Gannett News Service
Must-see
Friends, 8 p.m., Channels 5, 22.
Last week, NBC made two bizarre, last-minute moves. It pulled the scheduled episodes for last Wednesday and Thursday, replacing them with reruns.
The idea was to avoid competing with strong baseball playoff games. The result left NBC's most loyal viewers angry and perplexed.
The good news is that those led to changes for tonight, bringing new episodes instead of reruns.
Barring another odd move, Friends has a new episode tonight. Monica and Chandler are planning a trip to Vermont, but Rachel insists that everyone stay for Emma's first birthday party.
Other shows worth watching
Terror in Moscow, 7 p.m., HBO.
A year ago, a dramatic crisis began in a Moscow theater. In the middle of a musical, 41 Chechen terrorists took 700 people in the audience hostage, demanding that the Russian government withdraw from their homeland. This documentary juggles fresh interviews and old news footage and tape recordings. The story unfolds, including a rescue that seemed triumphant, then turned tragic.
Threat Matrix, 8 p.m., Channels 9, 2.
From the real terrorism shown on HBO, viewers can jump to fiction. Tonight, there is the threat of a "dirty bomb" in Washington, D.C.
Survivor: Pearl Islands, 8 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Tonight, the field is trimmed to 10.
Scrubs, 8:30 p.m., Channels 5, 22. The strong-minded Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) meets his match in a tough pediatrician played by Christopher Meloni of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Meanwhile, the third-year residents realize they have far different approaches to interns.
Will & Grace, 9 p.m., Channels 5, 22. Jack is startled to find that a legendary actor (played by legendary actor and voice James Earl Jones) is looking to him for advice. Meanwhile, Will tries to adjust to having his mom (played by Blythe Danner) as his new roommate.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 9 p.m., Channels 12, 7. On a steamy Las Vegas day, a baby has died in a car and a man is found dead in a house. Police try to determine if these were deliberate.
I Love the 80s, 9-11 p.m., VH1. It's time to revisit 1986 and '87, catching everything from the Bangles to Robocop, from the Fergie-Prince Andrew wedding to the opening of Al Capone's vault.
Coupling, 9:30 p.m., Channels 5, 22. An ethical question emerges: If the person who pays for dinner is treated to great sex, is that like prostitution?
ER, 10 p.m., Channels 5, 22. On a tough night, Weaver complains about staff mistakes, then makes one herself. Meanwhile, Abby has money problems; she also meets Kovac and his new girlfriend.
