[IMG:L]Our day-by-day breakdown of the week’s TV lineup–because your on-screen guide has its limits. Included this week: the return of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and The Daily Show’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
MONDAY, AUGUST 25
NEPOTISM ALERT!
The Closer — 9/8c on TNT
Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick’s real-life husband, directed this new episode in which Det. Sanchez’s (Raymond Cruz) brother gets shot and all hell subsequently breaks loose within the squad. But enough about the storyline–tonight is all about Kevin and Kyra! It’s the third time Bacon has directed the missus in The Closer, and the fifth overall (including 2005’s Loverboy and the 1996 TV movie Losing Chase).
ALSO…
The Black List: Volume One — 9/8c on HBO
The peak of HBO’s documentary film series is also, sadly, its conclusion. Black List features a series of interviews conducted by journalist Elvis Mitchell with today’s most influential black Americans–including some you have heard of (Chris Rock, Slash) and some you probably haven’t (museum curator Thelma Golden, dancer Bill T. Jones).
ALSO…
Deal or No Deal (Season Premiere) — 8/7c on NBC
Season four kicks off with four million-dollar cases in the mix. Unfortunately, Howie Mandel’s still in the mix, too.
ALSO…
America’s Toughest Jobs (Series Premiere) — 9/8c on NBC
Dirty Jobs – the appeal + all those other reality competition shows with the word “America’s” in their title = America’s Toughest Jobs. [PAGEBREAK]TUESDAY, AUGUST 26
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — 11/10c on Comedy Central
So many legitimate-news-outlet options to choose from for coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver–why not pick THE fake-news authority?! Stewart and his team of hilarious soon-to-be Steve Carells head to the Mile-High City for in-depth satirical spin-alysis through Friday, and after all, don’t you want your DNC with a side of funny? Of course, you could always stick with all the other networks’ coverage if unintentional humor is what you’re after…
ALSO…
Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Season Premiere) — 10/9c on Oxygen (Re-Airs at 11/10c)
Madonna’s fame-fiend brother Benedict Arnold–I mean Christopher Ciccone–continues his self-promotion tour with a guest stint on the fourth-season opener of Modeling Agency. Man, when does this guy sleep?! [PAGEBREAK]WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27
Shear Genius (Season Finale) — 10/9c on Bravo
It’s a style-off! The final three contestants face one last challenge in the season-two finale: cutting, coloring and styling the hair of various models ranging in age from 16 to 60. Stylist to the stars Sally Hershberger is on hand as the guest judge. May the best cutter win! (Oooh, that doesn’t sound right.)
ALSO…
America’s Got Talent — 8/7c on NBC
It’s just not fair of NBC to go from the 24/7 thrill of the Olympics, during which actual talent runs (and swims) rampant, to this. But we can all take solace in the priceless, countless cringe-worthy David Hasselhoff gems that come out of each episode. I mean, why are so many people tuning in if not for the ‘Hoff’s nonsensical ramblings? Oh, right–the ‘talent.’ [PAGEBREAK]THURSDAY, AUGUST 28
Moment of Truth — 8/7c on Fox
The erratically scheduled lie-detecting show returns tonight, but its now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t act will continue: Truth’s timeslot will be filled by the Wipeout rip-off Hole in the Wall beginning Sept. 11, with the Mark L. Walberg-hosted series returning midseason–presumably when American Idol does, in January 2009.
ALSO…
Fabulous Life Of… — 9/8c on VH1
In its continuing quest to become E!, VH1 devotes an entire hour to celebs and the money they spend on their pregnancies and their babies–some of it might even be accurate! [PAGEBREAK]FRIDAY, AUGUST 29
MANDATORY VIEWING OF THE WEEK (UNLESS YOU HATE BILL MAHER)
Real Time with Bill Maher (Season Premiere) — 11/10c on HBO
Most people either love Bill Maher or are repulsed by him, with no gray area–and yet his polarization is more complicated than Democrat-vs.-Republican. But if you’re a Maher-tyr, the sixth-season premiere of Real Time is clearly mandatory, especially with the Democratic National Convention having wrapped the night before. Maher will not be shy–or politically correct, of course–when it comes to his opinions on the DNC and the upcoming election, and after suffering through three nights of predictable coverage (except for The Daily Show), R-rated irreverence is just what we need. [PAGEBREAK]SATURDAY, AUGUST 30
For the Love of Grace — 9/8c on Hallmark
If you insist on watching TV tonight, Hallmark might be your best bet–six words I never thought I’d say! It’s not that For the Love of Grace is a must-see, of course, but rather due to a lack of other options. Mark Consuelos (a.k.a. Mr. Kelly Ripa) stars as a recently widowed firefighter who rescues a workaholic author named Grace (Chandra West), who rescues him back. Get it? Yeah, you may just wanna read tonight. [PAGEBREAK]SUNDAY, AUGUST 31
SEASON TWO CATCH-UP MINI-MARATHON
Mad Men — 5/4c-11/10c on AMC
Lest those of us who’ve missed an episode decide to throw in the towel for season two, the folks at AMC give us a chance to play catch-up by re-airing all episodes to this point. The mini-marathon culminates with a new episode that centers on Don (Jon Hamm) and Duck (Mark Moses) trying to make peace at Sterling Cooper.
ALSO…
Brooke Knows Best — 10/9c on VH1
Brooke (Hogan, for the many sensible people out there who haven’t been watching) auctions herself off as a prom date to help raise money for girls who can’t afford prom dresses. So…clearly those girls shouldn’t get their hopes up.
