We’ve already seen The Simpsons Movie. Now it’s time to see the Simpsons’ movie – as filmed by budding cinematographer and filmmaker Lisa, who gets up close and personal with her own family members. Needless to say, it’s not a pretty sight.
FRANK SINATRA: A MAN AND HIS MUSIC
TCM, 8 p.m. ET
This 1965 TV special is presented tonight as an appetizer before a showing of 1943’s Higher and Higher, Frank Sinatra’s first major movie role. But for me, this TV show is the main course. Watching him sing in front of a big band again, as he did when he first broke out as a star decades earlier, is bliss for the eyes as well as the ears.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC, 9 p.m. ET
Justine Bateman, who did so well in a recurring role on Men in Trees, shows up on another ABC drama series, playing a woman who shows up to rent a room from the money-seeking Gaby. It’s only one meaty plot twist in an episode that also has, among other things, Orson taking up with Edie.
DEXTER
CBS, 9 p.m. ET
Last week, CBS showed the episode from Showtime’s Dexter that was the bloodiest – literally, with a young Dexter (in flashbacks) and the current Dexter both awash in blood at a horrifying crime scene. That episode was edited substantially – visually, at least – but still got its message across. And tonight, CBS presents the final two episodes of that first season, explaining just why that modern crime scene triggered such awful memories in Dexter.
FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
HBO, 9 p.m. ET
My son laughs at the whole idea of a surfer zipping around in outer space, saying it’s so hopelessly, ridiculously ’60s. Maybe he’s right – but I enjoy this film franchise anyway, because, back in those 1960s, I was a Marvel Comics kid all the way.
THIS AMERICAN LIFE
Showtime, 10 p.m. ET
The second season of Ira Glass’ Showtime version of his public radio series is even smarter than season one when it comes to choosing subjects that should be seen as well as heard. The opening vignette, about urban young men riding horses in the streets and parks of Philadelphia, grabs you from the very first images. And the main story, about a brave young man fighting to gain independence despite his disabilities, takes so many unexpected turns, it’s both unpredictable and unforgettable. I miss the on-location desks from season one, but that’s it – and getting Johnny Depp to take part is a very smart coup.
