Thursday 27
The Exonerated (Court TV 6 p.m.) Court TV takes an uncharacteristic stand against the death penalty with this adaptation of the award-winning play of the same name. Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Delroy Lindo and Aidan Quinn are among the all-star cast members acting out vignettes based on transcripts of actual court cases and interviews with death row inmates who were eventually exonerated in their crimes.
Friday 28
“Grounded for Life” (KWBQ-19 7:30 p.m.) After being given a second life by The WB network, this average family laugher starring Donal Logue dies a second death with tonight's series finale.
Saturday 29
Chupacabra: Dark Seas (Sci-Fi 7 p.m.) Yeah, I know, confusing title. What the hell is a mythical Puerto Rican goatsucker doing out on the middle of the ocean? Well, here's the deal: Seems some opportunistic hunters have captured the famed monster and are secretly transporting it back to the United States on a crowded cruise ship. What could possibly go wrong? … Guess they shouldn't have served roast pig on Luau Night.
Sunday 30
See Arnold Run (A&E 6 p.m.) As I recall it, the thrilling story of Arnold Schwarzenegger's political victory in California went something like this: Grumpy Republicans forced a recall election and a movie star parlayed his celebrity into an easy win at the polls. Really not that dramatic. Nonetheless, here's the cheesy TV movie version.
“Pompeii: The Last Day” (Discovery 7 p.m.) Discovery uses computer-generated effects and some dramatic recreations to show us what life was like right before that giant volcano blew the hell out of Pompeii. Educational and entertaining, I could get used to this kind of stuff.
Magic of Ordinary Days (KRQE-13 8 p.m.) Keri (Remember “Felicity”?) Russell and Skeet (See, I'm really not Johnny Depp) Ulrich star in this period weeper about a World War II-era father who pawns his pregnant daughter off on a farmer who will raise the baby as his own. Sounds suspiciously “Hallmark Hall of Fame”-ish.
Monday 31
“You Swallowed What?” (Discovery Health 9 p.m.) Thank god for Discovery Health Channel. They have the best show titles on TV. From the people who brought you “Face-Eating Tumor,” “Trash Can Full of Skin” and “Men with Breasts” comes this comedy cavalcade of surgical footage.
Tuesday 1
“Pizza Paradises” (Travel Channel 9 p.m.) Travel Channel (which, these days, seems more interested in eating than looking at the sites) takes us on a world tour of the most creative pizza joint on the globe.
Wednesday 2
“It Takes a Thief” (Discovery 8 p.m.) Well, here's the perfect show for these paranoid, Bush-era American times. Billed as a “home security makeover show,” this new series features hosts who show how vulnerable you are to a break-in by burglarizing your home. Then, they cover your house with iron grates and laser beams so you and your family will be “safe.”
