NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
NBC launched this David E. Kelley legal series almost as an afterthought, as a Friday night throwaway. But it performed strongly, so NBC moved it to a more competitive evening – and Kelley responded, too, by quickly refashioning his new series into an enjoyable comedy-drama in the Boston Legal vein: sometimes cartoonishly comic, other times searingly serious. Tomorrow night, NBC re-relaunches the series on yet another new night, the ultra-competitive Sunday, where it will go up against such already-on-my-weekly-watch list series as Once Upon a Time and The Simpsons. And tonight, as an appetizer, NBC repeats one of this season’s oddest installments, in which Erica Durance (who played Lois Lane on Smallville) plays a woman who adopts the alter ego of another heroine from the DC Comics universe: Wonder Woman. Kelley, of course, recently wrote and produced a Wonder Woman TV series pilot that wasn’t picked up. It starred Adrianne Palicki, from Friday Night Lights, and clearly inspired this story line – as well as the costuming. In the photo at left, that’s Durance as Wonder Woman on the left – and Palicki, in the unsold pilot, at right.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
This controversial telemovie is straightforward enough to serve as a TV Rorschach test – what you see in it may well depend on what you bring to it. Julianne Moore’s Sarah Palin is the central figure of this fact-based account of Palin’s sudden ascension to the 2008 Republican presidential ticket, as the vice presidential nominee paired with Ed Harris’ John McCain. But McCain gets much less screen time than his primary political advisor, Steve Schmidt, who’s played by Woody Harrelson. Schmidt’s ambitions, missteps and frustrations are dramatized in depth – as are Palin’s. For a full review of
Game Change, and a link to my
Fresh Air with Terry Gross review on NPR, click
HERE.
Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET
I didn’t see this movie in theaters – but it’s the kind of film that, when it finally gets around to cable, is a welcome diversion, and a sensible viewing option, on a slow Saturday night. And this latest entry in Johnny Depp’s Pirates saga boasts one thing its predecessors have lacked: Penelope Cruz. Ahoy, mateys!
Science Channel, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: After being sent around the world on a series of a) inspirational visits and b) practical jokes, Karl Pilkington finally returns to England. And, for this season-ending installment, suffers one final indignity: a cackle-filled debriefing with series creators Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais.
NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET
Tonight’s new episode features Jonah Hill as guest host, returning for a second shot, and the Shins as the week’s musical guests.