Show of the week
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As it did last January, Once and Again has yielded ABC's Tuesday-at-10 spot to NYPD Blue. But this time the sophomore series switches to Wednesdays at 10, in a "counter-programming" move against NBC's Law & Order. The theory: Men dig badges and gavels; women are into feelings and relationships. Call me a demographic misfit, but I like both shows.
Once and Again can be self-conscious in its sensitivity, especially when characters confide their innermost thoughts to the audience. In one of November's confessional moments, we got a closeup of Billy Campbell's hands as he was wringing them. But I'm still impressed by the drama's respect for the complexity of life. The relationship of divorced Rick (Campbell) and soon-to-be-divorced Lily (Sela Ward)—each the parent of two—can be lusty, frustrating and disappointing in the same hour. The kids are confused by the blended-families situation—as if they didn't have enough trouble with teen social pressures, SAT-phobia and the rest. Mindful of their own mistakes, Rick and Lily and their exes (Susanna Thompson and Jeffrey Nordling) find their parental authority diminished. Every order or instruction has an undertone of apology.
"Sometimes people just aren't who you need them to be at, like, a certain moment," said Lily's daughter Grace (Julia Whelan) in the Jan. 10 episode. This show asks: Can you love them anyway?
Bottom Line: Play it again
Showtime (Sat, Jan. 20 and 27, 8 p.m. ET)
This is quite a talky miniseries, but what else would you expect? It tells four separate stories, and parts of each take place in the office of a psychiatrist (Stockard Channing).
The first and weakest segment presents Elle Macpherson in a stiff performance as a hitherto-straight lawyer hemming and hawing over whether to continue a lesbian affair with a "career bisexual" (Kate Capshaw). The second offers a strong ensemble (Allison Janney, Glenne Headly, Rebecca De Mornay) in the tale of three incompatible sisters who must live together for a week Big Brother-style to collect an inheritance. Some laughs compensate for the emotional manipulation.
A wronged wife (Lynn Whitfield), a mousy mistress (Mia Farrow) and a hired seductress (Linda Hamilton) plot revenge against a philanderer (Scott Bakula) in segment three. The climax satisfies neither the schemers nor the viewer. In the finale, a hostile patient (Camryn Manheim) unnerves Channing. Tension builds until Manheim pulls a gun and things get silly.
Bottom Line: No shortage of stars, but it's only so-so
Lifetime (Mon., Jan. 22, 9 p.m. ET)
According to a Lifetime press release, this TV movie "launches Brooke Shields as a major dramatic actress." Okay, a touch of hyperbole. But Shields is surprisingly effective as a lesbian locked in a child-custody battle with the parents (Anne Meara and Al Waxman) of her partner (Cherry Jones), who died five years after becoming a mother through artificial insemination. Though phoniness creeps into the courtroom proceedings (featuring Whoopi Goldberg, one of the executive producers, in the role of Shields's lawyer), Jones and Shields movingly portray a couple whose love and commitment transcend legalism.
Following the drama at 11 p.m., the worthwhile documentary All Kinds of Families looks at five unconventional parenting situations, including that of the real-life woman on whom Shields's character is based.
Bottom Line; Something to relate to
A&E (Mondays, 9 p.m. ET)
Courts and cops have been meat and drink to Sidney Lumet through a distinguished moviemaking career that includes 12 Angry Men and Serpico. This series, created and executive-produced by Lumet, is more on a par with Night Falls on Manhattan, his most recent film about criminal justice. It's uneven but bears watching.
Lumet wrote and directed the two-hour pilot, airing Jan. 15. Though stuffed with exposition, the opener is notable for Alan Arkin's superb performance as Joe Rifkind, a New York City judge under fire for leniency. An unassuming man of conscience, Rifkind is someone you'll want to know well. Unfortunately, he does nothing on Jan. 22 but chat inconsequentially with hard-line Judge Attallah Sims (La-Tanya Richardson), his philosophical sparring partner. The focus shifts to Ramon Rodriguez (Manny Perez), a tomcatting public defender. Like the system it depicts, 100 Centre Street has an overcrowded docket.
Bottom Line: Still taking evidence
>Sunday, Jan. 21 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NBC (8 p.m. ET) Al Pacino gets a career citation at this 58th annual Hollywood honor party.
Monday, Jan. 22 THE PRETENDER 2001 TNT (8 p.m. ET) No pretending. This is an original movie based on the ex-NBC series, now in TNT reruns.
Tuesday, Jan. 23 NYPD BLUE ABC (10 p.m. ET) A female cop is shot, and a new prosecutor (Garcelle Beauvais from The Jamie Foxx Show) gets the case
Wednesday, Jan. 24 STRANGE FREQUENCY VH1 (9 p.m. ET) Eric Roberts and Judd Nelson top the cast in an anthology of four chillers related to rock and roll.
Thursday, Jan. 25 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS A&E (9 p.m. ET) Intrepid Joan Lunden goes inside the Miss America pageant and a Special Forces training center.
Friday, Jan. 26 POPULAR The WB (9 p.m. ET) Harrison undergoes a personality change and Nicole learns she's adopted.
Saturday, Jan. 27 THE GREATEST SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS CBS (8 p.m. ET) A salute to 30 years of ads kicks off three hours of prime-time buildup for the big game on Jan. 28.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
