Coach shares field, home in ‘Lights’
Tonight’s must-see
“Friday Night Lights,” 9 p.m., NBC. Slowly and subtly, Coach Eric Taylor has become one of TV’s great characters.
As played by Kyle Chandler, he’s a man of quiet complexity. He’s honest, earnest and (on occasion) dead wrong.
Tonight, two situations require intimacy: He’s sharing his practice field with another team; he’s sharing his home with Tim Riggins. Powerful moments follow, marking “Lights” as a great TV drama.
Might-see
“Top This Party: Orange County” debut, 10 p.m., Lifetime. In depicting decadence, the Federico Fellini film “La Dolce Vita” showed a party celebrating a divorce. Now, 47 years later, that’s just one moment in a reality show.
Brian Dobbin, a party-planner, is hired by Caren Lancona. She wants a $100,000 divorce party, complete with her arrival by helicopter.
This may be the best of the four new reality shows that Lifetime debuts in one busy block.
Other choices include
“1 vs. 100” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. This fun game show is back. The opener has two battles-of-the-sexes; NBC also promises one of them will bring a big winner.
“Grey’s Anatomy,” 8 p.m., ABC. Holding off its remaining new “Men in Trees” episodes for a while, ABC airs (for the third time) the “Grey’s” season-opener. Cristina returns from what was supposed to be her honeymoon; the new residents start work, with George having to repeat the residency.
“How to Look Good Naked” debut, 9 p.m., Lifetime. At the end of this half-hour, you’ll probably shrug and wonder how, exactly, it could be a series. Carson Kressley, formerly of “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,” tries to convince a likable young woman that she’s not really overweight. He talks about body-loathing, grumbles about skinny models and displays her body to approving strangers; he also shows her new ways to dress attractively. All of this would be a good-enough episode of a wide-ranging show. Kressley, however, plans to continue this every week; it could get old in a hurry.
“Matched in Manhattan” debut, 9:30 p.m., Lifetime. Matt Titus brings a hardy zest to his job as a matchmaker. In the opener, he helps a young hospital administrator who is bright and attractive, but overwhelmed. She leaped from a Tennessee town of 10,000 to a new life in Manhattan.
“Numb3rs,” 10 p.m., CBS. In a switch, CBS reruns the season-opener. It’s a flashy hour with Val Kilmer as a guest star and Tony Scott (“Top Gun”) directing. Scott gives a flashy look to a story that has Colby undercover as a convict.
“Miss America: Reality Check” debut, 10 p.m., TLC. In the weeks before the Miss America pageant, we’ll see the 52 contestants living together while “experts” try to make them modern and relevant. It’s harmless enough, but it seems a long way from letting contestants be natural and honest.