Cbs Counting On Viewers’ Curiosity
“Ordinary/Extraordinary,” which has aired as a special in the past, starts a short summer run on CBS at 8.
It’s a flashback to the days when “That’s Incredible!” (ABC, 1980-84) was a surprise hit.
The networks know that bored viewers feed on cheap thrills. They’ll check out any show, once at least, that bears a label promising something out of the ordinary.
John Schneider (“The Dukes of Hazzard”) and 1992 Miss America Leanza Cornett host the hour.
On tap tonight: A 10-year-old Florida boy whose arms and legs were amputated when he was 15 months old. Today, he plays baseball and soccer and swims with the help of his faithful golden retriever, Sandy.
Chinese acrobats demonstrate stunts that seem to defy the laws of physics; humans swim with 50-foot whale sharks; and near Gainesville, Fla., researchers have developed a way to trigger lightning strikes and have built several buildings to study the effects of the bolts from the blue.
Not unlike “That’s Incredible!” this series serves up goofy and forgettable tidbits. Tonight’s examples include a motorcycle-riding cat from New Zealand, a kindergarten teacher in the Cook Islands who husks coconuts with her teeth, and an annual contest in New Zealand to determine who is the best “dancer” with a king cobra.
Whether you find this incredible or extraordinary is a matter of taste, I suppose.
But as I watch dozens of hours of television each week, there certainly are times when I say to myself, “What this show needs right now is someone husking coconuts with her teeth.”
Highlights
“Step by Step,” ABC at 8: Bronson Pinchot lends his zany comedy skills when the character he plays, Jean-Luc, finds out that the first lady wants him to cut her hair.
“Unsolved Mysteries,” NBC at 8: The series investigates the shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur in a rather unsatisfying report that suggests police have left key questions unasked.
Also featured is a story of a noncustodial mother on the run with her daughter. Her experience in military intelligence appears to be keeping her one step ahead of the police. Repeat.
“Sliders,” FOX at 8: While stuck in a world where young adults are required to take part in a bizarre organ-donor program, the sliders discover that Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) is infected by an “Alien”-like creature that is about to reproduce.
“JAG,” CBS at 9: Harm (David James Elliot) investigates a murder in Okinawa that may be linked to a top-secret weapon. Repeat.
“Dateline NBC,” NBC at 9: In the latest of the show’s “Survivor” segments, Keith Morrison reports on a brush with death for four friends who entered a one-day fishing tournament off the Caribbean Island of San Andres.
“Millennium,” FOX at 9: Black (Lance Henriksen) investigates a series of sickening killings in San Francisco. But he’s more troubled when he finds an old nemesis again threatening his family.
Cable Calls
“The Trigger Effect” (1996), MAX at 8: A power failure unleashes passion and violence in this thriller starring Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”), Elisabeth Shue and Dermot Mulroney.
“Trading Places” (1983), COM at 8:30: Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy star in this farce about a spoiled executive forced to exchange places with a fast-taking con man. Jamie Lee Curtis steals several scenes as a prostitute who becomes involved.
It’s probably not as funny now as then, but the modern “Prince & the Pauper” tale gets plenty of mileage out of Murphy’s almost demonic charm and Aykroyd’s constant indignation.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Pro tennis star Anna Kournikova and singer Dwight Yoakam.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Actors Tony Danza and Michael Rapaport and comedian Todd Barry.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:35 a.m.: To be announced.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”) and actor D.B. Sweeney.