Watch Fox for entertaining cheese’

Mon., June 21, 2004

Joel Brown The New York Times Syndicate

There are a few good offerings on cable tonight, and a bunch of junk on the networks. Fox comes through in the middle, with two heapin’ helpings of entertaining cheese.

There’s absolutely nothing of value in the prime-time soap “North Shore,” at 8. But this tale of romantic and professional intrigue at a Hawaiian luxury hotel abounds in pretty, shallow people who have to wear bathing suits a lot of the time. Tonight, the Grand Waimea gains a new employee when a down-on-her-luck conniver gets abandoned at the hotel by her boyfriend and gets a job as a maid. Oh, and “MJ and Chris succumb to their undeniable chemistry.”

Then at 9, it’s Mark Burnett’s “The Casino,” a reality show about two dot-com millionaires who plow their fortunes into reviving an old-school Vegas casino. Tonight, a “whale” – or high roller – arrives at the Golden Nugget, and when his luck takes a turn for the worse, he breaks the rules during a card game. Plus, one young couple get an offer that makes them wonder how far they should go for a good time.

Highlights

Sitcom repeat hell, ABC at 8: After that description, you want details? OK, it’s reruns of “My Wife and Kids,” “George Lopez,” “According to Jim” and “Hope & Faith.”

“Still Standing,” CBS at 8: Bill and Judy find out their kids don’t respect them as much as they hoped. Repeat.

Reality-TV hell, NBC at 8: A “Fear Factor” repeat, followed by a new episode of “For Love or Money,” followed by the season premiere of “Who Wants to Marry My Dad?” One big festering Petri dish of cultural viruses, a dark glimpse into the heart of the American dream. Or something like that.

“Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS at 9: Repeat of the one where Ray and Robert sit in a van and argue — which was, oddly, one of the season’s best episodes.

“History Detectives,” KSPS at 9: A Civil War submarine and Thomas Edison’s house are among the topics explored.

“Two and a Half Men,” CBS at 9:30: Jenna Elfman guests as Charlie’s wacky new girl. Repeat.

“Weddings Gone Wacky, Wonderful and Wild,” ABC at 10: Diane Sawyer hosts this reality miniseries.

“CSI: Miami,” CBS at 10: Who killed the porn star? Repeat.

Family Fare

“Summerland,” WB at 9: The WB’s summer schedule is apparently 60 percent “Summerland” repeats. This is at least the third airing in a week of the episode in which Bradin falls for a rich party girl, and Ava finds a joint in his jeans.

Cable Cast

“Pride,” A&E at 8: Awesome voice cast — Helen Mirren, John Hurt, Kate Winslet, Robbie Coltrane, Sean Bean and more — in an animated tale of young lion love. Repeats at 10.

Baseball, ESPN at 5: Teams to be announced.

“AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: Tribute to Meryl Streep,” USA at 9: Two hours of film clips and fawning, as Streep’s colleagues, from Jack Nicholson on down, express their awe at her skills and make “a dingo ate my baby” jokes.

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