The networks have every right to be concerned with their audiences’ migration to cable–all the fine original programming that is available as an alternative to network fare is evidence enough. In many cases, these programs are derivatives of their network cousins, but with refinements and updates that give them appealing twists.
For example, “Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular” (8 p.m. Mondays on FX) echoes the variety format of “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Penn Jillette and his partner Teller perform their bizarre magic tricks and serve as hip Sullivanesque hosts to acts like a guy who juggles tables with his feet, a ventriloquist who throws his voice through his dog, plus celebrities and bands.
Fans of “Cheers” will be pleased with “Linc’s” (9 p.m. Saturdays ), Showtime’s comedy set in a Washington, D.C., bar and grill that is not immune to the influence of the nation’s capital. With a strong ensemble headed by the alluring Pam Grier and crafty Steven Williams, patrons talk intelligently and hilariously about politics and social issues–a rarity for sitcoms these days.
While “Late Show with David Letterman” is mired uncomfortably in middle age, the hip and edgy “Chris Rock Show” on HBO (10:30 p.m. Fridays) continues to provide a fresh take on the late night talk show genre. In addition to incisive monologues and bits, Rock asks wide-eyed questions of his guests that we non-showbiz types would ask if we had the chance.
“The Simpsons,” still one of TV’s best-written shows, has slowed down in recent years, and a lot of its thunder has been stolen by Comedy Central’s insane “South Park.” (9 p.m. Wednesdays) The series is aimed squarely at adults (both young and old can dig “The Simpsons”) and the subject matter is rude and crude, but biting and fresh.
Even if the syndicated “Jeopardy” has been dumbed down from its previous network incarnation, it remains the most daunting game show on TV. But if you’re a pop music fan, then VH1’s “Rock & Roll Jeopardy!” (7 p.m. Saturdays) will be a snap. There’s a certain degree of accomplishment when you play this one. Grab some confidence wherever you can get it.
A regular feature of news magazine shows like “Dateline” is the profile of a celebrity or newsmaker. A&E’s “Biography” (7 p.m. weeknights) is one of the best at exploring the lives of the influential. And it’s on seven days a week in various forms, from a fine Saturday morning kids’ version, to the most newsworthy person of the week on Saturday night.
“ER” will probably remain the top dramatic program on television. But The Learning Channel’s “Trauma: Life in the ER” (7 p.m. Tuesdays) is more intense because it peeks in on real-life hospital emergency rooms in America. It has a better sense of immediacy because it shows real people suffering life-threatening complications and real doctors, nurses and others striving to save them.
Those looking for some “Star Trek-ness” can look to Showtime’s “Stargate SG-1” (9 p.m. Fridays). The team of planet-hopping explorers traveling to worlds that are just as interesting and imaginative as most of the hokey-looking planets Capt. Kirk and the crew visited. And star Richard Dean Anderson is cooler than William Shatner.
The electricity that many say “NYPD Blue” didn’t provide last season can be found oyn HBO’s “Oz” (9 p.m. Mondays), a gritty, brutal drama about prison life. Uncompromising, never dull, and sometimes over-the-top, the series nevertheless is compelling and well-executed. (Monday’s episode is the last of the season; on Sept. 16, HBO will begin rerunning the entire series at 9 p.m. Wednesdays)
Beyond host Dick Clark’s glossy little interviews, “American Bandstand” never really gave an insight into the artists who performed the show’s music. But VH1’s “Pop-Up Video” (seven days a week at various times during the day) does that wonderfully, with informative and entertaining factoids that “pop” on-screen during a video, including bits on the making of the video and its star.
The Sci-Fi Channel’s “Sliders” (8 p.m. Mondays) is the closet you’ll get to “The Twilight Zone,” although admittedly the storylines aren’t as strong. Still, the alternative versions of Earth that are visited each week have that same reality-bending mentality that made Rod Serling’s series such a strong anthology. Star/producer Jerry O’Connell as intrepid scientist Quinn Mallory is fun to watch.
If you tire of the whininess that at times possesses the title character of “Ally McBeal,” there’s always the take-no-prisoners heroine of USA’s “La Femme Nikita.” (9 p.m. Sundays) Peta Wilson mixes in the right amounts of vulnerability and invincibility–and if her secret agent alter-ego ever came across Ally’s biological clock-ticking “dancing baby,” she would drop-kick it to the Web domain from whence it came. (“Nikita’s” season finale is Sunday.)
– Here comes the camera: Sherry Tanis and Gerrit Bult of Lynwood are getting married Friday and we’re all invited. The two won a WGN-Ch. 9 contest to have their wedding take place–with all the trimmings–during the station’s morning news show. The nuptials begin at 6 a.m. Despite the early hour, please wear something out of respect for the happy couple.
