Week In Sloth

The Week In Sloth

\ Jan 17, 2008

3 min read

Thursday 17

“ER” (KOB-4 9 p.m.) “ER” signs off for the season a tad early thanks to the Writers Guild strike. On the plus side, the actors get an extra-long vacation.

Friday 18

“Orangutan Island” (Animal Planet 7 p.m.) Orangutans: Almost as cute as meerkats, but not nearly as violent.

“George of the Jungle” (Cartoon Network 8:30 p.m.) Speaking of apes. … Hell, yeah, new “George of the Jungle” episodes! Sing along with me: George, George, George of the Jungle, strong as he can be .

Saturday 19

The Good Witch (Hallmark 7 p.m.) Catherine Bell (“JAG”) is a “Wendy the Good Little Witch”-type enchantress who moves into a small-town haunted house, opens an aromatherapy shop and romances the local police chief.

Sunday 20

“Breaking Bad” (AMC 8 p.m.) Yet another new shot-in-New Mexico series, this offbeat drama features Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle”) as a middle-aged science teacher who gets diagnosed with terminal cancer. With nothing to lose, really, he embarks on a (theoretically) short-lived career as a meth dealer to provide for his family’s future.

Monday 21

“Life After People” (History 7 p.m.) While I’m not entirely sure our planet’s speculative future technically qualifies as “history,” it’s still cool to see this documentary special with a sci-fi twist. What would our planet look like if all humans were erased? What would happen to the buildings? Would environmental damage be reversed? How long would it take? History Channel answers these questions with a little special effects help from George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic.

“Wildfire” (ABC Family 7 p.m.) What with “Breaking Bad,” Comanche Moon and “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” this is a hell of a month for shot-in-New Mexico shows. Here’s another, the fourth season premiere of ABC Fam’s horsey melodrama.

Tuesday 22

“The Bussey Bunch” (TLC 7 p.m.) Sadly, not a reality series about Gary Busey, but about a family of Christian pro wrestlers from Texas.

“Life on Mars” (BBC America 7 p.m.) The second season of the BBC’s gritty, time-traveling crime series comes to an end, wrapping up the story of poor, confused cop Sam. Will he make it back to modern-day, or will he be stuck in bell-bottoms for the rest of his life (or at least until the ’70s end again)?

“The Real Hustle” (Tru 8 p.m.) TruTV (formerly Court TV) takes to the streets of New York with a trio of professional hustlers to show people how not to get ripped-off.

“Millionaire Matchmaker” (Bravo 9 p.m.) Bravo’s newest “docudrama” follows L.A.-based matchmaker Patti Stanger as she helps filthy rich guys get dates. … Wow, that sounds like a hard job.