Tom Hanks gets stranded in ‘The Terminal’
Today Must-see
“The Terminal” (2004), 8-11 p.m., ABC. Imagine being in a bureaucratic limbo with no home.
That’s at the core of this sweet tale of a foreigner (Tom Hanks), who is in a U.S. airport when his country suffers a coup. He can’t go and can’t stay so he begins living in the airport terminal.
This is a warm and handsome film, which Steven Spielberg shot on a beautifully realistic set. Catherine Zeta Jones gives strong support.
Flaws? Spielberg was in a phase of doing slickly antiseptic films; also, the ending feels contrived. Still, “Terminal” emerges as a gentle pleasure.
Might-see
“The Good Witch,” 9-11 p.m., Hallmark Channel.
In a town where nothing happens, a woman moves into an old mansion. She’s beautiful and wise, but is she magical?
Not much happens but the film survives on Catherine Bell’s glowing presence. Think of this as a cut-rate “Chocolat” – a story of an outsider restoring a town’s passion.
Other choices include
“Johnny and the Sprites” season-opener, 7:30 a.m., Disney Channel. This is a thoroughly charming series that mixes Broadway’s John Tartaglia with puppets and bouncy songs. Today’s first story is great fun as Gwen becomes the first human besides Johnny to see the sprites. The second story, however, is quite lame.
“Husband for Hire,” 8 and 10 p.m., Oxygen. Here’s a loopy comedy that’s kind of fun. Nadine Velazquez (“My Name is Earl”) plays an heiress who must marry in a hurry. So she cleans up a day laborer (Mark Consuelos). Mario Lopez and Erik Estrada are in support.
“Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m., NBC. It’s “The Best of Tracy Morgan” (who was hilarious in “First Sunday”). This should be fun.
Sunday Must-see
Football, noon CBS; 3:30 p.m., Fox.
A season filled with surprises is now one game away from the Super Bowl.
One surprise: The New England Patriots remain undefeated; in the first game they host the San Diego Chargers, who have overcome key injuries.
A bigger surprise: The Green Bay Packers – who lost eight of their first 12 games last season – have been 18-3 ever since. Last week, they had six straight touchdown drives during a snowstorm; today, they host the New York Giants.
Might-see
“Breaking Bad” debut, 10 p.m., AMC.
Dying of cancer with bad insurance and a family that needs money, a high school chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston) creates a rolling meth lab.
He has the science skills but none of the criminal craft. Now he must scramble.
“The Amazing Race” finale, 8 p.m., CBS. After four continents and 30,000 miles, the final three duos race in Alaska for the million-dollar prize. A young (23 and 22), dating couple faces cross-generation duos. There’s a father and daughter (58 and 26) and a grandfather and grandson (68 and 23).