April 13, 2007

What to Watch: Coming Up on Cable

Tube Stake: Programming reviews by Seth Arenstein

• Friday, April 13

The Henry Rollins Show, 9:30pm ET, IFC. Rollins is back, and his monologue is a beauty, as he makes Don Imus seem timid while commenting on topics ranging from Britney’s genitalia to Rep. Mark Foley’s penchant for pages. Tonight’s guest is a somewhat subdued Marilyn Manson.

Painkiller Jane, 10pm ET, SCI FI. Kristanna Loken is both star and co-executive producer of SCI FI Channel's latest series, which debuts after Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Loken, best known as TX, the femme-bot Terminatrix in Terminator 3, discusses the comic book that inspired this series and other behind-the-scenes details in our video interview here.

• Sunday, April 15

* The Sopranos, 9pm, HBO. Episode 1 moved too slowly for some, although the tension was terrific. We feel this week’s installment, which develops the character of Johnny Sack and the newly revitalized Christopher Moltisanti, is destined to become a classic. And watch for a terrific cameo from someone known more for directing than acting. [Read Seth's longer review here]

Front Row Live: The Clark Sisters, Live One Last Time, 5pm ET, Gospel Music Channel. An evening of excellent gospel music-making, one where it’s possible to  hear the lyrics clearly, as the quartet of voices is backed by a fine group of musicians. Nicely done.

The Staircase Murders, 8pm, Lifetime. We watched this dramatization of the Michael Peterson case without a music score, and we’re not sure how music will help or hurt this piece. Without a soundtrack the film seemed like a documentary—albeit nowhere near as riveting as the original Sundance Channel documentary that inspired this movie. Kevin Pollak is in fine form as Peterson’s lawyer. And Treat Williams, who always seems to play the same character in every film, ventures outside his comfort zone here, and is the perfect choice to play a man trying to act like he’s innocent.

National Vocabulary Championship, 8pm ET, GSN. Sure you can keep up with the kids in the spelling bee, but in this contest, where the winner gets $40K for college tuition, you need to know what the words mean. Nope, ours was not a performance of great éclat, meaning we couldn’t hang with this crowd.

100 Biggest Weather Moments, 8pm ET, The Weather Channel. Another departure for Weather, but a decent outing that mixes the serious job of weather forecasting with a bit of star power (as in Harry Connick Jr. as our host, and comments from Dan Rather, Amy Grant, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mo Rocca etc.) in this countdown of meteorological moments ranging from the serious (historic hurricanes and snowstorms) to the silly (bad hair days) and those in the middle (the invention of sunglasses). Then there are the interesting entries, like the weather’s influence on winemaking in Napa and how the wood in the violins of Antonio Stradivarius was changed by the elements.

• Monday, April 16

* A Man Among Wolves, 9pm, National Geographic Channel. An amazing story that spurs a show that will likely stick with viewers for years. Forget about Dances with Wolves—Shaun Ellis, a naturalist with no formal training in zoology, lives with wolves. And we mean he lives with them. In fact, he teaches three cubs, rejected by their mother, to hunt, attack, defend and howl. Seeing Ellis pulling the internal organs from a buck carcass, cooking the liver and stuffing all back in the animal’s gut, so he can eat with the wolves and not 'blow his cover' by upsetting their sensitive olfactory mechanism, is a scene not easily forgotten. Words can't describe the visceral reaction viewers will get from this show.

Boston Marathon, 9:30am ET, Versus. Can an American woman conquer Heartbreak Hill and emerge victorious for the first time in more than 20 years? Versus has the world's oldest annual marathon, live, which expects more than 20,000 runners in its 111th outing.

It's Me or the Dog, 8:30pm, Animal Planet. With her rallying cry of "positive training," British animal trainer Victoria Stilwell aims to be more "SuperNanny" than "Dog Whisperer" to naughty pups—meaning it's the owners who really need a firm hand. The title also suggests a promise that's not delivered: couples on the verge of break-up unless something is done about unruly animal behavior. In any event, Stilwell is perfectly pleasant and competent with canines, but watching this made us miss the old Barbara Woodhouse "Walkies!" school of doggy disciplinary TV.

Larry King Live, 9pm ET, CNN. It's King's 50th anniversary in broadcasting and CNN is hosting an on-air prime-time tribute all week.

• Tuesday, Apr 17

Big Ideas For A Small Planet, 9pm, Sundance Channel. The kickoff episode in the docu-series that's the cornerstone for Sundance’s new weekly Tuesday primetime eco-block The Green block profiles entrepreneurial auto mechanic Joel Woolf and his vegetable oil-powered vehicles. Nice effort to include contrary views to Woolf and others.

• Wednesday, April 18

Hustle, 10pm ET, AMC. Now that it’s a co-production with AMC, this BBC series about sophisticated grifters comes to America, with uneven results. On the other hand, this series’ earlier seasons were so good, that even a moderate loss of quality puts the series above much of what passes for television drama. Still, the loss of Adrian Lester as the group’s leader Mickey is almost devastating. But without Mickey there’s more screen time for other cast members, including beautiful Jaime Murray, who should be allowed to expand her role as more than just a lure. [Watch a video interview with Jaime Murray next week here on Cable360.net]  

Head Case, 11pm, Starz. Terrific vignettes about an inappropriate therapist to the stars, played nicely by Alexandra Wentworth. But what the heck is NFL Network’s Rich Eisen doing on her couch?

Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment, 11:15pm, Starz. Several laughs in the opener of this stand-up comedy series, but lots of foul language. Surely the 1st amendment means more than allowing comedians to use the N word and the MF word repeatedly.

Bronx Bunny, 11:45pm, Starz. A pair of puppets, one with a filthy mouth, mix it up with guests Howie Mandel and Stacey Keibler. A few laughs from late-night humor, but not much more.

* Highly Recommended. All times ET/PT unless otherwise noted.

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