Monday, January 5, 2004

TV's best bets



By MIKE HUGHES
Gannett News Service

Must-see

Cast Away (2000), 8-11 p.m., Channels 9, 2.

Two terrific talents - Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis (Back To the Future) - turned this into an understated pleasure.

Hanks plays an ordinary chap who is the sole survivor of a plane crash and is summarily stranded for years on an island. Clinging to his sanity, he talks to himself and to his soccer ball.

There are no gimmicks, treasures or pirates. Quietly and skillfully, Cast Away entertains us.

Other programs worth watching

Fear Factor, 8 p.m., Channels 5, 22. Sets of twins compete.

Antiques Roadshow, 8 p.m., Channels 48, 16. As the show starts a three-week stay in Chicago, Lara Spencer of Good Morning America takes over as host.

The Michael Jackson Case, 8 p.m., A&E. Tonight, A&E devotes an hour to Michael Jackson's legal troubles. Both legal and psychological experts will weigh in on what they think Jackson will face in court.

American Experience: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided, 9-11 p.m., Channels 48, 16. Over three nights, PBS is rerunning a portrait of the Lincolns. It Is richly crafted with moments of deep perception and profound tragedy.

Everybody Loves Raymond, 9 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Debra recruits members for her father-in-law's lodge.

House of Dreams debut, 9 p.m., A&E. Sixteen people link to build a house in Florida, with one of them winning it. In the opener, contestants face a disturbing question. Should they vote out the most deserving people, simply because they're the toughest competition?

CSI: Miami, 10 p.m., Channels 12, 7. The death of an anesthesiologist sparks a probe of a beauty clinic.

Airline debut, 10 and 10:30 p.m., A&E. The miracle here is that Southwest Airlines and its passengers took part in this. The airline sometimes comes off badly with tangled rules. A couple is at the ticket counter before discovering they must prove with a birth certificate that their toddler is under 2 and can fly for free. The passengers - sometimes drunken, confused or nasty - come off worse. Mostly, viewers will wish they could just take a wagon train.