August is finally here which means the baseball playoff race is heating up, football is on its way back and, most importantly, the new TV season is almost here.
That doesn’t mean, however, that we’ve escaped the hell onscreen that is the endless reality programming and reruns of the summer. We must soldier on for a few more work weeks until all our favorite shows come back in September to make the drudgery more bearable.
But don’t despair, below are enough good shows for tonight to get you through at least this evening.
Reality Rundown
- At 8:00 on NBC it seems that one hour just wasn’t enough “American Gladiators” so they’re treating fans to a two-hour extravaganza this evening. There’s a good reason for it as in this episode the four finalists are determined and then will battle it out to see who the ultimate contender is. What a night!
- Out of pity, I’ll recommend “High School Musical: Get in the Picture”. This series debuted to horrible ratings last week, proving that this brand can come up short sometimes. Tonight, contestants give an impromptu performance in a supermarket. I’m starting to understand why nobody’s watching it.
- On VH1 at 9:00 it’s the premiere of “I Want to Work for Diddy”. It’s kind of like “The Apprentice” except the host has better hair and the contestants are better-looking. Tonight, you’ll meet the 13 hopefuls as they work to get a job at Bad Boy Entertainment.
News & Docs
- Awards shows fall into a grey area between news, reality, and scripted, so we’ll put them here. Tonight, the giant surfboards are handed out once again at the “Teen Choice Awards” at 8:00 on Fox. Miley Cyrus hosts and Mariah Carey is set to perform.
- On the complete opposite end of the teen spectrum, HBO takes us to “Baghdad High” tonight at 9:00. This 90-minute documentary film chronicles the lives of four teens as they make their way through senior year in the middle of a warzone.
- Anthony Bourdain takes a break from travelling to the middle of nowhere on a strange continent in order to find food and focuses his irreverent eye on the American Southwest tonight at 10:00 on the Travel Channel. Expect him to eat something spicy. Really spicy.
Scripted Bliss
- I will always recommend “The Middle Man” at 10:00 on ABC. Partly because it’s very fun blend of dry humor and comic book beasties. Partly because its star Natalie Morales is breathtaking and I continue to hold out hope that she’ll happen upon this column and e-mail me as a result. Mostly, I recommend the show because it has the coolest episode titles of all time. Tonight’s installment is called “The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation”. With that title, does it even matter what this episode is about?
- “Weeds” is back in full stride (except for an outrageous moment at the end of the last episode that is far too disturbing to mention) and its subversive humor is hitting the right notes again after taking the first few episodes of its fourth season off. Tonight Nancy goes on her first date with the mayor of Tijuana and Doug and Andy get their coyote business started. Catch it at 10:00 on Showtime.
- If it’s the summer, it must mean solid dramas on TNT. Yep, the two-hour block of “The Closer” followed by “Saving Grace” is back on that network. Tonight, Brenda and the gang investigate the murder of someone wearing a wire while Grace looks into the case of a missing mother as well as her own personal demons with the help of the man upstairs. It all starts at 9:00.
Free Movie of the Night
- No HBO or Showtime here. We’re only interested in movies on basic cable. Tonight there’s a good one on AMC at 8:00. It’s “The Usual Suspects” starring Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Spacey in an Oscar-Winning performance. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Just don’t look it up online, it might spoil the ending for you.
Remember to check back every day for your guide through the summer TV jungle.
Image Courtesy Wikpedia
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1 response so far ↓
1 Natalie // Aug 14, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I happened upon this column. Thanks for watching the show! We are all very proud of it, and its people like you that can maybe keep it going for a few more seasons. You’re awesome. Thanks again.
-n
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