Dylan songs stir nostalgia in ‘Cold Case’
Tonight’s might-see
“Cold Case,” 8 p.m., CBS. The best thing about this rerun is the music. Eight Bob Dylan songs sweep viewers back to the protest era. And the worst thing is the contrived plot, as people cling desperately to the secrets of their youth. The episode is OK; the music is superb.
Tonight’s might-see II
“Robin Hood” season-opener, 9 p.m., BBC America; preceded by a rerun at 8.
The Sheriff of Nottingham, it turns out, has a sister. She’s sly and scheming and dangerous. There are more woes for the overwhelmed outlaws. Guy of Gisbourne is furious that Marian hasn’t married him; by the end of this hour, there will be a traitor in their midst. This is a fairly good hour, but continues a flaw in the show: Often, Robin and Marian face such imposing odds that there is no way to have a satisfying, believable victory.
Other choices include:
“The Mighty B” debut, 10:30 a.m., Nickelodeon. The heroine of this cartoon, Bessie, is age 9 and three-quarters and wonderfully obsessive. She obsesses on winning every merit badge in civilization; that leads to one story today, involving a dog show. She also obsesses on a giant roller-coaster. This may seem like any other cartoon, but Amy Poehler of “Saturday Night Live” stars and is one of the producers. The result has enough wit and zest to entertain kids or grown-ups.
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005), 8-11 p.m., ABC. This fourth Harry Potter film centers on a perilous tournament. It added Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) as director and Ralph Fiennes as villain.
“Medium,” 8 p.m., NBC. In this rerun, Allison’s daughter Ariel has the key vision. She finds herself inside her mother’s teenaged misadventure.
“Princess,” 8 and 10 p.m., Family. If you missed this movie’s debut Sunday, here are some quick reruns. The settings are pretty; the story – a lonely princess, inside a modern city – is lame.
“Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. This rerun has Christopher Walken, with music by Panic at the Disco.
Sunday’s must-see
“Desperate Housewives,” 9 p.m., ABC. As last week’s episode ended, two similar people – Bree and Katherine – decided they should link instead of fighting. Tonight, they go into business. Meanwhile, a sleepwalking Orson has muttered that he’s the one who hit Mike with his car. Now word gets to Mike.
Sunday’s might-see
PBS’ “Carrier,” 8-10 p.m. KSPS channel 7, KCDT channel 26 and KUID channel 12. For six months, camera crews followed the sailors and Marines aboard the USS Nimitz. They emerged with rich character portraits. There are the veteran pilots. There’s the young airman whose world changed when his girlfriend became pregnant. There are the people who see this mission (in 2005) as fighting terrorism. There’s the doubter who wonders why we fight for Iraqi freedom “when we barely have our own.” These are interesting people in a compressed world. We can follow them through Thursday, in a 10-hour series.
Sunday’s other choices include:
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” 7-9 p.m., ABC. The team helps the Martinez family, which has spent most of its time helping others.
“Monk,” 8 p.m., NBC. In the rerun of a good episode, Stanley Tucci guests as an actor who is going to portray Monk. He follows him around – and gets way too involved.
“Everybody Hates Chris,” 8 p.m., CW. Chris decided to be one of the cool kids by smoking. Soon, he’s suspended.
“The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox. Bart raises a prizewinning cow – then balks at the notion of sending him to slaughter.
“Cold Case,” 9 p.m., CBS. A woman brings fresh evidence that her grandmother’s death, 45 years ago, wasn’t suicide.
“The Tudors,” 9 p.m., Showtime. Determined to squelch dissension, King Henry VIII insists that people sign a loyalty oath, saying he is ruler of the church. Everyone – even Cardinal Fisher and Sir Thomas More – must give in. The resulting hour is strong, serious and sometimes brutal. How brutal? In a moment of leniency, Henry reduces one penalty to a mere beheading.