Thursday 30
Presidential Debate (KASA-2, KOB-4, KNME-5, KOAT-7, KRQE-13 7 p.m.) For what it's worth, here's the first of this year's presidential debates between Bush and Kerry. I'd like to think this will offer some deep insight into their characters, but I have a feeling the hand-picked “moderators” will be pitching softer balls than the coaches at a grammar school kickball tournament.
Friday 1
“Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular” (Cartoon Network 9 p.m.) Boy, that didn't take long. It's Oct. 1, for crying out loud! At this rate, we'll be watching Christmas specials by the middle of the month. By the time Halloween rolls around, “The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town” should be airing.
Saturday 2
“Balloon Fiesta Coverage” (KOB-4 6:30 a.m.) Sure, you could get up at four in the morning, drag your ass out to the Balloon Fiesta Park, fight the traffic and see some impressive sights. … Or you could just roll out of bed and check out the live TV coverage.
“Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta” (KOAT-7 7 p.m.) And, if you want an extra half-hour of sleep, you can tune to KOAT. Man, I like how you TV execs think.
Sunday 3
“Desperate Housewives” (KOAT-7 7 p.m.) ABC's much-anticipated new drama finally hits the airwaves. It looks like your typical nighttime soap with a bunch of attractive ladies (Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Nicolette Sheridan) playing bitchy, upscale suburban housewives. The show has hints of black humor, however. For starters, the entire thing is narrated by a housewife who has just committed suicide. Now a ghost, she peers into the secret lives of her former friends and neighbors, exposing all their nasty secrets for our enjoyment. This one promises to be addictive.
Monday 4
“Everwood” (KWBQ-19 8 p.m.) Lending new meaning to this show's title is tonight's episode in which Delia finds Nina's vibrator and begins asking embarrassing questions.
Tuesday 5
Frankenstein (Hallmark 7 p.m.) Hallmark Channel brings this new two-night mini-series to life. The impressive cast includes William Hurt, Julie Delpy and Donald Sutherland. This one promises to stick closer to Mary Shelley's original narrative than previous efforts.
“Wanda Does It” (Comedy Central 11:30 p.m.) Comedienne Wanda Sykes travels the country taking on assorted careers for a day (from fast-food worker to DNA technician). It's the same premise as Discovery Channel's “Kevin and Drew Unleashed.” But Sykes is a lot funnier.
Wednesday 6
“Ghost Hunters” (Sci-Fi 7 p.m.) Plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night. No, it's not a new sitcom. It's Sci-Fi's newest reality series following a team of amateur supernatural investigators on the hunt for spooks.
“Russell Simmons Presents: Hip Hop Justice” (Court TV 8 p.m.) Sadly, this is not a “People's Court”-style show with rap impresario Russell Simmons presiding over cases involving bitchslapping, talkin' smack about someone's mama or bustin' a cap in someone's ass. Instead, it's a semi-documentary look at rap stars who cultivate a gangsta image (often going so far as to end up in jail) just to sell records.
