SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
Murder, She Wrote Marathon (Hallmark Channel, 1 p.m. ET) Eight hours. Angela Lansbury hosts this eight hour marathon of Murder, She Wrote episodes featuring some of today's biggest television celebrities in guest appearances made "before they were super-stars," including George Clooney and Courtney Cox-Arquette. You'll also see Leslie Nielsen, Florence Henderson, Ernest Borgnine, Wayne Rogers and other beloved veteran actors. Lansbury will share thoughts, remembrances and anecdotes about these episodes throughout.
Claire (Hallmark Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Current Jenny Craig poster-woman Valerie Bertinelli stars as the title character, a widowed mother of two daughters who has the "gift" of extrasensory perception. It proves to be a gift that keeps on giving, in all the wrong ways, when she "sees" her husband die in a suspicious boating accident and is powerless to prevent his death. Two years of guilt and emotional torment later, the poor woman's neighbors are brutally murdered and she agrees to use her clairvoyance to help the police with their investigation. And then Claire's problems really begin, as she comes to the slow realization that the deaths of her husband and her neighbors may be related. Frederic Lane and Peter Jason co-star.
Jekyll (BBC America, 9 p.m. ET) Cable's creepiest series continues as Tom wakes up with a deep bite mark in his hand, his foot manacled to a radiator and a message scrawled on the wall: "When you sleep, I will eat your children." Enough said! James Nesbitt stars.
Masters of Science Fiction (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) Terry O'Quinn (Locke on Lost) plays a military specialist called out of retirement after soldiers outside Baghdad discover a casualty they cannot identify as human. It's a mystery -- but not as big a mystery as the one behind ABC's decision to burn off this nifty show at 10 p.m. on Saturday nights in August. Elisabeth Rohm and William B. Davis also star. Michael Petroni wrote and directed this episode. He based it on the short story by Howard Fast (Spartacus).
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
The Company (TNT, 8 p.m. ET) Tonight's installment of TNT's three-part miniseries about the early years of the CIA is more action-oriented than last week's quietly dramatic and heartbreaking opener. It's 1956, and Jack McAuliffe (Chris O'Donnell) is sent to Hungary to assist the rebellion against Soviet influences, where he is taken prisoner and ultimately becomes disillusioned after the United States refuses to provide military backup for the desperate Hungarian rebels. Four years later, Jack is involved in (and ultimately disillusioned by) another CIA plan to aid rebels when he's sent to Nicaragua to help Cuban exiles stage an attempt to remove Fidel Castro from power. Meantime, James Jesus Angleton (Michael Keaton) remains determined to identify the mole that has penetrated the CIA. Alfred Molina, Alessandro Nivola, Rory Cochrane, Raoul Bova, and Natascha McElhone co-star.
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Diana: Last Days of a Princess (TLC, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. This docudrama chronicles the last weeks in the life of Princess Diana of Wales. Based on interviews with close associates of the Princess', and substantiated by the 832-page Paget Report issued in December, 2006, Last Days begins 12 weeks before the car crash that took the lives of Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul on August 31, 1997 and continues through to that fateful night. Interviews with Dodi's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, and other people who are featured in the film are interwoven throughout the production.
John From Cincinnati (HBO, 9 p.m. ET) Season Finale. Some viewers love it. Others hate it. Most of us are simply confused by it. This HBO curiosity ends its first season tonight, as Butchie and Kai wake up to a joyous revelation and Imperial Beach plays host to a makeshift parade. It would be nice if we also learned who (or what) John is. Don't go placing any bets on that one.
State of Mind (Lifetime, 9 p.m. ET) Ann realizes that Taj's overachieving teenage daughter may have an eating disorder and uses her alter ego, Helpy Helperpants, to address the issue. Meanwhile, Barry is appointed court attorney for a child in the center of a vicious custody battle between lesbian parents. Lili Taylor, Derek Riddell, Theresa Randle and Devon Gummersall star.
The Kill Point (Spike, 9 p.m. ET) Spike's riveting summer thriller continues as heist leader Mr. Wolf and hostage negotiator Horst each receive a surprise visit from a loved one. Also, the hostages decide to take matters into their own hands. That can't be good. John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg star.
The 4400 (USA Network, 9 p.m. ET) Richard (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) returns and kidnaps his daughter Isabelle in the hope that the two of them can start a new life together. Also, Tess uses her ability to take over the people in a small town diner.
Alison Krauss: A Hundred Miles of More (GAC, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Alison Krauss sings duets with Brad Paisley, James Taylor, John Waite and Tony Rice.
Entourage (HBO, 10 p.m. ET) Eric has a minor collision with Anna Faris and believes it to be something more, Turtle is sidetracked after picking up provisions (and a few babes) for an afternoon party, and Mrs. Ari is asked to reprise her former role on a Y&TR anniversary special, to Ari's chagrin.
Impossible Hotel (National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. Here's one to add to your travel list: A hotel that stands on its own island off the coast of Dubai, rising more than 1,000 feet out of the Persian Gulf like a massive yacht. It's the tallest hotel in the world, and its suites cost up to $28,000 a night. You can see it up close and personal (and at no cost) in this special.
MONDAY, AUGUST 13
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Special night. Two dancers from last Wednesday's competition show are sent packing.
The Closer (TNT, 9 p.m. ET) Kevin Bacon (husband of series star Kyra Sedgwick) directed this powerful episode that explores the after effects of Brenda's traumatic struggle with a serial killer in last Monday's show, which ended with Brenda killing the creep in cold blood. Still reeling from that incident, she is taken off active duty and assigned to escort a television reporter doing a story about the LAPD. That assignment ends in a barrage of gunfire, leaving the reporter dead and Brenda even more shaken. And as if that shocking act of violence and the subsequent investigation isn't enough trouble for her, Brenda's parents come to visit! If Sedgwick doesn't win the Emmy next month for her work last season she had better get one next year for her work this summer.
Greek (ABC Family, 9 p.m. ET) Casey tries to win over her sorority pledges by throwing a slumber party that turns unexpectedly scary during a storm. Meanwhile, Cappie gets an unexpected visit from a beautiful and mysterious girl. Plain White Ts perform two songs off their hit album, Every Second Counts. Jessica Rose (the infamous lonelygirl15) is a guest star.
Saving Grace (TNT, 10 p.m. ET) Grace has a terrifying vision of her young nephew Clay talking to death-row inmate Leon on the street and lashes out at Earl. (As you may recall, Grace first encountered the angel Earl after she "hit" Leon with her car -- even though Leon was behind bars at the time.) Meanwhile, she also takes in a devout Christian teenager after the boy witnesses a murder and is threatened with violence in the days leading up to the trial at which he is supposed to testify. Holly Hunter and Kenneth Johnson star.
The Hills (MTV, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. The girls are back, but life for them has changed drastically since we said goodbye last season. When MediaVillage interviewed Heidi last year, she came off as smart, honest and adorable. Then she met Spencer Pratt and everything changed. Her friendship with Lauren crumbled, her personality transformed, and she's often captured in paparazzi photos prancing on the beach with her now-fiancé, Spencer. Meanwhile, life is moving right along for Lauren, Whitney and Audrina. Whitney graduated college and is dealing with the real world at her first job (at Teen Vogue, perhaps?) and Audrina finally has a steady boyfriend, but the constant partying with roommate Lauren won't help that situation. As for Lauren, after surviving failed relationships with Jason Wahler and Brody Jenner, she's once again on the search for a boyfriend, and decides to "date like a guy" in order to find Mr. Right. As for Heidi, even though she hasn't spoken with Lauren since she moved in with Spencer, she will not be absent from this season. She and Spencer still manage to get camera time, even if it is only in the form of screaming fights with Lauren. Watch as Lauren and the girls struggle to persevere during this new chapter in their lives. -- Jacki Garfinkel
Weeds (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. If you were on the edge of your seat during last fall's shocking second season finale, you're gonna fall right off before tonight's third season premiere is over. (You won't believe how it ends!) Seemingly overnight, this sharp, sophisticated suburban satire has morphed into a thrill-a-minute caper comedy that involves virtually every character. There are huge changes in store this season for pot-dealing widowed mom Nancy Botwin, and they begin tonight. Weeds is simply sensational -- and it's only going to get better in the weeks ahead when Matthew Modine and Mary-Kate Olsen join the cast. Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins star.
Californication (Showtime, 10:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. David Duchovny stars in this very adult comedy as a novelist coping with multiple torments (writers block, mid-life crises, a painful breakup with his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his teenage daughter) by having sex with as many women as he can. The pilot for this series played extremely well last week when Showtime screened it at the historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. Watching in a theater, I found it reminiscent of the 1975 Hal Ashby classic Shampoo, without the political subtext but with more graphic sex. Both productions totally reflect the Hollywood morals of their times. Scenes of Duchovny banging one babe after another will probably get old fast, so this series is going to have to introduce a few more characters before too long. But for now, Californication is one more grandly entertaining treat during this historic summer of grown-up cable programming.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14
I Wanna Be a Soap Star (SOAPnet, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. In season four of SOAPnet's signature reality series, ten aspiring soap opera actors compete in a series of scenes and stunts in pursuit of the grand prize -- a 13-week contract role on NBC's Days of Our Lives. Cameron Mathison (All My Children) is the host. Hogan Sheffer, the head writer of Days, is one of the judges, along with actress Mary Beth Evans, who plays Kayla Brady Johnson on that soap. Talent manager Michael Bruno is the third judge. Watch this season for appearances by soap veterans Linda Dano, James Reynolds, Julie Pinson and Rebecca Herbst, and Alec Musser, the second season Soap Star winner who is still a regular on All My Children. (He's living proof that this show really does work!)
The Bill Engvall Show (TBS, 9 p.m. ET) How's this for an improbable scenario: Bill decides to help Trent work on a school paper about Jane Austen! It's just one of many bad decisions that lead to a big argument between Bill and Susan…which Bill insists will go much better if they both get naked.
Damages (FX, 10 p.m. ET) Now that her grenade-happy son has been packed off to a brat camp for rich kids, maybe Patty can turn her full attention to the increasingly mysterious Frobisher case. Tonight, she preps the fragile Katie for her impending deposition and there is a new complication in the doomed relationship between Ellen and her soon-to-be murdered fiancé, David. Glenn Close and Ted Danson star.
Tori & Dean: Inn Love (Oxygen, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. In season two of this observational reality series, Tori Spelling and her husband, Dean McDermott, are now the proud parents of a baby boy. That means they need to juggle the demands of new parenthood with their other interests and responsibilities, which include pursuing acting careers and running the busy bed and breakfast that they own. Oh, and these crazy kids are contemplating yet another business venture, as well.
I Am Mandy Moore (Oxygen, 10:30 p.m. ET) Premiere. Actress and singer Mandy Moore is seen pursuing her acting career, promoting her recent album Wild Hope and preparing for this, her first televised concert (which was taped in New York City on June 22), in a unique special that is part musical performance and part documentary.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Two hours. The remaining four dancers compete. We'll find out who wins in tomorrow night's live season finale.
Explorer: Science of Dogs (National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. Did you know there are more than 400 breeds of dog, with more to come? Or that more than 80 percent of today's breeds did not exist 150 years ago? As a result of man's evolutionary manipulation of the species' appearance, talents and temperaments, the dog is more varied in size and behavior than any other species on the planet! Learn how man has altered the dog in an ongoing effort to create new and specialized versions of his best friend in this eye-opening (and vaguely unsettling) special.
Rescue Me (FX, 10 p.m. ET) Tommy hooks up with the sultry, sexy stranger from the restaurant (Gina Gershon); an enraged Janet sets out to get her baby back; two Gavin family members are targeted in a dual intervention; and an increasingly depressed Mike reaches out to Tommy.
Taboo: Signs of Identity (National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. National Geographic's alternately fascinating and revolting series about the awful things people do to their bodies continues. Among the highlights in tonight's installment: Women of the Hamar tribe in southern Ethiopia's Omo Valley voluntarily submit to beatings as part of their male relatives' rites of passage into manhood, members of an extreme subculture in Canada scar their bodies with scorching-hot metal, and members of the Japanese equivalent of the Mafia receive full-body tattoos known as horimonos.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16
One Life to Live (ABC, 2 p.m. ET) Asa Buchanan, a major character on this series for almost thirty years, passes away during today's show, bringing several long-absent Buchanan relatives back to Llanview, including Joey (Nathan Fillion), Kevin (Dan Gauthier), Cord (John Loprieno), Alex (Tonya Walker) and Max (James DePaiva). Don't miss tomorrow's landmark 10,000th episode!
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Live. Season finale. Two hours. We'll know the winner of this summer's competition before tonight's show is over!
Mad Men (AMC, 10 p.m. ET) A photo of Don that appears in Advertising Age after he wins a prestigious award causes unexpected complications in his life. Meanwhile, Ken gets a short story published in The Atlantic Monthly and Peggy overhears a combustible conversation in the office and shares the delicious details with Joan.
Burn Notice (USA Network, 10 p.m. ET) Freelance bounty hunter Fiona nabs a bumbling fugitive jewel thief she believes is innocent, so she hides him instead of turning him in and recruits Michael to help clear his name. When Michael discovers that the real culprit is the bumbling fugitive's own boss, a financially desperate hotel owner, he concocts a scheme to steal the stolen jewelry back. Meanwhile, Michael comes closer to flushing out the man behind his mysterious burn notice.
Welcome to the Parker (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET) Representatives from a high-end sex toy company stay at the Parker in an effort to get the resort to stock their products. Also, Michael the Catering Sales Manager organizes a party for a charm school at which men learn to improve their skills with women.
Myths and Legends: Elvis (TV Land, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. TV Land continues its month-long tribute to Elvis Presley with this original special, which examines some of the most popularly held mysteries about the King, including that burning question: Are Oprah Winfrey and Elvis really related? Find out tonight.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17
One Life to Live (ABC, 2 p.m. ET) Former OLTL cast members Nathan Fillion, Dan Gauthier, John Loprieno, Tonya Walker and James DePaiva bring their characters back to Llanview for the funeral of their dearly departed loved one, Asa Buchanan, in the 10,000th episode of this still-vital serial.
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High School Musical 2 (Disney Channel, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. Scheming Sharpay secretly uses her father's connections to lure heartthrob Troy away from Gabriella and his friends by landing him a job at the ritzy Lava Springs Country Club in this sequel to last year's pop-culture phenomenon High School Musical. Sharpay has ulterior motives: She's trying to create a rift between Troy and Gabriella, and she wants to team up with Troy for the club's Midsummer Night's Talent Show. But her plan backfires when Troy finds jobs at the club for Gabriella and the rest of his friends. There is no point in reviewing this movie -- the mighty Disney Marketing Machine has been promoting it to millions of kids since the HSM concert tour launched late last year. Awareness and intent to view ratings are probably in the neighborhood of 1000 percent. I've seen it, and I'm comfortable saying that it will not disappoint. (You can check out the opening song, What Time is It? on YouTube.) Star Zac Efron (pictured here with MediaVillage junior correspondent Maya Motavalli at a Disney press event last year) is now the John Travolta of this generation. Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman star.
Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge (CMT, 9 p.m. ET) Tonight, Ty Murray and 2005 Professional Bull Riding Champion Justin McBride show the saddle-sore celebrities how to mount a bull in the chute, take major falls and practice extreme mental concentration. One celebrity sustains a serious injury, prompting Murray's girlfriend Jewel and competitor Vanilla Ice to perform an impromptu mini-concert at a barbecue to help everyone unwind. Competitors include singer Leif Garrett, actors Stephen Baldwin and Francesco Quinn, creepy reality television star Johnny Fairplay of Survivor, UFC's Josh Haynes and American Gladiator star Dan "Nitro"' Clark.
Hannah Montana (Disney Channel, 10:30 p.m. ET) Hannah's jealousy gets the best of her when Robby starts spending all of his time with the Jonas Brothers and writes a great song for them. Miley Cyrus stars.
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