‘Exonerated’ tells of false convictions
Adapted from an off-Broadway play, “The Exonerated” (9 p.m., Court TV) presents first-person stories of six death-row inmates, all of the wrongly accused and convicted. Actors Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Susan Sarandon, Aidan Quinn and newcomer David Brown Jr. present the stories in overlapping fashion.
Each monologue is presented against a black background, evoking a bare stage. Other actors present the testimony of police officers and the commentary of judges and attorneys, but for the most part the television stage belongs to the actors alone.
This effect makes “The Exonerated” a powerful and rare example of experimental drama, as well as a damning case against the capricious application of capital punishment.
The dialogue presented is based on the prisoner’s own words and was collected from interviews, letters, court transcripts and the public record. At the end of the film, the real-life exonerated prisoners are shown.
Actor Bob Balaban developed and directed both the stage and television versions of “The Exonerated.” A veteran of television and film, he’s appeared in more than 50 movies, from “Midnight Cowboy” to “Gosford Park.”
He’s probably best known for his “Seinfeld” appearance as a TV executive who falls in love with Elaine and then joins Greenpeace to win her heart.
Linda Ellerbee hosts a “Nick News” special (8:30 p.m., Nickelodeon) observing the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest and most lethal of the Nazi death camps. “Never Again? From the Holocaust to Sudan” presents a survey history of the Final Solution, including many anecdotes from teens and tweens whose grandparents survived the camps.
After a brief history of the Holocaust, “News” shifts focus to the current murderous situation in the Darfur region of the Sudan, spotlighting efforts by teenagers to raise money to aid refugees and to raise awareness of the genocidal civil war.
On a lighter note, “In Style Celebrity Weddings” (8 p.m., ABC) presents a survey of recent Hollywood nuptials. Correspondents for the picture-and-caption magazine were given access to the weddings of stars Kevin Costner, Star Jones Reynolds, Britney Spears, Tori Spelling and others.
Rival teams manage beachside motels on “The Apprentice” (8:30 p.m., NBC). It’s worth noting that these establishments are located in Seaside Heights, N.J., about 10 miles from the real Point Pleasant, a town that looks nothing like the “Dawson’s Creek”-meets-Stephen King burg depicted on the new Fox show that bears its name.
Other highlights
Kim Delaney guest-stars on “The O.C.” (8 p.m., Fox).
Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson star in the 1998 romantic comedy “Home Fries” (8 p.m., WB).
The return of the blue paint killer on “CSI” (9 p.m., CBS).
The subject of a reality makeover show disappears on “Without a Trace” (10 p.m., CBS).
After Carter and Neela express their doubts about a medication on an Internet site, a drug company comes after them on “ER” (10 p.m., NBC).
Scheduled on “Primetime” (10 p.m., ABC): interviews with the mother and sister of Lana Clarkson, the actress found murdered in producer Phil Spector’s home; a murder-suicide that has raised allegations of decades of abuse within a religious cult.