Friday, October 15, 2004
TV Best
Gannett News Service
Must-see
Thoughtcrimes, 9-11 p.m., USA Network.
While at her prom, a sweet teenager reaches information overload. She can hear everyone's thoughts. It is a cacophony that leaves her institutionalized.
Years later, scientists show up. Maybe this ability, if channeled, could be used to catch bad guys.
That plot could have been cheesy. Fortunately, Thoughtcrimes was in good hands; it has an intelligent script by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer and sharp direction by Breck Eisner.
Instead of using connections (his dad, Michael, runs Disney and ABC), Eisner has made it on his own. He directed beautifully with the right mix of chaos and clarity.
The lead role goes to Navi Rawat, who is partly of Indian descent and played the Iranian daughter in House of Sand and Fog. It's a skillful and understated performance.
Thoughtcrimes looks like a rejected pilot. Joe Flanigan, one of the stars, has since been cast in Stargate: Atlantis. Maybe USA could re-think its rejection.
Worth watching
Enterprise, 8 p.m., Channel 25. Last week's season-opener plunked Archer (Scott Bakula) into a sort of Nazi-occupied New York. Here's the second half of the story.
Joan of Arcadia, 8 p.m., Channels 12. 7. Cloris Leachman shows up as the eccentric aunt of Joan's mother. Also, Annie Potts joins the cast as the new boss of Will's father.
What I Like About You, 8 p.m., Channels 64, 26. Holly needs money to buy her sister a wedding present. She's desperate to be cast in a shampoo commercial.
Grounded for Life, 8:30 p.m., Channels 64, 26. Claudia is bitter when Sean buys a TV without asking her. The complication comes when she accidentally breaks it.
Hope & Faith, 9 p.m., Channels 9, 22. Having been thrown out by her brother-in-law, Faith (Kelly Ripa) is still searching for an apartment. That's difficult because she has a bad credit rating.
Third Watch, 9 p.m., Channels 5, 2. Yokas is just starting her new life as a single person and a police detective. Her partner is a veteran (Aidan Quinn) and their case involves an apparent suicide, with a videotape left behind. Meanwhile, Charles Haid (Hill Street Blues) plays a rookie's father, a police captain whom Sully hates.
Medical Investigation, 10 p.m., Channels 5, 2. When tough college football players come down with a nerve disease, the doctors are perplexed. That gets even more confusing when some sorority sisters have the same disease.
Dr. Vegas, 10 p.m., Channels 12, 7. A dying man wants to spend his last days in a Las Vegas casino. That experience causes Billy (Rob Lowe) to rethink his relationship with Alice, his medical colleague.
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PLANNING AHEAD
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