Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Thursday, October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009 by Kath Skerry
Happy October! It’s a new month and a night filled to be brim with episodes of your new and old favorite shows. Once again my DVRs will be put to the test as I try to record, well, pretty much everything that’s on TV tonight. It’s a tough job but I think they’re up to the task.
Tonight is the season premiere of PRIVATE PRACTICE. While I’ve always watched the show, I can’t say that it’s ever been appointment television for me. But I must tell you that I got an early look at tonight’s season premiere and I thought it was fantastic. The episode is really well done. The acting, the writing, but especially the direction and editing. I know it’s odd to call out two of the more technical aspects, but I think you’ll see what I’m talking about it you watch. For PRIVATE PRACTICE, tonight’s episode utilizes a story technique that could have gone horribly wrong, but in the end worked really well.
So much to watch tonight. But before we get there, it’s time for YOU to tell me what you’ll be watching and DVRing tonight.
Flash Forward | 8pm on ABC
“White to Play”
Demetri and Mark travel to Utah in search of a suspect who might be connected to the global blackout; Olivia runs into the man from her vision.
Bones | 8pm on CBS
“The Plain in the Prodigy
Human remains are found next to a railroad; Cam deals with the stress of being a new parent; Booth tries to keep Cam’s stepdaughter in line.
Survivor: Samoa | 8pm on CBS
“It’s Called a Russel Seed”
A clever lie turns a tribe against one of its harmless members; a controversial decision by one tribe’s chief lands him in the crossfire back at camp.
(The rest of Thursday night’s lineup is after the jump)
SNL: Weekend Update Thursday | 8pm on NBC
Former SNL star Amy Poehler returns to post at the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update desk alongside co-anchor, Seth Meyers. Each Thursday the two will skewer current events, news and politics.
The Vampire Diaries | 8pm on The CW
“Family Ties”
Elena asks Stefan to escort her to a party; Vicki thinks Tyler is hiding their relationship from his family; Stefan tries to get Damon out of his life permanently.[GMMR: Have you seen any promos for tonight’s episode? Executive Producer Julie Plec sent out this message via Twitter last night: “The promo for tonight’s Vampire Diaries episode is built around 2 scenes that were cut. So people are getting a sneak peek.“ Check out a scene from tonight’s episode.]
“Beauty Pageant”
Leslie eagerly anticipates her role as a judge in the Miss Pawnee Pageant but finds herself disagreeing with the other judges about what constitutes an ideal woman.
The Office | 9pm on NBC
“The Promotion”
The news breaks that not everyone will be getting a raise; Dwight reaches his breaking point with Jim; Pam wants cash instead of wedding gifts.
Grey’s Anatomy | 9pm on ABC
“I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me”
Izzie returns to work; Seattle Grace residents position themselves to avoid layoffs; Cristina tries to work with Arizona in the pediatric ward.
CSI | 9pm on CBS
“Ghost Town”
The team focuses its investigation on members of an upscale neighborhood when a porn producer and a drug dealer are killed.
Fringe | 9pm on FOX
“Fracture”
A bomb blows up inside a train station but leaves no trace of any explosive device; Peter and Olivia’s investigation leads them to Iraq. [GMMR: Now that I’m done catching up on SUPERNATURAL I’m moving on to FRINGE. I watched half of the first season before it completely got away from me, so I’m excited to hopefully catch up in a short amount of time.]
Supernatural | 9pm on The CW
“The End”
Sam wants to rejoin Dean in the battle of the apocalypse, but Dean thinks they are better off apart; Dean wakes up five years in the future and is attacked by humans infected with a demonic virus. [GMMR: A big day. My first time ever watching SUPERNATURAL live with everyone else. Ok, maybe I won’t be watching it live (there’s a lot going on at 9pm), but I will be watching it tonight…that’s a big deal. Click here for a sneak peek (read: SPOILERS) of SUPERATURAL “The End”]
Community | 9:30pm on NBC
“Introduction to Film”
Jeff signs up for a class thinking it will be an easy A, but the professor (John Michael Higgins) has other ideas. [GMMR: What’s the consensus about COMMUNITY? How are you guys feeling about it? I’m enjoying it but not loving it like others are. I’m interested to hear your take.]
The Mentalist | 10pm on CBS
“The Scarlet Letter”
A prominent state senator’s intern is killed; Jane works on finding out what new information has been uncovered on the Red John case.
Private Practice | 10pm on ABC | Season Premiere
“A Death in the Family”
Addison and Naomi fight to save Violet’s life after a violent attack leaves her severely injured and her baby missing.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta | 10pm on Bravo
“Better Tardy Than Never”
Kim and Kandi finish their recording of “Tardy for the Party”; Shereé and Tania head to New York and leave Dwight in charge; Kandi performs solo.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia | 10pm on FX
“The Great Recession”
Mac and Dennis try to keep the bar afloat in the tough economic times; Frank starts a family business with Dee; newly poor people gather outside the bar.
Project Runway | 10pm on Lifetime
[GMMR: Once again have no idea what tonight’s episode is all about. It seems that even the show was shot well over a year ago, they don’t publish their episode synopsis anywhere. This season has been a bit of a snoozefast. Bring back Nina and Michael! I know it’s happening soon but not soon enough.]
On the late night couch…
- The Jay Leno Show: Chris Rock
- The Late Show with David Letterman: Woody Harrelson, Kim Kardashian
- The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien: Michael Moore, Seth MacFarlane, Rodrigo y Gabriela
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Patricia Arquette, Dominic Cooper
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Hayden Panettiere, Matthew Rhys, Joss Stone
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Miranda Lambert
- Chelsea Lately: Mekhi Phifer, John Caparulo, Sarah Colonna, Michael Kosta (R 9/23/09)
- Last Call with Carson Daly: Jennifer Morrison, Zane Lamprey, Arctic Monkeys
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Joy Behar
- The Colbert Report: George Wendt, Dr. Francis Collins
Which shows will YOU be checking out tonight? Leave a comment here or send me a message via Twitter.
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I’m not sure what I’m watching, but its some combo of Parks and Rec, FlashForward, The Office, CSI, Bones…. all fit into a short period of time. Thursday TV… you kill me in the best way!
My wife makes me watch PP, but I enjoy it only for the judging amy girl. If they kill her off, we’re outta there.
FlashForward sucked me in last week, so I’ll be watching that at 7 pm (I’m Central), followed by watching Fringe @ 8 pm. Vampire Diaries doesn’t air until 10 pm here, but it also airs Fridays at 7 pm, which is when I’ve been watching it. Nothing is on at 9 pm for me, so I usually catch up from the week (on tap I’ve got Monday’s House, Wednesday’s The View (GLEE!), and Criminal Minds).
… oh, and I forgot to mention taping Supernatural! It airs at 11 pm here in time-shift, and I so can’t stay up that late!
I will be watching “Community.” Of all of the new NBC Fall shows, this is the only one that even poked my interest. It’s especially fun because my son is a Freshmen at Bunker Hill Community College. So far, I’m not laughing out loud at the series or the stars, but I am willing to dignify “Community” with a decent chance to prove itself over the next few weeks. Tonight’s subject of a film class especially intrigues me, and I want to see what they make of basic film studies. Otherwise, I’m just biding my time before Season 3 of “Chuck,” in March 2010.
I am in MAD love with Community. I could definitely watch that last episode again, and I can’t wait for tonight!
Thursday is such a crazy night of tv! And I’m missing it tonight because I’m going to be out of town. 🙁 When I get back though, I’ll watch FlashForward (wasn’t totally sold last week, but I’ve learned not to judge a show by its pilot), Bones, Parks & Rec, The Office, and The Mentalist. I love me some Thursday tv!
Tonight is the start of my DVR line dance massacre. Everything was going fine up until now – yes, hockey starts tonight. It screws up my scheduling and watching for the next six months. Trying to fit in games I want to watch, with shows I’m recording/want to watch is a nightmare some nights. Thank god for HD time shifting! In Canada, CTV-HD is airing Vamprire Diaries an hour earlier, which allows me to record that, Bones, The Office, and Community while I watch a hockey game. Then later, with the East coast feeds, I will be recording the Mentalist, Parks and Rec, Fringe and the re-airing of Generation Kill series while I watch another hockey game.
I haven’t watched the pilot of Flash Forward yet, but it is on my list. ABC airs it on Friday nights, so it’s set to record then. I gave up on Grey’s and Private Practice two seasons ago. I don’t feel compelled to watch it, but maybe eventually I will borrow the DVDs from my sister and sit down and catch up.
Community is…okay. I really want to like it, but I haven’t found it too funny yet. I don’t like Chevy Chase, but Joel is awesome. So I’m torn. Parks and Rec is definitely better than last year. I can tell that because I had 4 back episodes on my DVR last year waiting to be watched at one time last season. Not a good sign! But so far, so good.
I have a feeling I’ll be up late tonight.
It’s crazy Thursday again! I’m so glad your catching up on Fringe- it’s gotten so good this season! As for Community- I wasn’t crazy about the pilot episode but I loved last weeks- it’s definitely a keeper for me.
Any chance Flash Forward will be shown on Friday again like last week? I appreciated your and Ducky’s encouraging tweets to wait it out and I may give it one more shot but I’m not sure I’ll give it the season.
Luckily volleyball is early this week so I’ll get to watch some stuff live but Thursday is all about NBC and Project Runway. I never got to watch it in past seasons because we didn’t have the channel and while I’m not loving the season, I’m enjoying a few of the designers.
May give Private Practice another shot this year. For as much as I love both Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman, I just haven’t been able to get into it before.
I’ve heard Flash Forward is great so I’ll watch the premiere online, then the second episode, then The Office, then Community just because it’s got me a little interested. But Community is something I could do while folding laundry wheres the other shows are can’t-miss.
Wow.. major TV watching dilemmas tonight! I start my new job bright and early in the morning, so that means no staying up super late to watch all this awesome Thursday night TV as I’m wont to do. Lots will have to wait until the weekend, but I’ll be sure to catch Supernatural, Bones, The Office, and Private Practice tonight. I didn’t always love PP last season, but that cliffhanger had me thinking about it over the summer, which rarely happens even with shows I adore. That leaves Project Runway & Models of the Runway, The Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Grey’s Anatomy, SNL Weekend Update, Parks & Rec, Community, The Mentalist, FlashForward, Ace of Cakes, and Survivor for the weekend (and probably in that order). Wow, that just made me realize what an incredible amount of TV I watch. 🙂
Per your Community question, I wanted to love it, but I was mostly meh on the pilot. It had some funny moments, but most of the characters just annoyed me. Plus Chevy Chase is a definite turn-off for me. I never gave him much thought, as his SNL and movie comedy days were before my time, but I absolutely HATED him on Chuck (one of my all-time fave shows). Nonetheless, I’ll definitely give it a few more eps, as most pilots can be wildly uneven, and I could see some potential in Community. Hopefully it’ll settle in to be a good, funny show, and I can just ignore Chevy Chase.
Tonight I’ll be watching Greys and maybe P&R or something from another night. Everything else I watch during the weekend. I can’t watch PP because I have school tomorrow =[, but I’m tivoing VD, The Office, Community, The Mentalist, and I’ll watch FF, and Fringe online. I’m still iffy on Community, it has good moments and I’ll keep watching. P&R has been reallyyy good and I lovee the vampire diaries!
CSI’s opening sequence in last week’s premiere was so visually yummy! After the show I rewatched the first 2 minutes. Great!!!!
Greys and PP online, Survivor on demand, the only thing I make sure to DVR is The Office (did anyone catch Gervais and Kras on the talk show circuit? Gervais is actually funny. John was trying too hard to be funny, much like Jenna Fischer when she’s on those shows).
I’m glad I’m not the only one watching so much TV again on Thursday nights.
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