‘Buried Secrets’ Quickly Unearthed
NBC’s “Buried Secrets” at 9 is an old-fashioned Gothic murder-mystery that gives away most of the story in the first five minutes and spends too much time straining to breathe suspense into very familiar material.
By the time the murderer is revealed, you’ve either guessed right or stopped caring.
Even a touch of special effects can’t lift this supernatural thriller, set on the New England coast.
Following the death of her father, Annalisse (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen of “Beverly Hills, 90210”) has moved with her mother (Melinda Culea) into a big old house perched on a Maine sea cliff.
The owner (Tim Matheson) moved out after his wife fell from the cliff and his teenage daughter Mary (Erika Flores) mysteriously disappeared.
Annalisse soon discovers that the house is haunted by Mary’s ghost. Was she killed? Was her mother killed? How come dad’s new wife (Kelly Rutherford) had a baby just months after the “accident?”
The plot sounds vaguely literate, but Thiessen’s flimsy, one-dimensional performance (not to mention Matheson’s dopey turn as the anguished husband/father) slows things to a crawl. Flores is more sensual and alluring in her short scenes than Thiessen ever thought of being.
I say it’s time for NBC to pull the plug on the “90210” girls. Thiessen, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling haven’t made a movie yet that’s worth watching. Keep ‘em in Beverly Hills.
Highlights
“Cosby,” CBS at 8: When you’re down, you down. Hilton’s (Bill Cosby) run of bad luck continues when, due to a hospital mix-up, he gets the colonoscopy that was meant for his cousin (Harry Jefferson). Making things worse, the procedure is broadcast on the Internet.
“Football,” ABC at 6: The Denver Broncos (7-1) meet the Raiders (4-4) in Oakland.
“Westminster Abbey,” KSPS at 8: Tour one of England’s most famous landmarks with playwright Alan Bennett. Don’t expect a boring visit.
Bennett entertains and informs as he points out the architectural highlights and burial sites of British monarchs and other notables.
“Wow! The Most Awesome Acts on Earth,” FOX at 9: It’s hard to resist this electronic version of a carnival sideshow. Included in the hour: the purported “world’s most flexible man,” a woman who locks herself in a box and lights a stick of dynamite, and a man who swallows a red-hot light bulb.
“Chicago Hope,” CBS at 10: There’s always a new ethical question to be pondered by TV’s prime-time medical shows, and here’s a good one. Shutt (Adam Arkin) is asked by a dying death-row inmate (Tobin Bell) to allow him to die on the operating table to prevent his family from the unpleasantness of his upcoming execution.
Also, Watters (Hector Elizondo) encounters an amnesiac (Harry Shearer), but it’s Watters whose memory is off the mark.
Cable Calls
“Passion and Paradise” (1989), LIFE at 8: Armand Assante stars in this tightly wound tale that delves into the mysterious death of millionaire Sir Harry Oakes (Rod Steiger), a scandal that rocked the Bahamas in the 1940s.
Some say Sir Harry was bludgeoned to death by 36-year-old Alfred de Marigny (Assante), who seduced and married Oakes’ 18-year-old daughter (Catherine Mary Stewart).
It’s a well-acted drama - Assante is excellent - but overlong. The four-hour-long TV movie originally aired in two parts.
“Just Like Dad” (1996), DISN at 8:30: A sixth-grader (Ben Diskin) hires a weight lifter to be his father for a day - a move that breaks the heart of his wimpy father (Wallace Shawn). Unavailable for review.
“Not Necessarily the Elections,” HBO at 10: On the night before the election, HBO repeats four consecutive episodes of the sassy political series featuring the razor-sharp musings of Emmy-winner Dennis Miller.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Actor Walter Matthau, actress Jada Pinkett and singer Reba McEntire.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Mel Gibson, Christine Lahti (“Chicago Hope”) and singer Joni Mitchell.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Teri Hatcher (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”), musician Isaac Hayes and Iditarod champ Jeff King. Repeat.