TV column for Friday, June 21


TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE: “Hawaii Five-0,”
9 p.m., CBS.

A month after football's annual Pro
Bowl in Hawaii, “Five-0” ran this episode. It finds Danny (Scott
Caan) obsessing on the game, while the team probes the murder of a
tech executive.

Arian Foster, the Houston Texans
running back, has a guest role. Also in support: Pat Monahan, the
lead singer of Train and Larry Manetti, who spent all those “Magnum”
years in Hawaii.

TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE II: “The Princess
Bride” (1987), 7:30 p.m., VH1; 8 p.m., TV Guide.

We probably don't need 100 channels, if
they just show the same film. “Bride” has two networks tonight
and adds the Cartoon Network at 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday.

No, it's not a cartoon; it has a
wonderful bunch of actors, deftly handled by director Rob Reiner.
Robin Wright and Cary Elwes, as the young lovers, are backed by Mandy
Patinkin, Billy Crystal, Peter Cook Wallace Shawn and even Andre the
Giant, plus Peter Falk, reading this clever tale to Fred Savage.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “In
Performance at the White House”and “Great Performances,” 9 and
10 p.m., PBS (check local listings).

Two superb specials are rerun in one
handy package.

First, a White House concert assembles
the greats of Memphis music. It mixes classic stars (Sam Moore, Mavis
Staples, Charlie Musselwhite) with newcomers (Joshua Ledet, Alabama
Shakes). It adds Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Ben Harper and Memphis
native Justin Timberlake.

Then is the 2010 film “NY Export:
Opus Jazz.” It re-creates the “ballet in sneakers” Jerome
Robbins did in 1958, fresh from the youthful passion of his “West
Side Story.”

Other choices include:

– “Bones,” 8 p.m., Fox. We don't
expect the “Bones” stars, ages 44 and 36, to ponder end-of-life
choices. That happens in this rerun, after the discovery of two
bodies, one who was supposed to guide the other in the final stages
of cancer. Also, Daisy works her first case since breaking up with
Sweets.

– “The Following,” 9 p.m., Fox.
This rerun brings trouble for both sides. Among the kidnappers, Paul
tells Emma a secret about Jacob. On the FBI side, Ryan's new danger
comes from Maggie.

– “Magic City,” 9 p.m., Starz. In
last week's excellent season-opener, Ike started working on a
dangerous plan to squeeze out his silent partner, Ben Diamond. Now he
puts that in motion … while Diamond seeks permission from Mob
higher-ups to have Ike killed.

– “Family Addition,” 9 p.m., UP
(formerly GMC), repeats at 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Leigh Anne Tuohy (the
“Blind Side” mom) helps a couple that ended up adopting eight
siblings.

– “Blue Bloods,” 10 p.m., CBS.
Here's the second show this week to rerun its Halloween episode.
Someone dressed as the Spirit of Death has, appropriately, committed
murder. That leads to a probe of voodoo enthusiasts.

– “Continuum,” 10 p.m, Syfy. A
new street drug shows up in our time. Kiera – who is from the
future – knows it will become deadly.

TV column for Thursday, June 20


TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “Wilfred”
season-opener, 10 and 10:30 p.m., FX.

For two splendid seasons, “Wilfred”
has maintained its odd concept: Ryan (Elijah Wood) thinks he has
conversations with the neighbor's dog (Jason Gann, co-creator of the
the original Australian series).

Now that's nudged to existential
extremes. Trying to convince himself this is all in his head, Ryan
goes to the dog's original home. The result brings brilliant
double-duty for Gann; a second episode – vengeance against the
mailman – is also fairly good.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: “The Big Bang
Theory,” 8 p.m., CBS.

TV's best comedy reruns a funny,
change-of-pace episode.

Raj's date with Lucy (Kate Micucci) has
gone very badly; now he's despondent and refuses to emerge from his
apartment. Also, Penny manages to impreess Sheldon with her acting
ability.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: Basketball or
drama, 9 p.m., ABC.

This has always been a can't-miss night
for ABC.

Best-case: There a seventh and final
game for the NBA championship, with San Antonio at Miami.

The other case: The series was wrapped
up in six game, which isn't so bad: ABC reverts to its line-up for
summer Thursdays, with two first-rate Canadian dramas – “Motive”
at 9 p.m.,”Rookie Blue” at 10.

Other choices include:

– “Hell's Kitchen,” 8 p.m., Fox.
With only five chefs left, this high-pressure show has a
pressure-cooking contest. The winners get a special meal with family
members.

– “Parks and Recreation,” 8 and
8:30 p.m., NBC. In the first rerun, Leslie (Amy Poehler) tries to
help a failing video-store owner;. in the second, she travels with
Ben back to Partridge, Minn., where he was once the boy mayor. Also
in the second, Ron is sued.

– “Two and a Half Men,” 8:31 p.m.
CBS. This rerun finds Walden still pretending to have no money. Now
he finds a way to secretly finance Kate's fashion line.

– “The Office,” 9-10 p.m., NBC. A
rerun sees lives in transition. Andy wants to quit his job and be a
performer … Jim returns to spend more time with Pam … and Dwight
finally has his black belt.

– “Anger Management,” 9:30 p.m.,
FX. Charlie's apartment is used for an adult video. That starts a
new-comedy bloc, with “Wilfred” and (at 11 p.m.) the satirical
wit of W. Kamau Bell.”

– “Sullivan & Son,” 10 p.m.,
TBS. You'll have to be patient with this one. The early minutes are
blunt and rarely funny, except to an overpumped studio audience.
Still, that leads to clever moments in the second half, as the notion
of mismatched romances ar pushed to extremes.

– ”72 Hours,” 10 p.m., TNT. Once
again, we have a gorgeous setting (Hawaii) and interesting people.
One team links a lawyer/mom, a bodybuilder in the “Jersey Shore”
style and a model from the Fairbanks suburb called North Pole. This
time, however, the show's biggest flaw reaches an excess: Viewers'
fun vanishes when racers are so sic that they might simply quit.

– “Hannibal,” 10:01 p.m., NBC.
Hannibal Lecter's master plan is taking form. Now he convinces
officials that Will may be a killer, possibly even the Copy Cat
Killer; Will tries a desperate escape.

TV column for Wednesday, June 19


TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “Futurama”
season-opener, 10 and 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central.

This witty cartoon, from the “Simpsons”
people, has had a wild ride. Canceled by Fox in 2003, it returned as
videos and a cable series in 2010. Now its final season starts
cleverly.

The first new episode has its best
moments when the characters are flattened, literally. The second
takes separate stories – an intimate vacation for two, a planet
ruled by apes – and merges them wonderfully. They're preceded at 10
a.m. by a 24-rerun marathon.

TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE: “Modern Family,”
9 p.m., ABC.

“Family” thrives on Halloween, as
we see in this rerun.

Claire, the holiday's biggest fan, is
urged to restrain herself for a family-friendly Halloween. Her
husband Phil thinks this is a good night for a real-estate open
house. And her brother Mitchell is throwing a costume party with Cam
… just as Lily starts asking them about her birth mother.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “Hot in
Cleveland,” 10 p.m., TV Land.

The second half of the season starts
with a grand experiment – a live episode.

“Hot” has the perfect people for
that. Betty White started in live TV; the others – Valerie
Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick – at least did their past
comedies in front of an audience.

Now Elka and her friend (White and
Georgia Engel) started a prescription-drug service for seniors. It
soon over-succeeds, with an illegal stash in the storm cellar and
angry mobsters in the neighborhood. West Coast viewers will see a
tape of what others see live, flaws and all.

Other choices include:

– Hockey, 8 p.m. ET, NBC. After
giving its cable channel a couple of the Stanley Cup games, NBC takes
the rest. That starts with this fourth game in a best-of-seven
series, with Chicago at Boston.

– “The Middle,” 8 p.m., ABC. This
rerun finds Frankie in school and her sister (Molly Shannon) trying
to help her at home … but finding things too chaotic for her
perfectionist ways.

– “Melissa & Joey,” 8 p.m.,
ABC Family. Melissa's childhood friend (Trevor Donovan of “90210”)
shows up. As a possible romance develops, Joey feels they may
actually be half-siblings.

– “Baby Daddy,” 8:30 p.m., ABC
Family. Danny, the pro hockey player, is in a deep slump. The team
sends him to a psychologist, played by Lacey Chabert of “Party of
Five.”

– “Franklin & Bash,” 9 and 10
p.m., TNT. The third season starts with a much-needed makeover. A
sharp lawyer (Heather Locklear) skewers Franklin and Bash and is
promptly hired as their boss. The young lawyers and their staff move
into a beach house; where Peter promptly falls for a neighbor.

– “Royal Pains,” 9 p.m., USA.
Medical cases and personal problems zip past us in this second
episode. Some – a sturdy police chief and his strident teen
daughter – are fairly interesting, some aren't, one (a blood test
under false circumstances) is ethically murky. Still, the settings
are gorgeous.

– “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,”
10 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, a news anchor is killed on the air.

– “Necessary Roughness,” 10 p.m.,
USA. With her new job and new boss (John Stamos), Dani spends more
time away from sports. Tonight, she tries to help a former child
star.

TV column for Tuesday, June 18


TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “So You Think You
Can Dance,” 8-10 p.m., Fox.

TV's best summer show is getting to its
good part now.

Tonight, it names its top 10 men and 10
women. Then, in a refreshing twist, they each get to do a free-choice
dance, with no rules about genre and no judgments.

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: “America's Got
Talent” and “The Voice,” 8 p.m. and 9-11 p.m., NBC.

These two shows (plus sports) have
propped up NBC during all its many failures.

“Talent” is still in its auditions,
preparing for a big-ratings summer; then “Voice” names its winnr.
It could be Michelle Chamuel – giving Usher a win in his first
season; then again, it could be Danielle Bradbery or the Swon
Brothers, giving Blake Shelton his third straight win.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “Blood and
Oil,” 10 p.m., Discovery.

“It's time to turn up the crazy,”
C.J. Cutter says (often). He turns it to the max, while trying to
revive his late father's oil company in Wooster, Ohio.

How crazy? When his sister is gone, he
carves up her back yard (including her flower garden) for a
200-foot-square drilling site. Later, he smashes down the family's
now-abandoned homestead, battles his brother inside a corn silo and
smashes some intruders' truck with an excavator.

The result – presented as an
underdog's crusade – is an entertaining reality show that rarely
seems real.

Other choices include:

– Basketball, 8 p.m. ET previews, 9
p.m. game. Here's the sixth game of what has become a dandy play-off
finale. Tonight's game has San Antonio in Miami … that will also be
the site for Thursday's final game, if necessary, in th best-of-seven
series.

– “NCIS,: 8 p.m., CBS. A shipboard
death is considered a possible murder, in this rerun … with McGee's
father (Jamey Sheridan) as one of the suspects.

– “Pretty Little Liars,” 8 p.m.,
ABC Family. As “A” turns increasingly nasty, Mona faces danger
and Aria faces a hunky martial-arts instructor. Also, a parrot –
really – shares too much information about Alison's final days,

– “NCIS: Los Angeles,” 9 p.m,,
CBS. This rerun has Kensi and Deeks trekking into the woods as they
trace the sole surviving member of a terrorist group.

– “Twisted,” 9 p.m., ABC Family.
Last week's strong debut introduced Danny, who admitted at 11 that
he'd killed his aunt. At 16, he returned to a wary town; almost
instantly, a girl who lusted for him was killed. Tonight, a grief
counselor (Keiko Agena of “Gilmore Girls”) arrives; also, Danny's
only friend (the superb Maddie Hassan), arranges a dinner with their
feuding parents.

– “Let It Shine,” 9-10:45 p.m.,
Disney. The Cyrano de Bergerac story is transported to the world of
pop and hip-hop music, when a shy songwriter gives someone else
credit for his words. The script is so-so, but the music –
performed by Coco Jones and others – is terrific.

– “Mother, May I Sleep With
Danger?” (1996), 10 p.m., Lifetime Movie Network. This stands out
in TV-movie history because of: a) Tori Spelling in a serious role;
and b) One of the oddest titles ever.

TV column for Monday, June 17


TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: “The Voice,”
8-10:01 p.m., NBC.

Sprawling into early summer, this
ratings-leader is wrapping up … and may be continuing its Blake
Shelton dominance.

Shelton coached the show's second
winner, then had both finalists in the third edition. Now he has two
of the three finalists – Danielle Bradbery and the Swon Brothers –
in this fourth round.

They face Michelle Chamuel, from
Usher's team. That leaves Adam Levine – who had the first-season
winner – and Shakira as mere bystanders; tonight, the finalists
perform and viewers vote.

TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE: “Mistresses,”
10:01 p.m., ABC.

On one hand, this sleek drama has
recovered from the grim tone of its second episode. Some of the fun
of its pilot film returns, especially with Josslyn's adventures in
real-estate.

On the other, the basic theme – smart
women make stupid choices – reaches dizzying extremes. These are
very smart women who make hideous choices. Savi and April ave blurted
out too much information; that's nothing compared to the mess Karen
inexplicably makes tonight.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: “The
Bachelorette,” 8-10:01 p.m., ABC.

A trip to the Jersey shore brings
opposite experiences. One guy accompanies Desiree Hartsock on a
breezy Atlantic City stroll, in search of taffy and chocolate;
another has a sobering visit to Seaside Heights, to view Hurricane
Sandy damage.

And the other 11 guys? Since Atlantic
City is the birthplace of the Miss America pageant, they compete in
their own contest; soon, the room is full of hoops, heels, horns,
juggling balls and more.

Other choices include:

– “How I Met Your Mother,” 8
p.m., CBS. In a rerun Robin is determined to get back with Barney.

– Hockey, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports..
After two games in Chicago, the best-of-seven series moves to Boston.
It's the final one of the season for this cable network; the rest
will be on NBC.

– “2 Broke Girls,” 9 p.m., CBS.
When the diner is robbed, Max and Caroline have surprising reactions.
The biggest surprise, however, involves Han.

– “The Fosters,” 9 p.m., ABC
Family. Frustrated by the growing number of foster siblings, Brandon
is tempted by the suggestion that he move in with his dad. Also,
Jesus is attracted by his sister's friend.

– “Anger Management,” 9:30 p.m.,
Fox. Charlie (a therapist) and Kate (Charlie's therapist) testify for
opposite sides of a case. That's in a transplanted episode of a
series that usually airs Thursdays on FX.

– “Push Girls,”10 p.m., Sundance.
Alongside a couple standard stories – Mia Schaikewitz gets serious
about husband-hunting, Auti Angel mentors a guy who's new to the
wheelchair – there's the start of a starkly serious one. Tiphany
Adams is desperate to find the sister who disappeared into the drug
world.

– “The Winner Is,” 10:01 p.m.,
NBC. Here's one more advance preview; then the show waits for its
regular slot on July 11. Singers are competing for a million-dollar
prize, but host Nick Lachey keeps tempting them to take some advance
money and leave.