Carey returns with ‘Power’
This summer marks the return of Drew Carey, first to host the new game show “Power of Ten” (8 p.m., CBS) and then to succeed Bob Barker as host of the CBS-produced syndicated chestnut “The Price Is Right.”
About a decade back, Carey was the cherubic face of ABC. Between his eponymous sitcom and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Carey seemed to comprise about 40 percent of ABC’s schedule.
But that was before “Desperate Housewives” and the network’s upward march from the ratings basement, where the Peacock now dwells when it’s not chained like an albatross to NBC’s aimless mariner, Jeff Zucker.
Carey is the perfect game-show host – the right combination of the comic everyman and the slightly bawdy deliverer of delicate innuendo. For all of the gazillions he’s earned through his network hits, he still projects a palpable sense of identification with the working stiff.
Why else would he still wear those glasses they issued him during his stint in the Marine Corps?
Carey seems to be enjoying himself and makes it all look easy, and that’s a valuable skill to have when you’re on television for hours at a time. It remains to be seen whether he considers this new game-show chapter a career booster or a personal purgatory.
But it should be amusing for those of us on the viewing end of the tube.
The new series “i-Caught” (10 p.m., ABC) promises to tell the stories behind the most popular photos and videos streamed on the Web.
Other highlights
Keith Olbermann moderates a Democratic presidential forum (4 p.m., MSNBC).
Two get the hook on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC).
Home viewers get the final cut on “On the Lot” (8 p.m., Fox).
The Gilmores hit the road on “Gilmore Girls” (8 p.m., CW).
Julie Chen hosts “Big Brother” (9 p.m., CBS).
A musical prodigy (Dave Matthews) faces a fateful choice on “House” (9 p.m., Fox).
Bridges need painting on “Dirty Jobs” (9 p.m., Discovery).
Dust in the wind on “Eureka” (9 p.m. Sci Fi).
Patty feels threatened on “Damages” (10 p.m., FX).
As the Son of Sam terrorizes the city, George bludgeons Billy about Reggie’s spot in the lineup on “The Bronx Is Burning” (7 p.m., ESPN).