‘Revelations’ offers apocalyptic theme
No one ever went broke predicting the end of the world. The apocalypse-is-just-around-the-corner business has been operating on full throttle for the past 30 years.
Hal Lindsay’s book “The Late, Great Planet Earth,” explained correlations between contemporary phenomenon and biblical prophecies and was one of the best-selling books of the 1970s.
In the past decade, the “Left Behind” series of novels has combined details from the Book of Revelations with Tom Clancy-like pulp fiction to become some of the best-selling books in recent memory. End times hysteria has also films of varying quality, from the grade Z adaptation of “Left Behind” starring Kirk Cameron, the 1991 thriller “The Rapture” starring Mimi Rodgers and David Duchovny, to Demi Moore’s 1988 apocalyptic farce “The Seventh Sign.”
Now NBC gets into the racket with “Revelations” (9 p.m., NBC), a seriously creepy thriller starring Bill Pullman as Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Richard Massey. Pullman makes the most of his icy reserve here. He’s a celebrated man of science who has just undertaken the ghastly task of tracking down the infamous Satanist Isaiah Haden (Michael Massee), who ritually murdered Massey’s daughter.
If that weren’t strange enough, poor Massey becomes entangled in a mystical mystery when a young girl, declared brain dead after being struck by lightning, begins “talking” and scrawling crude drawings with a curious resemblance to those of the doctor’s dead daughter.
In a plot twist that could have been lifted from the recent Schiavo controversy, the brain-dead girl becomes the subject of a battle between a religious group and secular scientists who would declare her dead and harvest her organs.
At the head of the faithful is Sister Josepha Montifiore (Natascha McElhone), who it can be certain, will serve as the spiritual ying to Massey’s empirical yang during the course of this six-hour ordeal.
And while all of this is happening, a mysterious child is found floating in the sea off the coast of Greece. Is he a baby castaway? Or a portent of miracles sent from heaven and hell? I’ll never tell.
NBC is certainly betting a lot on “Revelations,” hoping its audience will stick around for a showdown between the forces of good and evil that should culminate some time during the May sweeps.
Speaking of the end of the world, Fox debuts its new comedy “Stacked” (8:30 p.m., Fox), starring Pamela Anderson as a curvaceous former bad girl who takes a job at a sedate bookstore. It’s a bit of an understatement to say that “Stacked” is based on a one-note joke.
To be fair to Fox and to you, my dear readers, let me say a review copy of “Stacked” was not available in time for this column. So, like the rest of you, I’ll just have to hate it, sight unseen.
For those keeping score of our cultural decline, “Stacked” marks the second Fox comedy to star an “actress” whose notoriety is largely derived from a porn video. The fact that Paris Hilton and Ms. Anderson now have back-to-back shows leading up to the G-rated “American Idol,” speaks volumes about the tastemakers at Rupert Murdoch’s network.
Other highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (8 p.m., CBS): an interview with an Italian journalist shot by American soldiers in Iraq.
The mystery critter returns on “Lost” (8 p.m., ABC).
The votes are tallied on “American Idol” (9 p.m., Fox).
Vaughn goes seriously freelance on “Alias” (9 p.m., ABC).
Murder at a posh hotel on “CSI: NY” (10 p.m.).
A philandering lawyer hops her last bed on “Law & Order” (10 p.m., NBC).
Industrial espionage on “Eyes” (10 p.m., ABC).
Cult choice
CB radio pranksters (Steve Zahn, Paul Walker) feel the wrath of an angry truck driver in the 2001 thriller “Joy Ride” (8 p.m., FX).
Series notes
Interns out of control on “The Simple Life” (8 p.m., Fox) … Tyra Banks hosts “America’s Next Top Model” (8 p.m., UPN) … The red rock makes Lex lose it on “Smallville” (8 p.m., WB).
Ill-gotten goods on “King of Queens” (9 p.m., CBS) … A boxer enters the legal ring on “Kevin Hill” (9 p.m., UPN) … Grace is snubbed on “Jack & Bobby” (9 p.m., WB) … Barking up the wrong tree on “Yes, Dear” (9:30 p.m., CBS) … Molly goes out of control on “Life on a Stick” (9:30 p.m., Fox).