CBS (Tues., May 11, 9 p.m. ET)
Is it you or am I talking to a rerun?" rasps writer Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) when she gets a call from former boss Alan Brady (Carl Reiner). No, repeats of The Dick Van Dyke Show are on TV Land (mornings at 10:30). This is a fairly enjoyable new special, with a short intro by Ray Romano and a plot that sets up the old clips.
Reiner, who created the classic '60s sitcom, returns to his occasional on-camera role as the fictional TV star who employed Sally and Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) as joke-smiths. The script Reiner wrote for this reunion is hit-and-miss, but his performance is perfect. You immediately get the picture of a retired egotist whose chief hobby is burnishing his own image.
The premise has Alan hiring Rob and Sally to pen his eulogy in advance, but that project doesn't generate much laughter—maybe because punch-line specialist Buddy Sorrell (the late Morey Amsterdam) isn't alive to help. Fortunately, Rob's lovely wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), is on hand to contribute memories, and inevitably the special gives itself over to black-and-white scenes from the original series. The vintage comedy still seems so vital that you may suddenly find yourself in the mood for some reruns.
FANTASY
ABC (Mon., May 10, 8 p.m. ET)
To take the pulse 0f the target audience, I watched this Wonderful World of Disney presentation with two 10-year-olds. One pointed the finger at several differences between the film and the 1962 novel it's based on. But both became engrossed in this three-hour version of Madeleine L'Engle's enduring tale, which was originally intended as a miniseries when production began in 2001.
Unsupervised adults may consider Wrinkle overblown and didactic, though all will endorse its positive message. Meg (Katie Stuart), a bright but pugnacious adolescent, feels bad because she just doesn't seem to fit in. Shazam! A supernatural visitor called Mrs. Whatsit (played with brio by Alfre Woodard) directs Meg and her precocious little brother Charles Wallace (David Dorfman) on a quest to rescue their scientist dad (Chris Potter) from the planet Camazotz, where the authorities enforce a stultifying sameness. They're joined by Calvin (Everwood's Gregory Smith), a nice boy who appreciates Meg's individuality.
The film cleverly establishes the dark planet's 1984-like atmosphere, but it's preachy at the finish.
MAGIC
NBC (Wed., May 12, 8 p.m. ET)
So an unknown named Gerry McCambridge got into the head of NBC President Jeff Zucker and whispered, "Make me a star." Well, that's not exactly what happened, but the network says Zucker was so wowed by the mentalist's performance at a party that he gave him this special.
All the closeups of McCambridge's eyes may have hypnotized me, but I found his act diverting and, on occasion, moderately amazing. Three shoppers enter a vast warehouse store and are told to buy one item each. McCambridge correctly predicts the purchases and the total bill. This dude would freak Bob Barker out.
It must be said that McCambridge's charisma quotient is rather low. Some will see his act as tame compared with the endurance stunts of David Blaine. But mind games are McCambridge's forte, not physical stuff. The show's supposed big finish, in which he travels blindfolded down New York City's Broadway on a motorized scooter, is less entertaining than watching him make a man think water tastes like clam chowder.
DOCUMENTARY
HBO (Sun., May 9, 6:30 p.m. ET)
This extraordinary documentary airs on Mother's Day, but look elsewhere if you want greeting-card sentiment. The film is an intimate, unflinching look at the family headed by Susan Tom, a single mother of 11 adopted children who have special needs. A 19-year-old with a degenerative skin disorder, a bipolar 15-year-old with cystic fibrosis, a 13-year-old without legs, an 8-year-old severely disfigured by a fire—the challenges are almost too many and varied to contemplate, and Tom seldom has time to enjoy the emotional rewards. In the end it's painfully clear that she can't do it all for these kids, but you'll be awed by her willingness to try.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (ABC, May 9, 7 p.m. ET) Listen up, you Muggles. The first Potter movie has its network premiere, followed by a 10-min. plug for the third one, opening in June.
King of the Hill (FOX, May 9, 7:30 p.m. ET) It's Texas-style Zen comedy when Hank hurts his back and gets relief from a yogi (guest voice Johnny Depp).
The Carol Burnett Show: Let's Bump Up the Lights (CBS, May 12, 10 p.m. ET) Remember when they blew lines and giggled uncontrollably? Carol and her old mates reminisce and run clips in another special.
ER (NBC, May 13, 10 p.m. ET) In the season finale, Dr. Kovac struggles to keep a woman and her young son alive after a car accident.
Hope & Faith (ABC, May 14, 9 p.m. ET) Kelly Ripa wallows in suds as All My Children's Susan Lucci guest-stars in an hour-long episode centering on the Daytime Emmys.
- Contributors:
- Terry Kelleher.
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!
