By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer
The dramatically promising "K-Ville" didn't last long on Fox last fall. It was done in by low ratings and the disruption of the writers strike. But its star has wasted no time bouncing back, right into TV's longest-running drama.
Anthony Anderson joins the cast of "Law & Order" as this NBC institution airs the first of five new episodes to complete its 18th season. And on the same episode (10 p.m. EDT Wednesday) veteran cast member Jesse L. Martin makes his final appearance after nine seasons as Detective Ed Green.
Does good-cop Green really kill a notorious hustler who resurfaces inconveniently from his past? That's how it appears to his partner, Detective Cyrus Lupo, when called to the crime scene. Then the case is turned over to internal affairs Detective Kevin Bernard, played by Anderson. The real question seems to be: What secrets has Green been keeping from his colleagues and from viewers all these years?
Look for Bernard to fill the slot Green is about to vacate in the show's six-character template. But only time will tell how Bernard gets along with Lupo (Jeremy Sisto, in his own freshman year on the series).
Anderson, a gifted performer in both comedy and drama, has appeared in such films as "The Departed," "Me, Myself & Irene" and "Transformers," and was riveting as an L.A. gang leader on FX's "The Shield."
Now he becomes the 25th actor (give or take) to be a "Law & Order" regular.
Receiving him in New York's criminal justice system are S. Epatha Merkerson (as Lt. Van Buren), Linus Roache (as Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter), Alana De La Garza (as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa) and Sam Waterston (as District Attorney Jack McCoy).
Other shows to look out for:
• A poignant, inspiring story for the start of baseball season: Roberto Clemente is profiled by "American Experience." Born in a poor rural barrio in Puerto Rico, he was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 (and met with 1950s-era racism), then went on to become baseball's first Latino superstar. In his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he led the team to two World Series championships and won four National League batting titles. In his final turn at bat for the 1972 season, he got his 3,000th career hit. But by then he was also focusing on humanitarian causes. The last day of 1972, he boarded a DC-7 aircraft with relief supplies for survivors of a catastrophic earthquake in Nicaragua. Shortly after takeoff, the overloaded aircraft crashed, cutting short the life of the 38-year-old baseball legend and budding statesman. Clemente's wife, Vera, hall of famer Orlando Cepeda and former teammates are among those who appear in the one-hour portrait, which airs 9 p.m. EDT Monday on PBS (check local listings).
• You couldn't ask for better traveling companions than "Car Talk" radio hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi when PBS' "NOVA" goes in search of the "Car of the Future." The wisecracking, car-wise Magliozzi brothers visit engineers and designers with high-rev concepts for better, more fuel-efficient ways to drive. And they ask the question: Will we get where we need to be, before it's too late? The brothers make the scene at the souped-up North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and at the AltWheels Festival in Boston, where they squeeze into a tiny three-wheeler that boasts 100 miles per gallon (but zero elbow room). They investigate hydrogen-powered cars and cars you plug into a wall socket every night. This is an entertaining, informative progress report and call to action for a gas-guzzling age. "Car of the Future" airs 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (check local listings).
• These days, the guys are grounded while the gals hit the road. All-girl vacations are the rage. Find out why — or, at least, good places to go — on "All-Girl Getaways" on Fine Living Network. Hosted by travelgirl Magazine Editor Stephanie Oswald, this new "docu-travel" series joins a group of women as they take a break from husbands, kids and obligations for a rejuvenating escape. The premiere episode, airing 9 p.m. EDT Thursday, takes viewers along with best friends Traci, Dana, Cheryl and Michelle for a Caribbean cruise. Then, at 9:30 p.m. EDT, five gal pals meet up for a weekend in Philadelphia, city of sisterly love. (After this week, the series travels to 9 p.m. EDT Wednesdays.)
• Amy Poehler is a versatile performer, as she demonstrates weekly on "Saturday Night Live." Still, she has a distinctive comic voice. If you don't think so, tune in as she voices a kookie, irrepressible 9-year-old girl on the Nickelodeon cartoon, "The Mighty B!" Co-created by Poehler, this new series focuses on Bessie Higgenbottom, gung-ho leader of her local Honeybees scout troop (she wears her Honeybees uniform every day). On the first episode, Bessie adopts an equally spirited pooch so she can compete in the Honeybees-sponsored dog show. Then Bessie takes a long-awaited ride on the world's most terrifying roller coaster — but only after proving she's tall enough to gain admission. "The Mighty B!" is mighty silly, hyperactive and fun to watch (and not necessarily just by kids). It premieres 10:30 a.m. EDT Saturday.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org
No comments:
Post a Comment