a newly restored plantation manor near New Orleans. Legend has it the place is haunted, and shortly after Declan moves in, he starts hearing voices and seeing inexplicable apparations.
◊“The Penguins of Madagascar” (8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon): This new animated comedy series is based on the penguin brothers from the “Madagascar” movies. It features all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. Throughout the season, new animals will be introduced along with old friends from the “Madagascar” movies.
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Comments
shooter jennings was amazing on crossroads with jamey johnson! and he had some controversial statements in a recent interview. Check out what he says about Rascal Flatts and Jonas Bros http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/shooter-jenning.html
What number did The Unit come in on your Top 55 for the week?
Thanks!