Top 55 TV Programs for April 5-11, 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 April 5:
SUNDAY, APRIL 5
◊The 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (7 p.m. on CBS): Reba McEntire returns as host (for a record 11th time) for the event airing live from MGM Grand in Las Vegas. She is also scheduled to perform, along with Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and Miley Cyrus. Artists with Oklahoma ties up for awards include Carrie Underwood (entertainer of the year, top female vocalist), Brooks & Dunn (top vocal duo, vocal event with McEntire), Miranda Lambert (top female vocalist, single of the year), Toby Keith (top male vocalist), Rascal Flats (top vocal group) and Trish Yearwood (vocal event with Josh Turner).
◊“Explorer: Inside Guantanamo” (8 p.m. on National Geographic): This two-hour special takes viewers inside one of the world’s most famous prisons for a look at day-to-day life. A film crew spent nearly three weeks inside the prison, chronicling the interaction between guards and detainees.
◊“Fast Machines With Funkmaster Flex” (9:30 p.m. on SPIKE): Funkmaster Flex, reknown car customizer in the music and sports world, hosts this new series that will showcase his talents in updating and modifying cars.
◊“Good Buy, Bad Buy?” (11:30 a.m. on HGTV): This new series features housing experts coming to the rescue of overwhelmed house-hunting families. Each episode will profile two different homebuyers as they struggle to determine which of their favorite two potential homes is the better buy.
◊“Hometown Heroes” (8 a.m. on DirecTV): Joan Lunden (“Wickedly Perfect”) returns as host of this special series that focuses on everyday people from across America whose extraordinary work and humanity are transforming the lives of those in their community.
◊“In Treatment” (8 p.m. on HBO): In Season 2 of the half-hour drama, which will premiere new episodes on Sunday and Monday nights, the newly divorced Dr. Paul Weston has relocated from Maryland to Brooklyn, and now runs his therapy practice out of the living room of his brownstone. Among his new patients are Mia (Hope Davis, “Six Degrees”), an attorney; Walter (John Mahoney, “Frasier”), a CEO; and April (Alison Pill, “The Book of Daniel”), an architecture student.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): When King Silas sacrifices Port Prosperity to reach peace with Gath, David Shepherd must decide where his true loyalties lie. Leslie Bibb (“Popular”) guest stars.
◊“Last Cake Standing” (7 p.m. on Food Network): This competition series throws six pastry chefs into a grueling four-round cake competition — from creating one-of-a-kind wedding creations to undergoing a 24-hour cake-making marathon. Each week, judges eliminate one cake artist, and the winner takes home $50,000.
◊“My Mother’s Garden” (9 p.m. on MSNBC): This new documentary offers a daughter’s eyewitness account of her mother’s compulsive disorder and the way in which one family comes together to cope with a mental illness that affects millions.
◊“River Monsters” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): Extreme angler Jeremy Wade explores the murky waters of the globe to debunk fish tales. His weekly quest catapults him in search of piranha, alligator gar, wels catfish and bullsharks, piraiba/candiru — all supposedly deadly creatures shrouded with mystery.
◊“Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices” (10 p.m. on HBO): Narrated by Queen Latifah, this new series focuses on six promising teams from New York, San Francisco, Ft. Lauderdale, Ann Arbor, Hawaii and Philadelphia as they prepare for a chance to compete at the 2008 Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam Championship in Washington, D.C. It profiles hopeful poets and their coaches, revealing their personal struggles and triumphs.
◊“Storm Stories” (7 p.m. on The Weather Channel): This episode recounts the August 2007 flood in Stockton, Minn., caused by the lingering effects of Hurricane Erin. It remains the worst on record in U.S. History.
◊“United States of Tara” (9 p.m. on Showtime): The family, now reunited for the first time since Tara checked into the hospital, decides to partake in a family tradition – bowling. But as Tara looks around at her family, she realizes she’s not who she is in spite of her alters, but because of them.
◊“Wizards of Waverly Place” (7:30 p.m. on Disney): The school principal enrolls Alex in the Sunshine Club after noticing her kindness to an elderly woman, Maggie. Alex quickly sees that the students in the club are only interested in helping others for their own good, and decides that charity without an agenda is the best way to live. Jo Anne Worley (“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”) guest stars.
MONDAY, APRIL 6
◊“24″ (8 p.m. on Fox): As the day stretches into the middle of the night, Jack and the FBI formulate a plan to prevent further terror attacks.
◊“Antiques Roadshow UK” (9 a.m. on BBC America): This show, the basis from which the U.S. version was created, is part adventure, part history lesson and part treasure hunt.
◊“Catch 21″ (5:30 p.m. on GSN): Host Alfonso Ribeiro (“The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”) returns for Season 2 of the game show that will feature the addition of an extra “power chip” in the jackpot round that puts winning within reach for all players.
◊“Chuck” (7 p.m. on NBC): Things are looking up for Chuck when he finds his father and lands his dream job — or so he thinks. Chevy Chase (“Saturday Night Live”) and Scott Bakula (“Quantum Leap”) guest star.
◊“Greek” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”) directed this new episode in which rush week rivalries kick into high gear as the battle for the big man on campus begins. Jesse McCartney (“Summerland”) guest stars.
◊“The Hotel Inspector” (11 a.m. on BBC America): Renowned hotelier and author Ruth Watson looks to whip Britain’s struggling bed and breakfast owners and hoteliers into shape.
◊“House” (7 p.m. on Fox): Charlotte, an older woman who has spent the last six months taking care of her husband Eddie (Meat Loaf, “Rock & a Hard Place”), is rushed to Princeton Plainsboro for immediate treatment after collapsing from respiratory failure at Eddie’s deathbed.
◊“Indoors Out” (9:30 p.m. on DIY Network): Derek Steams and Dean Marsico are stonemasons and real-life cousins. Together, they host this series, now entering Season 2, that shows viewers how to expand a home’s square footage without expanding the home.
◊“King of Dirt” (8:30 p.m. on DIY Network): Landscape contractors Gino and Ralph Panaro host this new series that is full of big personalities and even bigger ideas on how to makeover outdoor spaces.
◊“Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed” (8 p.m. on My Network TV): The Masked Magician reveals the secrets behind several illusions, including making a 5 ton elephant appear from out of the blue, levitating a woman with no hidden wires and making an assistant vanish while standing atop an elevated platform.
◊“Medium” (9 p.m. on NBC): Allison investigates the case of a mother gone missing and some very strange children. James Van Der Beek (“Dawson’s Creek”) and Amanda Detmer (“What About Brian”) guest star.
◊“The Newlywed Game” (5 p.m. on GSN):Carnie Wilson (“Outsider’s Inn”) will make her game show host debut on the new, modernized version of this classic series, which features an updated set and a new bonus round where the winning couple challenges a “Goldywed couple” (a couple that appeared on an original episode from the 1960s through 1990s series who have remained married ever since).
◊“Rock Solid” (9 p.m. on DIY Network): Derek Steams and Dean Marsico are stonemasons and real-life cousins. Together, they host this series, now entering Season 5, that is dedicated to showing viewers how to increase the value of homes by starting in the yard.
◊“Surviving Suburbia” (8:30 p.m. on ABC): Bob Saget (“Full House”) and Cynthia Stevenson (“Men in Trees”) star in this new sitcom that takes a contemporary look at family life and the reasons one might have to question the system.
◊“Saving Grace” (9 p.m. on TNT): Doug’s relationship with Maggie (Kathy Baker, “Boston Public) kicks into high gear, with a wedding date already set. But their plans hit a snag when Maggie is attacked by an unknown assailant at Louie’s.
TUESDAY, APRIL 7
◊“90210″ (8 p.m. on CW): Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210″) directed this episode. Kelly (Jennie Garth) and Ryan search the streets and show up at Jackie’s (Ann Gillespie, “Beverly Hills, 90210”) home looking for Silver, but the visit proves pointless when harsh words are exchanged.
◊“Deadliest Warrior” (9 p.m. on SPIKE): This new historical narrative series will pit the world’s greatest warriors against each other in a battle to determine history’s ultimate fighting machine. The premiere episode pits Apache vs Gladiator, and Ultimate Fighting Championship star Chuck Liddell guest stars as a combat expert.
◊“The Fix” (9 p.m. on FLN): This new makeover series melds craftsmanship and comedy as hosts Neil Davies and Jay Purvis surprise homeowners with absurd renovations before working to make it right with the ultimate home transformation.
◊“Frontline” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installment “Black Money” reveals how multi-national companies create slush funds, set up front companies and make secret payments — all to get billions in business. But these practices are facing a new international crackdown, led by prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice and allies abroad.
◊“Fringe” (8:01 p.m. on Fox): Just seconds before a building is demolished, a mysterious mute child that has been living alone underground is discovered. When the FBI’s Fringe Division investigates, the boy forms an unspoken connection with Agent Olivia Dunham.
◊“HGTV’s Top 10″ (7:30 p.m. on HGTV): Every week, this new series will reveal the best-designed rooms in America and showcase 10 examples of stellar style from the nation’s leading designers and architects. During the countdown of amazing spaces, viewers will see industry experts unlock the design secrets that make these rooms so unique.
◊“It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” (7 p.m. on ABC): The classic Emmy-nominated springtime special is back on network television for the first time since 1982. It will air along with “Charlie Brown All Stars,” in which Charlie Brown’s baseball team walks out on him after losing their 999th game in a row.
◊“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m. on NBC): The death of an artist leads detectives to a long string of murders by an untraceable serial killer. Delroy Lindo (“Kidnapped”) guest stars as a detective struggling to keep control of the case. Jeri Ryan (“Boston Public”) takes on the role of attorney Patrice Larue, and will reprise the character for two future episodes.
◊“The Mentalist” (8 p.m. on CBS): Patrick Jane and the team go to Hollywood to investigate the murder of a movie producer. Series star Simon Baker’s wife, Rebecca Rigg, guest stars as the victim’s widow.
◊“Nova” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): This is the last installment of the series that began in 1987 and followed seven students starting out at Harvard Medical School. This two-part update returns to reveal what kinds of doctors — and people – they have turned out to be.
◊“The Real Housewives of New Jersey: Preview Special” (10 p.m. on Bravo): The network’s “Real Housewives” franchise kicks off its latest chapter with a sneak peak at the ladies from The Garden State. The hair is big — and so is the drama — on the newest docu-series as five new housewives from New Jersey invite viewers into their inter-mixed and indulgent lives.
◊“Rescue Me” (9 p.m. on FX): The series created, executive produced and starring Dennis Leary returns for Seaosn 5. It revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse, the crew of 62 Truck, and examines the fraternal nature and relationships of firefighters.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: James Garner was born on the day in 1928, and TCM celebrates by airing six of his films, including 1961′s “The Children’s Hour” (7 a.m.) and 1965′s “36 Hours” (11 a.m.).
◊“Trust Me” (9 p.m. on TNT): On the Season 1 finale, the Mink group wins a huge account. Denise (guest star Donna Murphy, “Hack”) sees Mason as the true creative force behind the victory and offers him a big promotion.
◊“Without a Trace” (9:01 p.m. on CBS): Malone and his team look for the son of a billionaire who disappears after the small plane he was piloting crashes in a wooded area. Vanessa Marcil (‘‘Las Vegas”) guest stars.
◊“Whose Wedding It It Anyway?” (9 p.m. on Style Network): In Season 9 of the wedding series, viewers will once again witness what goes on behind-the-scenes of real life nuptials, as couples and their planners battle to pull off the perfect “big day.”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
◊“America’s Next Top Model” (7 p.m. on CW): The girls are surprised to learn they will be working opposite guest judge Clay Aiken (“American Idol”) during an acting challenge. Cycle 11 winner, McKey, stops by to offer support while the girls prepare for their CoverGirl commercial.
◊“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): The Behavioral Analysis Unit team travels to South Padre Island during spring break to find a serial killer with multiple personalities who is targeting co-eds on vacation. Jackson Rathbone (“Twilight”) and Roma Maffia (”Nip/Tuck”) guest star in the episode directed by Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”).
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): While investigating the shooting of a man in an empty theater, Stella realizes that the crime scene is oddly familiar and staged. Former ‘‘American Idol” contestant Katharine McPhee guest stars.
◊“Dinner: Impossible” (9 p.m. on Food Network): Robert Irvine attemps to overcome culinary obstacles in Season 6. In the premiere episode, he heads to Aspen, Colo., to cook for 200 action sports athletes at the Winter X Games.
◊“Jean Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Anne Heche (“Men in Trees”) narrates this new installment titled “Sea Ghosts” that features footage of white beluga whales swimming among icebergs in Alaska and Canada. In Alaska, Gov. Sarah Palin is fighting the addition of the Cook Inlet Belugas to the endangered species List, while the indigenous hunters, who have ceased killing, agree that this is a necessary step to sustain the species.
◊“Life” (8 p.m. on NBC): In the Season 2 finale, Crews must locate his partner Reese who has gone missing while on loan to the FBI. In the events that transpire, details about the conspiracy against Crews will be revealed.
◊“Mythbusters” (8 p.m. on Discovery): Season 7 of the series that uses science to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends begins with a two-hour demolition derby special. Hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage tackle four fables of automotive mayhem, including the whether moving the passengers to one side of a bus can stop it from rolling during a sharp right turn (it worked in the movie “Speed”).
◊“The New Adventures of Old Christine” (7 p.m. on CBS): After one too many cheap shots on her by the mean moms at Ritchie’s private school, Christine decides to enroll him in public school — which is not as easy as she anticipated. Paula Newsome (“Women’s Murder Club”) and Kathleen Wilhoite (“ER”) guest star.
◊“Night” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): Animal trainer and expert Brandon McMillan hosts this new series that takes viewers into the darkness to experience the wonder and terror of nocturnal nature and all its animal activities.
◊“The Unusuals” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): In this new series, detective Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn) has just been transferred to the NYPD’s Homicide unit from Vice and is instantly thrown into a setting of bullets and bodies. As she begins her new assignment, Casey finds that the force is full of secrets.
THURSDAY, APRIL 9
◊“American Chopper” (8 p.m. on TLC): The guys at Orange County Choppers, the world-famous custom motorcycle family business run by Paul Teutul Sr. and his sons, have their work cut out for them in Season 6. In the premiere episode, they tackle two new projects — a B-2 Bomber bike for Northrop Grumman and one for the NHL — and Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. go head to head in a no hold’s barred argument.
◊“Bones” (7 p.m. on Fox): Booth and Brennan are on the case when shattered, pulverized human remains are found in a garbage bag at a photo shoot. Meanwhile, Angela’s father (Billy F. Gibbons, ZZ Top) comes to town to seek revenge on Hodgins.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): Nick’s case of a deceased skydiver takes an interesting turn when Catherine discovers there may be a connection between the skydiver and a mysterious double murder case. Charisma Carpenter (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Greg Germann (“Ally McBeal”) guest star.
◊“Gallery” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): OETA’s Emmy Award-winning arts and culture series takes viewers inside the studio and the mind of Jean Richardson. She is an Oklahoma artist whose work of painting the horse in abstract is well known nationwide. For Richardson, her horses are not horses; they are a metaphor for the human spirit.
◊“Harper’s Island” (9:01 p.m. on CBS): This new 13-episode mustery series follows a group of strangers who travel to a secluded island for a wedding and are killed off one by one.
◊“How to Find a Husband” (9 p.m. on FLN): In this new series 30-something career woman Sally Gray quits her job and gives herself 10 weeks to find a husband. She hopes that through road-testing everything from speed-dating to online-dating and meeting as many men as she can through family and friends, she will find Mr. Right and inspire single women everywhere to follow their hearts.
◊“Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire” (9 p.m. on Comedy Central): This new series is narrated by Chris Parnell (“30 Rock”) and chronicles the adventures of Krod Mandoon (Sean Maguire, “Meet the Spartans”) and his band of warriors as they take on the evil Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas, Little Britain USA”).
◊“Parks and Recreation” (7:30 p.m. on NBC): This new series stars Amy Poehler (“Saturday Night Live”) as an optimistic town official who turns a construction pit into a park while trying to mentor a bored college intern.
◊“Smallville” (7 p.m. on CW): Series star Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan) directed this episode, in which Clark finds Tess in Lana’s (Kristin Kreuk) ransacked apartment and realizes Lana is missing.
◊“Southland” (9 p.m. on NBC): This new drama stars Michael Cudlitz (“A River Runs Through It”) as John Cooper, a seasoned Los Angeles cop assigned to train young rookie Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie, “The O.C.”). Cooper’s honest, no-nonsense approach to the job leaves Sherman questioning whether or not he has what it takes to become a police officer.
◊“The Zula Patrol” (2:30 p.m. on ION): Wizzy and Wigg want to go to the moon to see the moon-ball championship game in the season premiere episode of this animated series that teaches viewers facts about science and astronomy.
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
◊“Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m. on CBS): Hilary Duff (“Lizzie McGuire”) guest stars as Morgan Jefferies, a woman of mystery who may be involved in the death of a man who fell victim to a freak accident.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): The investigation into a professor’s death takes a dangerous turn when the team finds their lead suspect has ties to a radical animal rights group. Michael Stahl-David (“Cloverfield”) and Polly Walker (“Rome”) guest star.
◊“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (7 p.m. on Fox): The Connors come face-to-face with Weaver in a confrontation that shakes John to the core and changes his reality forever. Nothing will be the same after the “Born to Run” Season 2 finale.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11
◊“Groomer Has It” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): Jai Rodriguez (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”) hosts Season 2 of the series in which 12 skilled dog groomers compete against each other in a test of desire, creativity and affinity for animals. They shave, shear and shampoo their way through a series of challenges from grooming potbelly pigs to creating signature looks for a doggie wedding.
◊“Love Finds a Home” (8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Patty Duke (‘‘The Miracle Worker”) stars in the eighth and final film based on Jeanette Oke’s “Love Comes Softly” novels. Duke plays a headstrong nursemaid who clashes with a frontier doctor (Sarah Jones, “Big Love) while caring for her pregnant daughter-in-law (Haylie Duff, “7th Heaven”).
◊“Nora Roberts’ Tribute” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): Former child star Cilla McGowan (Brittany Murphy, “King of the Hill”) buys her grandmother’s farmhouse in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and finds romance with her new neighbor, Ford Sawyer (Jason Lewis, “Sex and the City”). But her newfound happiness is tested when family secrets erupt into a real-life nightmare.
◊“Stories of Augusta” (1:30 p.m. on CBS): Jim Nantz (CBS Sports) hosts this special that gives golf fans an inside look at the Masters’ rich heritage and tradition. Avid golfer and Grammy winning singer Darius Rucker sings “Georgia on My Mind” during the closing montage of memorable moments.
◊“Thrilla in Manila” (7 p.m. on HBO): This new special chronicles the boxing rivalry between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. It also tells the previously unknown story of their final fight in the searing heat of the Philippines through the eyes of the “other man” in the ring – Frazier.
–Penny TV
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