Olympics face little competition
Some nights I try to find you an alternative to the Olympics.
And some nights there isn’t one.
You know it’s rough when American Movie Classics — ha! — is showing “City Slickers II” (1994) at 8, followed at 10:30 by “Fletch Lives!” (1989).
So, even if you’re not interested in the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, you’re pretty much stuck with a trip to Athens tonight.
NBC’s prime-time Olympics festivities start at 8. Tonight’s events include track and field medal finals, weightlifting and NBC’s favorite sport, beach volleyball. Bob Costas hosts.
There’s also hour upon hour of other events coverage on NBC’s corporate siblings, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo and Telemundo. Detailed schedules for all these stations are at nbcolympics.com. One final note: “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” are both pre-empted for late-night Olympic coverage.
Highlights
NFL football, ABC at 5: Preseason game finds the St. Louis Rams playing at the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Still Standing,” CBS at 8: Bill’s going to fix Tina’s dollhouse. Right. Repeat.
“Yes, Dear,” CBS at 8:30: A near-death experience has Jimmy trying to live out all his dreams. Repeat.
“Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS at 9: Peter (Chris Elliott) more or less moves in with Amy and Robert. Repeat.
“The Casino,” Fox at 9: A new episode finds Tommy on the spot to prove his value to the operation. Preceded by two repeats of “That ‘70s Show.”
“History Detectives,” KSPS at 9: Did these bullets kill Bonnie and Clyde? Ewwww.
“Two and a Half Men,” CBS at 9:30: Alan agrees to let Charlie help him get a new look. Repeat.
“CSI: Miami,” CBS at 10: The victim of a shark turns out to have been a bit of one herself. Repeat.
Family Fare
“7th Heaven,” WB at 8: Lucy thinks about motherhood. Repeat.
“Everwood,” WB at 9: Ephram and Amy are both thinking about taking things to the next level. Not with each other, though, as you would have figured during the first season. Repeat.
Cable Cast
Baseball, ESPN at 5.
“Dogma” (1999), Comedy Central at 7: Kevin Smith’s somewhat coherent, somewhat humorous look at religion, with Ben Affleck, Chris Rock and many more, including Alanis Morissette as God.
“John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A.” (1996), USA at 9: Sequels are never as good if they have to put the director’s name in the title, but this futuristic actioner does have Kurt Russell, Peter Fonda and Bruce Campbell.
“50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever,” VH1 at 4:30: This is a repeat, from May, but how can you not love a show that honors such unforgettably awful numbers as “Can I Touch You … There?” by Michael Bolton, “Sussudio” by Phil Collins and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wang Chung?
I won’t spoil it by revealing No. 1, but here’s a tip: It’s about urban planning.
Late Night Talk
“Late Show with David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Renee Olstead, who apparently is on “Still Standing.”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC at 12:05 a.m.: Musicians Jack Johnson and G. Love.
“Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” CBS at 12:35: Music from the Mooney Suzuki.