Top 55 TV Programs for June 7-13, 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 June 7:
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
◊“The 63rd Annual Tony Awards” (7 p.m. on CBS: Neil Patrick Harris (”How I Met Your Mother”) hosts the event live from Radio City Music Hall in New York. The musical “Billy Elliot,” based on the 2000 movie about a coal miner’s son with a passion for ballet, is nominated for 15 awards, tying 2001’s “The Producers” for the record. In the play category, “God of Carnage” has the distinction of having all its cast members nominated for acting honors: James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis.
◊“Amazing Wedding Cakes” (9 p.m. on WEtv): Season 2 takes viewers behind the scenes of seriously high-stakes cakes that are works of art. The series also captures how the bakers dip into new ventures, ranging from opening a new shop with new staff, to working with wealthier clientele, including unpredictable brides that change their minds last minute.
◊“Army Wives” (9 p.m. on Lifetime): In the Season 3 premiere, Frank gets ready lead mission in Iraq that could cause hurt for Denise.
◊“Bridezillas” (8 p.m. on WEtv): Season 6 introduces multiple women who will do anything to make their perfect weddings come true, no matter who they have to run over in the process. The premiere episode focuses on a California bride whose ego is matched only by her violent temper.
◊“Brooke Knows Best” (9 p.m. on VH1): Hulk Hogan’s daughter is back for a second season. While she has broken free from the family nest, she continues to deal with the pressure of adulthood including the advancement of her recording career as well as coping with family drama.
◊“Denise Richards: It’s Complicated” (9:30 p.m. on E!): From reconnecting with old friends to recharging her acting career, to supporting her dad’s new social life, Season 2 of the series will present a fresh look inside the hectic world of Denise Richards (”Starship Troopers”).
◊“Gene Simmons Family Jewels” (9 p.m. on A&E): Former Kiss rocker Gene Simmons and his unconventional family are back for Season 4 of their unscripted series. The 15-episode season kicks off with Sophie’s sweet sixteen party, giving viewers an all access pass to the milestone celebration.
◊“How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” (9 p.m. on BBC America): From all across the United Kingdom, thousands of singers and actresses audition in hopes of becoming Maria in the musical “The Sound of Music.” Graham Norton (“The Graham Norton Show”) visits with auditioners, and sitting at the judges table are Andrew Lloyd Webber (Tony and Grammy-winning composer) and John Barrowman (“Torchwood”).
◊“Ideal” (10:30 p.m. on IFC): British comedian Johnny Vegas stars in this eight-part series about Moz, a small-time dealer who lives in a run-down flat with his long-term girlfriend. Moz is content, but his girlfriend has aspirations for a better life.
◊“The International Sexy Ladies Show” (8:30 p.m. on G4): This new series features women in some of the funniest and most provocative television programming from around the globe with hilarious commentary from popular comedians.
◊“Kendra” (9 p.m. on E!): This new series follows the outrageous antics of the “Girls Next Door” star Kendra Wilkinson as she leaves her pampered world and adjusts to a new life filled with daily domestic duties. However Kendra’s adventures are only just beginning as she is busy planning her June wedding with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett at the Playboy Mansion.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): World War II-era sleuth Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) investigates the murder of a young doctor in the “Foyle’s War” mystery “Broken Souls.” The victim was quite unpopular, so there are plenty of suspects, and Foyle feels a strong empathy for one of them. Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks) helps a friend whose husband, an injured former prisoner of war, has trouble adjusting to changes on the home front.
◊“The Next Food Network Star” (8 p.m. on Food Network): Television’s most challenging food fight is back for Season 5. Ten hopeful TV chefs will compete for the ultimate dream job: his or her own Food Network show. Iron Chef Bobby Flay leads the selection committee that will decide the winner.
◊“The Sun” (7 p.m. on Discovery): Take a journey to the sun using the latest technology, advances in astronomy and cutting-edge CGI animation. See how the sun was born, exists today and how our world will end when the sun consumes us all.
◊“Web Soup” (8 p.m. on G4): Stand-up comedian Chris Hardwick hosts this new series that offers a fresh look at the best – and worst – moments from the week’s Internet mayhem and presents topical web videos and viral classics with sarcastic tongue-in-cheek commentary.
◊“World’s Tallest Children” (9 p.m. on TLC): What is it like to tower head and shoulders above all of the teachers at your school, let alone your classmates and all of the older kids? Find out whether these vertically challenged kids enjoy being the world’s tallest children.
◊“Yankee Doodle Dandy” (7 p.m. on TCM): James Cagney won his only best actor Oscar for his performance in this 1942 musical. It is the first of 13 films Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winner John Lithgow (”3rd Rock from the Sun”) will present during “TCM Essentials Jr.” airing Sundays in summer. All films are ideal for parents to introduce to their children.
◊“Z Rock” (10 p.m. on IFC): The series loosely based on the real lives of a New York based rock band returns for a second season. Brothers Paulie and David Z. and friend Joey Cassata make up the rock band ZO2 by night and the children’s party band The Z Brothers by day.
MONDAY, JUNE 8
◊“American Experience” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): The installment “The Living Weapon” chronicles the United States’ efforts to create a biological weapons program in the 1940s and ’50s in response to reports that Germany and Japan were developing their own.
◊“The Closer” (8 p.m. on TNT): Brenda Johnson, the Los Angeles deputy police chief with the unconventional approach but excellent crime-solving record, is back for another season of cracking tough homicide cases. In the season premiere, she and the squad have their hands full investigating a quadruple murder that may be tied to a case the FBI is involved with.
◊“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): When the CSIs investigate a murder in Miami’s hippest fashion boutique, Horatio discovers that Julia’s instability has turned her into a ticking bomb. Elizabeth Berkley (”Saved By the Bell”) guest stars.
◊“Greek” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): It’s Homecoming Week and the Kappa Taus’ team up with the ZBZ to go against IKI and the Omega Chis in the annual float competition. Tim Matheson (“Animal House”) directs this episode filled with homecoming floats fiascos and perilous pranks.
◊“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (9 p.m. on Bravo): In the Season 5 premiere, Kathy Griffin considers offering a bribe in hopes of getting her comedy album nominated for a Grammy. But she doesn’t need to bribe Bette Midler, who wants to give Griffin a cameo in her Las Vegas stage show.
◊“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m. on NBC): In the NBC premiere, Detectives Goren and Eames enter the steamy world behind the pulpit when a devout celebrity doctor is murdered.
◊“Nurse Jackie” (9:30 p.m. on Showtime): Edie Falco (‘‘The Sopranos”) plays the title character in this new comedy-drama series, a nurse in a busy New York hospital who’s not afraid to lie or bend the rules if she thinks it’s in a patient’s best interests.
◊“Private Screenings: Stanley Donen” (7 p.m. on TCM): He received an honorary Oscar in 1998 for his body of work, but director Stanley Donen never won the Academy Award for any of his films, which included “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “Kismet.”
◊“Raising the Bar” (9 p.m. on TNT): In the Season 2 premiere, Jerry defends a man charged with abetting in the sale of crack.
◊“Two and a Half Men” (8 p.m. on CBS): Jake disappears with the daughter of Charlie’s neighbor, a former NFL player, and Charlie is left to cover his back. Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”) guest stars.
◊“Weeds” (9 p.m. on Showtime): Following the events of her bombshell announcement, the Season 5 begins as Nancy digs deeper into the drug world and finds comfort in an unlikely family member.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
◊“Food Party” (10:15 p.m. on IFC): Brooklyn artist Thu Tran hosts this new series shot on location in a technicolor handmade, cardboard kitchen. Each episode features Thu interacting with a cavalcade of puppets, humans, baked goods, vegetables and other critters as they embark on journeys to bizarre, unexpected lands.
◊“Live From Lincoln Center” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Silk Road Ensemble, a multinational group that shares music traditions from around the world, joins cellist Yo-Yo Ma for an outdoor show at the Damrosch Park band shell.
◊“NCIS” (7 p.m. on CBS): The team must rely on information from some questionable individuals to stop a criminal bent on stealing government secrets. David Eigenberg (“Sex and the City”) guest stars.
◊“Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment” (9 p.m. on Discovery): It is the final leg of the group’s journey in Alaska. The snow has fallen, temperatures have plummeted, and they are out of food. The search for signs of civilization has grown ever more important if they want to make it out of the wild.
◊“Starz Inside: The Face Is Familiar” (9 p.m. on Starz): This new documentary features actors and filmmakers discussing the struggles and significance of character actors in Hollywood. Among those starring in the special are Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”), Joan Cusack (”What About Joan”) and Jane Lynch (“Glee”).
◊“Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” (9 p.m. on Style): The show’s 100th episode features wedding planner James Tramondo surprising a Dallas couple with an amazing – and totally free – dream destination wedding in Alaska. But there’s one big catch — they have only 100 hours to plan and pull off their perfect nuptials.
◊“The Wrong Door” (10:30 p.m. on IFC): This new Computer-Generated Imagery
enhanced British sketch comedy series is set in a parallel universe governed by the laws of comedy, not nature, where special effects seen in the movies and on television are part of everyday life.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
◊“American Masters” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): In the new installment titled “Neil Young: Don’t Be Denied,” the musical artist uses previously unseen footage from his own archives to trace his long career from his early success with Buffalo Springfield through his stardom with Crosby, Stills and Nash and Crazy Horse to his later forays into new-wave music.
◊“Dollars & Danger: Africa, the Final Investment Frontier” (8 p.m. on CNBC): CNBC correspondent Erin Burnett spent a year traveling to the world’s richest continent to find out why some investors are doubling down. This documentary focuses on Fortune 500 companies putting billions on the line and intrepid investors who say the reward is worth great risk.
◊“Mythbusters” (8 p.m. on Discovery): When hosts Adam and Jamie decide to find out if a sonic shock wave can shatter glass, they bring out the big guns — the Blue Angels. This episode also tests the myth on whether you can bend bullets around obstacles with a side-arm flick.
◊“The New Adventures of Old Christine” (7 p.m. on CBS): Christine agrees to go on a date with a children’s entertainer specializing in reptile parties in order to get Ritchie into the Reptile Club. Jeffrey Tambor (”Arrested Development”) guest stars as Neil, the lizard guy.
◊“Pitchmen” (9 p.m. on Discovery): One of Billy Mays’ most successful products – the Awesom Auger – was developed by a pitch guy who lost his legs in a plane crash. Billy helped him sell his planting sensation and stay in the pitch game by re-vamping the advertisement.
◊“Top Chef Masters” (9 p.m. on Bravo): In this new twist on the ‘‘Top Chef” formula, 24 world-renowned chefs, including Oklahoma City-born Rick Bayless, are pitted against one another to see who’s the best of the best. In the first six episodes, they compete in groups of four, with each group’s winner advancing to the finals. The winner gets $100,000 for his or her favorite charity.
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
◊“16 & Pregnant” (9 p.m. on MTV): According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, more than 700,000 teenage girls in the U.S. become pregnant each year. This show will take an intimate look inside the lives of pregnant teenagers as they face the challenges that come with being a young parent and dealing with relationships, finance, school and other new responsibilities.
◊“How to Find a Husband” (8 p.m. on Fine Living Network): Sally Gray’s search for a husband forced her to warm up to the concept of dating multiple men at once, and now she’s found at least four men of potential husband quality. But now the problem is that she can’t decide which one she wants to take things further with in the Season 1 finale.
◊“Raising Sextuplets” (9 p.m. on WEtv): On June 11, 2007, Jenny and Bryan Masche became first-time parents…of sextuplets. This new series follows the marathon-running parents as they learn the hard way that no training can prepare you for parenthood with multiples.
◊“She’s Got the Look” (8 p.m. on TV Land): Season 2 returns with supermodel Kim Alexis as host and 10 new finalists – all over the age of 35 – competing to become the next great supermodel. In addition to a contract with Wilhelmina Models Inc., and a photo spread in SELF magazine, this season’s winner will also receive a check for $100,000.
◊“Total Drama Action” (8 p.m. on Cartoon Network): This new animated comedy series follows 14 contestants as they face thrilling challenges on an abandoned film studio backlot. It showcases all the elements of reality TV shows — romances and friendships, scheming and sabotage, death-defying stunts and stomach-curdling challenges — all within larger-than-life elimination competition.
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): While investigating the death of a former pro surfer-turned park ranger, the team uncovers a shocking connection to another crime. Pro Surfer Brad Gerlach guest stars in this episode directed by Emilio Estevez (”The Breakfast Club”).
◊“Samantha Who?” (8 p.m. on ABC): In an attempt to find new direction in her life, Samantha decides to go to Africa and volunteer to help those in need. Her friends and family are convinced that she’ll chicken out – which she does after discovering the countless vaccinations and obstacles that she would face to make the journey. Tony Hale (“Arrested Development”) guest stars.
◊“Adam Ferrara: Funny as Hell” (10 p.m. on Comedy Central):Join comedian Adam Ferrara as he recalls his first night in jail and discusses the Italian-American medical term for a panic attack.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
◊“20Q” (7 p.m. on GSN): Cat Deeley (“So You Think You Can Dance”) hosts this new game show based on the handheld game that utilizes artificial intelligence to systematically divine a player’s chosen word based upon a series of questions. Contestants must battle each other to guess a mystery word based on a series of clues that help them reveal the answer.
◊“Discover Oklahoma” (6:30 p.m. on KWTV-9): This installment of the locally-produced program showcases rock climbing in Oklahoma City, a Tulsa culinary school for kids, Hinton’s Medicine Rock Ranch and Buffalo’s Selman Ranch.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): While Jack and David embark on a dangerous mission to Gath, King Silas acts quickly to prevent the outbreak of a deadly plague.
◊“The Money List” (8:30 p.m. on GSN): Fred Roggin (“GSN Live”) hosts this new fast-paced, high-suspense game of knowledge and teamwork. Players must quickly assess and trust their partners’ knowledge by predicting how many correct items they can come up with on a designated list.
◊“Pushing Daisies” (9 p.m. on ABC): In the series finale, the Darling Mermaid Darlings come out of retirement when one-half of the synchronized swimming duo The Aquadolls (Nora Dunn, “Three Moons Over Milford,” and Wendie Malick, “Jake in Progress”) meets with an unfortunate end that may have been murder-by-shark.
◊“Special Agent Oso” (5 a.m. on Disney): This four-hour marathon of the animated series for preschools will feature eight episodes, including the premiere of the new episode “The Living Flashlight / Sand Castle Royale” at 7 a.m.
–Penny TV
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