Tonight’s TV Picks: October 10, 2009

8/7c:

* Cops (FOX)
* Saturday Night College Football (ABC, three hours)
* College Football: Florida at LSU (CBS, three hours)
* Country Fried Home Videos (CMT)
* Divine Design (HGTV)
* SuperFetch (Animal Planet)
* Top 20 Most Shocking (truTV)
* What Went Down: Pearl Harbor (History, one-hour special)
* World’s Strictest Parents (CMT)

8:30/7:30c:

* SuperFetch (Animal Planet)

9/8c:

* America’s Most Wanted (FOX)
* Saturday Night College Football (ABC, three hours)
* College Football: Florida at LSU (CBS, three hours)
* 10 Count (Cartoon Network)
* Color Splash (HGTV)
* Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team (CMT, one-hour season premiere)
* Dogs 101 (Animal Planet)
* Househusbands of Hollywood (Fox Reality)
* The Locator (WE)
* Making His Band (MTV, season finale)
* Megafault (Syfy, original telefilm)
* Robin Hood (BBC America)
* Split Ends (Style)
* What Went Down: The Alamo (History, one-hour special)

9:30/8:30c:

* Ghostly Encounters (Bio)
* Re:Evolution of Sports (Cartoon Network)

10/9c:

* Saturday Night College Football (ABC, three hours)
* College Football: Florida at LSU (CBS, three hours)
* Celebrity Ghost Stories (Bio)
* The Dish (Style)
* The Graham Norton Show (BBC America, season premiere)
* Relic Hunter with Ian Grant (Travel Channel)
* Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me (HBO, 86-minute special)

10:30/9:30c:

* Relic Hunter with Ian Grant (Travel Channel)

11:30/10:30c:

* Saturday Night Live (NBC)

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Tonight’s TV Picks: October 7, 2009

7/6c:

* Sherri (Lifetime)

7:30/6:30c:

* Rita Rocks (Lifetime)

8/7c:

* The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
* Hank (ABC)
* Mercy (NBC)
* So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
* America’s Next Top Model (The CW)
* 2 Months, $2 Million (G4)
* Extreme Traditions (Travel Channel)
* Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League (Showtime)
* I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant (TLC)
* Most Shocking (truTV)
* Property Virgin (HGTV)
* Wa$ted! (Planet Green)

8:30/7:30c:

* The Middle (ABC)
* Gary Unmarried (CBS)
* Wa$ted! (Planet Green)

9/8c:

* Modern Family (ABC)
* Glee (FOX)
* Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
* Criminal Minds (CBS)
* Alone in the Wild (National Geographic)
* The Bureau (ID, series premiere)
* Craft in America (PBS)
* Dive to the Bottom of the World (Science Channel)
* Ghost Hunters (Syfy)
* Giuliana & Bill (Style, season finale)
* House Hunters (HGTV)
* Inside the NFL (Showtime)
* King of the Crown (TLC)
* Most Daring (truTV)
* MythBusters (Discovery Channel, fall season premiere)
* Nostradamus Effect (History)
* WEC’s Greatest Knockouts (Versus)

9:30/8:30c:

* Cougar Town (ABC)
* King of the Crown (TLC)
* The Othersiders (Cartoon Network)
* Sweat Equity (DIY)

10/9c:

* Eastwick (ABC)
* CSI: NY (CBS)
* The Jay Leno Show (NBC)
* Bank of Mom and Dad (SoapNet)
* Black Gold (truTV, season finale)
* Clean House (Style, season premiere)
* Craft in America (PBS)
* Destination Truth (Syfy)
* First In (BET)
* House Hunters International (HGTV)
* Man Shops Globe (Sundance, series premiere)
* Man v. Food (Travel Channel)
* Monster Bug Wars! (Discovery Channel)
* MysteryQuest (History)
* Outlaw Bikers: Angels Descending (National Geographic)
* The Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV)
* The Shift (ID)
* South Park (Comedy Central, fall season premiere)
* Toddlers & Tiaras (TLC)
* Top Chef: Las Vegas (Bravo)
* True Hollywood Story (E!)
* The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (Spike)

10:30/9:30c:

* Secret Girlfriend (Comedy Central, series premiere)

11/10c:

* Chelsea Lately (E!)
* The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
* Home Wars (Style)

11:30/10:30c:

* The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

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Hank S1.E2 “Yard Sale” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 8/7c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: Hank gets back into business by testing his entrepreneurial skills with a neighborhood yard sale, on “Hank,” WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Cast and Crew: “Hank” stars Kelsey Grammer as Hank Pryor, Melinda McGraw as Tilly Pryor, David Koechner as Grady Funk, Jordan Hinson as Maddie Pryor and Nathan Gamble as Henry Pryor.

Guest starring in “Yard Sale” are Crista Flanagan as Dawn, Jessica St. Clair as Peggy, Judith Moreland as Johanna and Clint Culp as Conrad.

“Yard Sale” was written by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff and directed by Kelsey Grammer.

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Eastwick S1.E3 “Madams and Madames” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 10/9c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: Haunted by the ghost of her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Roxie questions her sanity and turns to a local psychic for help. Declining Darryl’s offer of a high-powered - and high-priced - divorce attorney, Kat decides to give Raymond another chance, but is she only delaying the inevitable? Joanna’s quest to find the truth about Darryl leads her to a new and different scandal, and then she realizes her discovery was no accident. Meanwhile, Roxie’s daughter, Mia, reluctantly attends her boyfriend’s memorial, and though Bun has lost her memory, her mind is consumed with a mysterious symbol, on “Eastwick,” WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Cast and Crew: “Eastwick” stars Ashley Benson as Mia Torcoletti, Jon Bernthal as Raymond Gardener, Veronica Cartwright as Bun Waverly, Jamie Ray Newman as Kat Gardener, Lindsay Price as Joanna Frankel, Rebecca Romijn as Roxanne (Roxie) Torcoletti, Sara Rue as Penny Higgins, Johann Urb as Will St. David and Paul Gross as Darryl Van Horne.

Guest starring are Matt Dallas as Chad, Tom Amandes as Pastor Dunn, Roma Maffia as Mme. Aleksandra, Christian Alexander as Gus, Darren Criss as Josh, Jodi Long as Mrs. Yang, Torsten Voges as Fidel, Jazz Raycole as Justine, Samantha Droke as Stephie, Brie Mattson as Amanda, Tim Sitarz as Frankie and Peggy Dunne as Ellen.

“Madams and Madames” was written by David S. Rosenthal and directed by Michael Katleman.

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The Middle S1.E2 “The Cheerleader” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: Facing financial disaster, Frankie tries to save her job by organizing a publicity stunt involving a car filled with jelly beans; Sue fails swim team tryouts, and then learns she needs glasses; and when Brick can’t check books out of the library because Frankie can’t pay a $200 library fine, he starts reading his mother’s steamy romance novels, on “The Middle,” WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Cast and Crew: “The Middle” stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Chris Kattan as Bob.

Guest starring are Brian Doyle-Murray as Mr. Ehlert, Peter Breitmayer as Pete, Laura Heisler as librarian, Julianne Buescher as woman customer, Charles C. Stevenson as old Hoosier, Garrett Ryan as boy and Maurice G. Smith as neighbor guy #1.

The Cheerleader” was written by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, and directed by Lee Shallat.

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Glee S1.E6 “Vitamin D” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 9/8c on FOX

Episode Synopsis: Will challenges the kids to a healthy dose of competition with boys against girls in a mashup showdown. Meanwhile, Terri takes a job as the school nurse, despite having no medical experience, to keep an eye on Will in the “Vitamin D” episode of GLEE airing Wednesday, Oct. 7 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (TV-PG D, L)

Cast: Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester; Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester; Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester; Lea Michele as Rachel Berry; Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson; Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury; Dianna Agron as Quinn; Chris Colfer as Kurt; Kevin McHale as Artie; Amber Riley as Mercedes; Mark Salling as Puck; Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina

Guest Cast: Stephen Tobolowsky as Sandy Ryerson; Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins; Patrick Gallagher as Ken Tanaka; Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez; Kent Avenido as Howard Bamboo; Joe Hursley as Joe; Bill A. Jones as Rob Remington; Earlene Davis as Andre Carmichael; Heather Morris as Brittany; Dijon Talton as Matt Rutherford; Harry Shum as Mike Chang

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Modern Family S1.E3 “Come Fly With Me” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 9/8c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: After some nudging, Jay begrudgingly takes Phil out to fly his new model airplane — that is until a maneuver goes awry. Meanwhile, when Gloria drops Manny off to play with Luke, she ends up volunteering to take Alex dress shopping, and Claire finds herself sitting down for an unexpected brother and sister heart-to-heart with Manny, on “Modern Family,” WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Cast and Crew: “Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Sof’a Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy, Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy and Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado.

Guest cast includes Reid Ewing as Dylan.

“Changes” was written by Dan O’Shannon and directed by Reggie Hudlin.

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Cougar Town S1.E3 “Don’t Do Me Like That” Preview

Air Date: October 7, 2009 at 9:30/8:30c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: Jules’ family and friends impede on her all-important tenth date with new boyfriend Josh, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. When putting the needs of others before her own results in a disastrous experience in bed with her new boyfriend, friends Ellie and Laurie help Jules to realize it’s ok to be a little selfish and take care of yourself once in awhile. Meanwhile Bobby is left to behave like a responsible dad and deal with son Travis.

Cast and Crew: “Cougar Town” stars Courteney Cox as Jules, Busy Philipps as Laurie, Dan Byrd as Travis, Christa Miller as Ellie, Josh Hopkins as Grayson, Ian Gomez as Andy and Brian Van Holt as Bobby.

Guest starring is Carolyn Hennesy as Barbara Coman and Nick Zano as Josh. Other guest cast TBD.

“Don’t Do Me Like That” was directed by Gail Mancuso and written Kevin Biegel.

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Tonight’s TV Picks: October 6, 2009

7/6c:

* Sherri (Lifetime)

7:30/6:30c:

* Rita Rocks (Lifetime)

8/7c:

* Shark Tank (ABC)
* The Biggest Loser (NBC, two-hour episode)
* NCIS (CBS)
* 90210 (The CW)
* Hell’s Kitchen (FOX)
* 30 for 30 (ESPN, series premiere)
* Nova (PBS, two-hour episode)
* Web Soup (G4)

9/8c:

* Melrose Place (The CW)
* The Biggest Loser (NBC, two-hour episode)
* NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
* So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
* Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
* 18 Kids & Counting: 20 Years, 20 Duggars (TLC, one-hour special)
* Dirty Jobs (Discovery Channel, season premiere)
* Dragons’ Den (BBC America, season premiere)
* Executive Vision (CNBC)
* KISS: Extreme Close Up (VH1 Classic)
* Man Caves (DIY)
* Nova (PBS, two-hour episode)
* Scare Tactics (Syfy, season premiere)
* The Universe (History)
* Weird, True, & Freaky (Animal Planet)
* World Series of Poker (ESPN)

9:30/8:30c:

* Weird, True, & Freaky (Animal Planet)

10/9c:

* The Forgotten (ABC)
* The Good Wife (CBS)
* The Jay Leno Show (NBC)
* Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World (Travel Channel)
* The Buffalo Flows (PBS, one-hour special)
* Deliver Me (Discovery Health)
* Disaster House (DIY)
* ECW (Syfy)
* Flipping Out (Bravo)
* Frankie & Neffe (BET)
* Ghost Lab (Discovery Channel, series premiere)
* The Hills (MTV)
* The Jon Dore Television Show (IFC)
* Lost Tapes (Animal Planet)
* The Naughty Kitchen with Chef Blythe Beck (Oxygen)
* Parking Wars (A&E, season premiere)
* Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel (truTV)
* The Secret Lives of Women (WE)
* Sons of Anarchy (FX)
* Sports Soup (Versus)
* World Series of Poker (ESPN)

10:30/9:30c:

* The City (MTV)
* Frankie & Neffe (BET)
* Parking Wars (A&E)
* Sports Soup (Versus)

11/10c:

* Chelsea Lately (E!)
* The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
* Surviving Disaster (Spike)

11:30/10:30c:

* The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

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FlashForward S1.E3 “137 Sekunden” Preview

Air Date: October 8, 2009 at 8/7c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: Mark and Janis travel to Germany to speak with an imprisoned Nazi who claims to have knowledge about the blackouts, and an anonymous tip leads Demetri to believe his deepest fears about his future. Meanwhile, Aaron pleads with Mark to help him get the approval to have his daughter’s body exhumed in order to re-test her DNA and confirm the identity of the remains, on “FlashForward,” THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Cast and Crew: “FlashForward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley, Peyton List as Nicole Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as Simon, Brían F. O’Byrne as Aaron Stark, Courtney B. Vance as Stanford Wedeck, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford and Christine Woods as Janis Hawk.

Guest starring are Gabrielle Union as Zoey Andata, Lee Thompson Young as Agent Gough, Barry Shabaka Henley as Agent Vreede, Kim Dickens as Katie, Curt Lowens as Rudolf Geyer, Gina Torres as Felicia Wedeck, Thomas Kretschmann as Stefan Krieger, Ray Proscia as Helmut Baecker, Jeff Richards as Jerome Murphy, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nhadra Udaya, Alan Ruck as Tomasi, Joe Rose as bartender, Guido Foehrweisser as Schultz, Michael Merton as John Spears, Cade Olivas as Attaf, Anna Khaja as older woman and Amy Rosoff as Marcie Turoff.

“137 Sekunden” was written by David Goyer & Marc Guggenheim and directed by Michael Rymer.

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“The Mentalist: Season 1″ DVD Review

Longtime readers of this site probably know that I am not a viewer who watches a lot of procedurals. It’s not that I don’t like them, they just aren’t original or entertaining enough for me to watch them each week. What I prefer to do is watch an episode or two on DVD whenever I’m in the mood. “The Mentalist” is slightly better than most crime dramas but it isn’t even the best show about a fake psychic who solves crimes (”Psych” is much funnier and better in my opinion). However, it is definitely worth watching if you are a fan of procedurals and probably even worth a look if you aren’t.

“The Mentalist” stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic who gave up his act when his wife and child were murdered by a serial killer named Red John. After that unspeakable crime, he admits his act is fake and decides to use his observational skills to help bring bad guys to justice. Similar to “Monk,” “The Mentalist” has a long-term mystery (which will probably be solved in the series finale) of finding out who Red John is.

I’m not going to go too in-depth with the show’s positives and negatives because like most crime dramas, it’s pretty average in most areas. The mysteries are average and most have been seen before on other shows. Most of the cast members are capable but they won’t blow you away with their performances (the exception is the great Simon Baker). The writing is just decent. I could go on and on about all the average aspects of the show but I’m going to focus on the two good things “The Mentalist” has going for it.

First of all, Simon Baker is very good in the lead role. His great acting helps make Patrick Jane one of the more interesting characters I’ve seen in a procedural in years. I prefer the more humorous work of Tony Shalhoub (”Monk”) and James Roday (”Psych”) on cable but Baker might be the best actor in a procedural on network television. The other great thing about “The Mentalist” is that like “Monk” and “Psych,” it doesn’t take itself too seriously (I’m talking to you “Criminal Minds”). Those two USA crime dramas are definitely my two favorite procedurals (and the only ones I watch each week on TV) so its fairly obvious that I prefer procedurals with a bit of humor. “The Mentalist” isn’t quite as funny as those two but it’s light-hearted enough that I almost started watching it weekly.

“The Mentalist” just premiered last season so it would be very disappointing if the video or audio quality on this release was poor. Luckily that isn’t the case. The video is crisp, clear, and colorful and the audio is clean as a whistle. Unfortunately, the extras aren’t quite up to those standards. The “Evidence of a Hit Series” documentary is decent but the deleted scenes, gag reel, and “Mentalist vs. Psychic” featurette are pretty much worthless. Don’t buy this set if you only want it for the extras.

All crime drama fans should definitely give “The Mentalist: Season 1″ a purchase. While I only thought it was above average a crime drama fan will probably think it’s near the top of the genre. Even non-crime drama fans should give the series a try.

* Release Date: September 22, 2009
* Publisher: Warner Home Video
* Price: $39.49 on Amazon.com
* Rating: Not Rated
* Run Time: 998 minutes
* Special Features: “Evidence of a Hit Series,” “Cracking the Crystal Ball: Mentalist vs. Psychic,” Unaired Scenes, Gag Reel
* Starring: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, Amanda Righetti
* Genre: Crime Drama

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Sons of Anarchy S2.E5 “Smite” Preview

Air Date: October 6, 2009 at 10/9c on FX

Episode Synopsis: Charming and its small-town appeal become vulnerable to The League, which finds new ways to provoke SOA members. Tara’s compassionate efforts to help a distraught Gemma don’t go unpunished.

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The Forgotten S1.E3 “Football John” Preview

Air Date: October 6, 2009 at 10/9c on ABC

Episode Synopsis: The case of a John Doe (guest star Jarrod Bunch, former NFL Player for NY Giants), left beaten on the street and ravaged by past injuries, leads The Forgotten Network into the world of professional football. But if this John Doe was a pro athlete, who was he? How is he unidentified? And why hasn’t anyone been looking for him?, on “the forgotten,” TUESDAY, OCT. 6 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

Cast and Crew: Starring in “the forgotten” are Christian Slater as Alex Donovan, Michelle Borth as Candace Butler, Heather Stephens as Lindsey Drake, Bob Stephenson as Walter Bailey, Anthony Carrigan as Tyler Davies and Rochelle Aytes as Grace Russell.

Guest Cast: Jarrod Bunch as Coach Tom Bryant/John Doe, Brandon Mychal Smith as Billy York, Aedin Mincks as Walter Jr., Chad Coleman as Ray Perkins, Michael Reilly Burke as Coach Flynn.

“Football John” is written by Seamus Kevin Fahey & David Slack and directed by Holly Dale.

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