Gannett News Service

Must-see

5 Days to Midnight debut, 9-11 p.m., Sci-Fi Channel.

J.T. Neumeyer (Timothy Hutton) is a physics professor, a smart and somber widower. He loves his 10-year-old daughter (Gage Golightly), likes his new lover (Kari Matchett) and is wary of his new discovery - a briefcase made of futuristic material. Inside are news and police reports about his death, five days in the future.

He considers it a cruel prank - as smart guys always do. Then he wonders if it might be true. What emerges is a surprisingly solid, well-made drama. Once you accept the premise - this is Sci-Fi after all - there's a logic here. Hutton is terrific, as are Golightly, Matchett and (as a hyper grad student) Hamish Linklater.

Each of the five days unfolds as a TV hour through Thursday. This will hook you.

Worth watching

Yes, Dear, 8 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Greg goes to extremes to prove that Jimmy clogged the toilet.

The Last Ride, 8-10 p.m., USA. If you missed last week's debut of this high-octane cable film try it now. There is lots of auto action and a plot that is - after a so-so start - not bad. Chris Carmack (The O.C.) plays a handsome driver with Nadine Velazquez as his girlfriend, a lusty mechanic. Dennis Hopper plays his grandfather who has just gotten out of prison.

Everybody Loves Raymond, 9 p.m., Channels 12, 7. As Robert and Amy return from their honeymoon, his mom is at her most extreme. Unlike Debra, this may be one daughter-in-law she can manipulate. Then Debra intervenes, in an episode that is darkly hilarious.

For Love or Money premiere, 9-11 p.m., Channels 5, 22. This show seems in a hurry to wrap itself up. In a furious, two-hour opener, it narrows the field from 16 to six. That's fine, because this bachelor (a pleasant-faced chap named Preston) seems generic and boring. Many of the women show a coldness that makes them tough to care about. This isn't a place for warmth, anyway: There are varying amounts of money at stake - semi-secret ones ranging from $1 to $1 million - depending on his choice and what she decides.

Perfect Romance, 9 p.m., Lifetime. Here is a delightful twist on the old Cyrano de Bergerac tale. When her attractive daughter (Lori Heuring) is in the doldrums, a mom (Kathleen Quinlan) decides to find her a boyfriend. She pretends to be her daughter, writing warm messages to a guy on the Internet. This clever film may not surprise you, but it will please you.