What To Watch: Tuesdays

For an introduction to "What to Watch" (and a look at Mondays), check here.

Now, on to Tuesday!

Show	Net	Day	Time	Priority
NCIS	CBS	TUE	800	Sleepytime
V	ABC	TUE	800	Watch
Warehouse 13	SYFY	TUE	900	Watch
Sons of Anarchy	FX	TUE	1000	Watch

Tuesday is a lite night for my TV viewing, especially compared to Thursday. Really, the primary highlights are the new V reimagining and the returning Sons of Anarchy (along with soon to conclude Warehouse 13).

NCIS: Like a lot of folks, I caught up on this show via the endless repeats on USA. It's kind of like a country fried steak. Sure, it's not filet mignon, but it's warm, filling and tasty going down. It's a typical procedural, with plenty of great "character work" to go around. And not necessarily character work in the same sense that an HBO, Mad Men or Whedon show would do, but in that we have some broad archetypes here that are winningly and appealingly played, within the constraints of a typical "wrap it up in 44 minutes."

V: For those of us in my age demo, we have fond childhood memories of the original V miniseries. Fascist, red leather wearing, rodent eating alien invaders take over the world? Awesome! Like a lot of network sci-fi from that era, it really doesn't hold up too well under modern viewing standards, but much like Battlestar Galactica, the underlying premise is interesting enough to give it the reboot treatment. And I, for one, will be watching. Even better is the talent behind and in front of the camera, including producers Scott Peters (of the underrated The 4400) and Jeffrey Bell (Angel, Alias and X-Files) and actors Elizabeth Mitchell (the wondrous Juliet from Lost), Joel Gretsch (The 4400) and Morena Baccarin (the impossibly gorgeous space hooker from Firefly).

Warehouse 13: Not sure whether to count this or not, since we only have a couple more eppys to finish in this charming new show's initial run. For more on W13, check out my "Summer TV Report Card." The good news? It's Syfy's biggest scripted hit ever, and has already been renewed for a second season.

Sons of Anarchy: I missed this riveting show during its initial airing, but caught up via reruns and it's definitely a keeper. Part outlaw drama, part Shakespearean meditation (think Hamlet), SOA is like The Sopranos on Harleys. Extraordinarily well cast and well written, SOA wandered a bit during the first season (as most shows tend to do) before really hitting stride during the back half. Last night's premiere kicked off the second season with a vengeance.

I'll take potpourri for $5,700, Alex

The deleted Twilight scene. Ha!

The 10 Ugliest baseball unis of the 70s. Shield your eyes.

10 Funniest Freudian slips on TV. It's a good watch, and all the clips are short and to the point. (Trivia: the lovely lady who says "cock" in #5 is the wife of the current NFL commissioner).

TV Guides claims these are the 20 greatest TV catchphrases.

The best minor league baseball promotion ever. Matt Foley would be proud.

Bryan Fuller fesses up about why Heroes blew. (Blows?)

Oh, Boy! Scott Bakula talks about the 20th anniversary of Quantum Leap. (And who knew that Chuck's General Beckman was married to Enterprise's Doctor Phlox?)

I twittered this, but it's too funny not to reference again: Joe Cocker. Translated with subtitles.

Iowa uses common sense, and some conservatives think it's hard to be "Christian" in public now. So sorry about the potential public scorn directed at bigotry. Sullivan reacts here. The American Spectator calls equal marriage rights "a hill to die on." And what does this mean, politically, to the evangelical right?

100 classic movie lines in 200 seconds.

10 characters Zooey Deschanel should have played.

First Taun Taun sleeping bags, and now this? Why wasn't I a geek child in this era?

Why didn't he just pray, and have god magically fix it so he doesn't look like an al dente noodle in a windstorm in slow motion?

Chicago Trib looks at why NCIS is so appealing. It's weird, I feel the same way. I was looking for an "easy" procedural to watch when I was going to bed, and my TiVo recommended NCIS. I had never given it much thought, but started watching thanks to the USA repeats, and next thing you know, I had seen every episode. At first, you're a little nonchalant and incredulous. How long will Ducky's stories go on? How much can Gibbs glower? What's with the boat in the basement? Is Tony going to shamelessly flirt and quote movies in every episode? Is McGee Neo? Israeli to English doesn't really result in those kinds of malaprops, does it? Is this the sunniest and least hardcore goth chick ever? But after a while, you just come to welcome these characters onto your TV. Yeah, it's kind of square, but oddly addicting.

Zap2It looks at 10 good questions in preparation for tonight's Lost (though I don't think we'll get them all answered, of course).

10 "Wives Tales" debunked.