Cameos weigh down ‘Will & Grace’
I don’t believe in miracles, but I think one popped up a couple of weeks back. I actually found myself laughing at an episode of “Will & Grace” (8:30 p.m., NBC).
I forget the plot. All I can recall is that there wasn’t a cameo appearance in sight. Perhaps that was the miracle.
It’s sad to witness the slow decline of this once-impressive ensemble comedy. The four main characters used to share screen time so selflessly and worked so well together that once, at an Emmy or Golden Globes ceremony, somebody referred to stars Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally as “John, Paul, George and Ringo.”
Well, I guess the Beatles broke down and broke up, too.
It’s a testament to the early appeal of the series, or to the fidelity of its fans, that “Will & Grace” has survived so long. No other comedy could endure so many “jump the shark” moments.
Remember the arrival of Jack’s long-lost (and now forgotten) teenage son? How about the “let’s have a test-tube baby” season? Or the belabored Leo (Harry Connick Jr.) story arc that went on for years?
These painful memories have now given way to cameo fever. “Will & Grace” resembles nothing more than an open casting call for “Hollywood Squares.”
Perhaps celebrities minor and major should just open doors in a wall and shout one-liners like they once did on “Laugh-In.”
But let’s give the show’s writers their due. It’s difficult enough to work one special guest star (remember the Madonna/J. Lo/Elton John/Barry Manilow/Cher episodes?) into 22 minutes of situation comedy. And tonight’s Valentine’s Day special must accommodate the four (count ‘em) walk-ons. Look for Jeff Goldblum, Ed Burns, Chita Rivera and Michelle Lee.
The makeover genre is really feeling its oats. Over on TLC, they claim that a mere TV show (“Town Haul”) can transform an entire community. And tonight’s two-hour “Extreme Makeover” (8 p.m., ABC) hopes to “restore time” to a falsely accused, exonerated former death-row inmate. Now that’s carrying restoration to a whole new sphere!
Other highlights
On back-to-back episodes of “CSI” (CBS) murder matriculates at the local high school (8 p.m.), and a hunter and his prey are found dead (9 p.m.).
James Marsden and Mena Suvari star in the 2001 cheerleading comedy “Sugar & Spice” (8 p.m., WB).
A guitar god takes to the Michigan woods on “Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild” (5:30 p.m., Outdoor).
The teams compete to create short promotional films to sell a new body wash on “The Apprentice” (9 p.m., NBC).
The dance marathon doesn’t end well on “Point Pleasant” (9 p.m., Fox).
Scheduled on “Larry King Live” (6 and 9 p.m. and midnight, CNN): Joe and Tina Simpson, the parents of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.
A postal worker vanishes along with her valuable package on “Without a Trace” (10 p.m., CBS).
Just when you think Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) has experienced every emotional trauma, she encounters her birth mother (Frances Fisher, “House of Sand and Fog”) on “ER” (10 p.m., NBC).
Cult choice
A widow (Gail O’Grady, “American Dreams”) tries to find a rich husband to shield her daughter from a hard life in the 2002 TV potboiler “Sinners Need Company” (7 p.m., Lifetime), based on an Erskine Caldwell’s 1947 novel “The Sure Hand of God.”
Series notes
Joey romances the press on “Joey” (8 p.m., NBC) … Seth wants Summer back on “The O.C.” (8 p.m., Fox) … Wrestling on “WWE SmackDown!” (8 p.m., UPN).
Late night
Billy Crystal appears on “Late Show with David Letterman” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Alan Alda and Cirque de Soleil on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC).
Jen Schefft appears on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (12:05 a.m., ABC).
Jason Bateman chats on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Craig Ferguson hosts Star Jones Reynolds, Amber Valetta and The Zutons on “The Late, Late Show” (12:37 a.m., CBS).