‘Ex List’ episode just OK
Tonight’s might-see
“The Ex List,” 9 p.m., CBS. For good and bad, this episode typifies “The Ex List.”
Visually, it’s splendid, with an idealized California of perfect skies, waves and bodies.
Bella (Elizabeth Reaser) and most of her friends fit the mold. Now she meets a beefy surfer (Brian Van Holt) from her past. All of this is pleasant to watch.
Still, the basic idea – each week, Bella finds an ex-boyfriend who may be her intended mate – is limited. Tonight’s story is OK, but nothing more.
Tonight’s might-see II
“Bang the Drum Slowly” (1973), 5 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. This is travel day for the World Series, as the teams head to Philadelphia for Game Three. TCM fills the gap.
It’s a small movie, boosted by an intelligent script and fine actors. Michael Moriarty is the star pitcher, with Robert De Niro as a struggling catcher.
Two more baseball stories follow – John Sayles’ “Eight Men Out” (1988) at 6:45 p.m. and James Stewart in “The Stratton Story” (1949) at 9 p.m.
Other choices include
“Ghost Whisperer,” 8 p.m., CBS. Melinda wants to get away from it all on a romantic cruise with her husband. Alas, when you see dead people, there’s never a vacation.
“Deal or No Deal,” 8 p.m., NBC. The show settles into what will be (with 9 p.m. Wednesdays) one of its regular slots. Tonight, eight briefcases are each worth $1 million.
“Halloween” (1978, AMC) or “Addams Family Values” (1993, Family), both 8 p.m. Catch the nasty or fun side of Halloween here. “Halloween” is raw and violent, but extraordinarily well-crafted on a micro-budget by John Carpenter; “Addams” is for fun – as is Eddie Murphy’s “The Haunted Mansion” (2003), at 9 p.m. on the Disney Channel.
“Crusoe,” 9 p.m., NBC. Robinson Crusoe’s friend, Friday, has a vision of returning a woman to the sea. The men start an adventure.
“Life,” 10 p.m., NBC. During post-earthquake chaos, Crews must find an escaped convict.
“Numb3rs,” 10 p.m., CBS. Henry Winkler plays an FBI agent who has been tracking a con man for years.