Seahawks face Packers

Sat., Jan. 12, 2008

Mike Hughes Gannett News Service

Today Must-see

Football, 1:30 p.m., Fox; and 5 p.m., CBS.

This is a day that TV people dream about. Two teams that are big ratings-grabbers each host a pro playoff game.

The Seattle Seahawks face the Green Bay Packers in the early game on Fox. Then the Jacksonville Jaguars face the New England Patriots on CBS. The winners (today and Sunday) battle next week for a shot at the Super Bowl.

Other choices include

“Titanic” (1997), 7-11 p.m., TNT; or “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957), 8-11 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. Separated by 40 years, both films won best-picture Oscars; each has a strong, personal story at the core of a giant epic. James Cameron’s “Titanic” has the rich-poor romance of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio; David Lean’s “Bridge” has Alec Guinness bringing British regime to prisoners of war.

“Dateline NBC,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. With all of these strike-created holes in their schedules, the networks occasionally remember to include a news show.

“Mad TV,” 11 p.m., Fox. The ubiquitous Joey Fatone hosts this rerun.

Sunday Must-see

“Masterpiece Theatre: Persuasion,” 8 p.m. KSPS. Yes, there are bigger, flashier shows tonight. But on sheer craftsmanship, “Persuasion” – launching a string of all six Jane Austen novels – is the best.

Sally Hawkins plays Anne, teetering toward spinsterhood at 27. She gets a second chance with her old love (Rupert Penry-Jones).

The story is told quickly, leaving lots of room for director Adrian Shergold’s visuals. The final minutes are wonderfully rich and emotional.

Might-see

“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” debut, 8 p.m., Fox.

If Jane Austen saw this, she would admire its take-charge heroine. She would also be perplexed by all the bullets and maimed androids.

Lena Headley is terrific as Sarah, protecting her son (Thomas Dekker) from androids. They’re from the future, trying to stop him from eventually leading the resistance.

Other choices include

Football, 1 p.m., CBS; and 4:30 p.m., Fox. The San Diego Chargers face the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. on CBS. The New York Giants face the Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. on Fox.

“Comanche Moon,” 9-11 p.m., CBS; concludes Tuesday and Wednesday. In the “Lonesome Dove” miniseries, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones were superb as Gus and Woodrow. Now we meet them (played by Steve Zahn and Karl Urban) in their earlier, Texas Ranger days. It’s an odd story – sprawling and disjointed and sometimes interesting. Val Kilmer plays their boss, who will become increasingly daft.

“Rock of Love 2,” 9 p.m. VH1. Bret Michaels again rounds up 20 women to find love, ala Flavor Flav and Tiffany “New York” Pollard style.

“The Wire,” 9 p.m., HBO. Much of this hour is quiet and drab as Baltimore cops suffer through budget cuts. Then McNulty takes an extreme step.

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