WB offers ‘Lord of Rings’ for sweeps
This first weekend of television sweeps month has a real old-fashioned feel about it.
In the old days, before reality television, networks tried to attract viewers with blockbuster movies, star-studded cast reunions, gimmicky crossover episodes and holiday specials. And that’s exactly what’s happening Sunday.
The WB network takes the most conservative approach to sweeps, pre-empting their entire Sunday and Monday night schedules to broadcast the 2001 epic “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (8 p.m. Sunday, WB). The question remains how many people have already seen this film in the theater, on cable or on DVD.
CBS offers a blast from its past with “Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork” (9 p.m. Sunday, CBS). Long before “Desperate Housewives,” this oil-patch potboiler attracted tens of millions of viewers to its prime-time soap-operatics.
Original cast members, including Larry Hagman, Victoria Principal, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton, Ken Kercheval and Steve Kanaly, will be on hand to reminisce.
NBC hopes that the combination of two dramas will multiply viewers.
“Las Vegas” characters Sam (Vanessa Marcil), Danny (Josh Duhamel) and Ed (James Caan) show up in the Boston morgue on “Crossing Jordan” (10 p.m., Sunday, NBC), along with a deceased high-roller with $3 million in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The story line continues Monday when “Jordan” star Jill Hennessey appears on “Las Vegas.”
The long-running “Simpsons” (8 p.m., Sunday, Fox) enters a new season with “Treehouse of Horror XV.” These always-amusing and amazing horror parodies are a ghoulish treat even when they arrive a week after Halloween.
This year, Flanders develops powers of prophecy in “The Ned Zone”; Maggie is reduced to a tiny particle and swallowed by Mr. Burns in “The Belly of the Boss”; and Bart and Lisa are transformed into Victorian-era inspectors in search of a Jack the Ripper-ish killer in “Four Beheadings and a Funeral.”
Comic actor and “Simpsons” voice talent Hank Azaria turns in a strong performance in “Huff” (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime), a new 13-episode series about Dr. Craig “Huff” Huffstodt, a psychiatrist whose personal and professional life unravels after a teenage patient commits suicide in his office.
This intelligent and provocative series balances pathos and profundity with many familiar comic elements. Huff’s overbearing mother (Blythe Danner) live in a guesthouse on his property. She drives Huff’s wife (Paget Brewster) crazy with her meddling advice and cringe-worthy comments.
Huff also shares time with his best friend (Oliver Platt), a slightly disheveled and ethically challenged lawyer who serves as a surrogate id for the buttoned-down doctor.
Tonight’s highlights
A teen lives his dream as a major league batboy on “Clubhouse” (8 p.m., CBS).
Dierks Bentley hosts “40 Greatest Road Songs” (8 p.m., CMT), a countdown of country highway tunes.
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): A woman shoots her husband. Self-defense or murder?
A teen pop star is brutalized on her set on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10 p.m., NBC).
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): profiles of SpaceShipOne rocket builder Burt Ruttan and motivational speaker Dave Ramsey, who preaches about the perils of personal debt.
Scheduled on “Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC): cleanliness issues in school cafeterias.
Tavis Smiley guest-stars as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on “American Dreams” (8 p.m., NBC).
Nic Robertson hosts “Kingdom on the Brink” (8 p.m., CNN) examining the future of the Saudi Arabia and its role as both an oil exporter and a breeding ground for terrorists.
Police seize George’s twin brother on the second-season premiere of “Arrested Development” (8:30 p.m., Fox).
“My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss” (9 p.m., Fox) offers a parody of “The Apprentice” and not much more.
Sharon Lawrence guest-stars on “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., ABC).
Ray Winstone and Helena Bonham Carter star in “Henry VIII” on “Masterpiece Theatre” (8 p.m., KSPS; concludes next Sunday).
Jennifer Connelly appears on “Inside the Actor’s Studio” (8 p.m. Bravo).
Alan’s candidate client is threatened by gutter politics on “Boston Legal” (10 p.m., ABC).
“Jump Cuts” (midnight, Comedy Central) showcases a medley of short cartoon features from around the globe.