When Year Starts This Badly, Can There Be Cause For Hope?
Happy New Year.
On the first Monday of 1996 you get smacked with sobering evidence that it’s going to be another long year of repackaged network TV movies.
ABC’s “Have You Seen My Son?” at 8 star Lisa Hartman Black as a woman whose son is snatched by her ex-husband (Jameson Parker).
When police are unable to help, the courageous mom begins her own search. I’ve lost track. How many times have we seen it?
For me, the most irritating thing about this threadbare story is that you know that when she closes in on the missing child with an hour to go in the movie, he’ll surely slip through her fingers.
The mom always prevails in the last five minutes. The one thing different about this one is that it isn’t based on a true story.
NBC’s “Deadly Pursuits” at 9 stars Tori Spelling (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) in a lightweight, convoluted tale of a young man (Patrick Muldoon of “Melrose Place”) trying to unravel the mob-style murders of his mother and sister and the disappearance of his businessman father.
Spelling plays a woman hired by the bad guys to romance and betray the young man.
Not unexpectedly, she falls in love with him, and they both become the target of mobsters.
It’s a classic casting stunt intended to reap high ratings among younger viewers.
The funny thing is, I don’t think FOX would cast inept Spelling in a TV movie of its own. It would be too embarrassing.
Highlights
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” NBC at 8: Will (Will Smith) has his always-fragile male ego flattened when he joins a gym and gets decked by a female boxer.
“21st Century Jet: The Building of the 777,” KSPS at 8: This series, taking flight over five consecutive weeks, traces the development of Boeing’s new 777 jetliner. Peter Coyote narrates the story of the plane from its conception to its first scheduled passenger flight.
“Murphy Brown,” CBS at 9: Corky and Miles (Faith Ford, Grant Shaud) hold a wedding - without telling her family they’re already married. Jean Stapleton guest stars as Miles’ often spoken of, but never before seen, Nana Silverberg.
“Murder One,” ABC at 10: In a dramatic turn of events, a deranged fan (Debra Christofferson) who has stalked Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick) claims responsibility for the murder of Jessica Costello. Meanwhile, Richard Cross (Stanley Tucci) uses a dirty trick to make out in his divorce - one that outrages Hoffman (Daniel Benzali).
An introduction summarizes the first eight episodes of the Steven Bochco crime drama as it returns to prime time on a new night.
“Chicago Hope,” CBS at 10: Jeffrey Geiger (Mandy Patinkin) shows up to perform a heart transplant for Dr. Austin (Christine Lahti), who is preoccupied by an ugly child-custody fight with her ex (Ron Silver).
Cable Calls
“Survivors of the Holocaust,” TBS at 8:05 and 11:05: Survivors tell the horrifying stories of their interment and the murder of family and fellow prisoners.
The disturbing documentary is part of Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Visual History Foundation.
These are only a fraction of the interviews being collected by the foundation so that future generations cannot forget the Nazi atrocities.
“Prison Life: Prisoners of the War on Drugs,” HBO at 10: The latest “America Undercover” documentary is a raw and telling expose of prison drug culture.
But underlying the revealing look is an argument that politicians’ zeal for tougher drug sentences has created a ticking time bomb inside U.S. prisons.
Though most of the inmates interviewed are hard to feel sorry for, they are further evidence that winning the war on drugs entails more than just catching users and dealers and tossing them in prison.
The hour does, however, suffer from excess when it comes to graphic descriptions of prison drugs-for-sex routines.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35 : Actress-singer Bette Midler, political activist Harry Wu. Repeat.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35 : Actor Sam Neill.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m. : Director Spike Lee, model Frederique and musical guest Skastafarians. Repeat.