Week In Sloth

The Week In Sloth

\ Jun 05, 2008

3 min read

Thursday 5

“Discovery Atlas” (Discovery 6 p.m.) Discovery’s in-depth global series returns tonight with two new episodes covering Mexico and India.

“Swingtown” (KRQE-13 9 p.m.) An adult couple moves to Chicago in 1976 and finds itself on the pendulum swing of America’s collective value system. Politics, society and families are changing. … Oh, and apparently lots of people are exchanging partners, sleeping with their neighbors and going to trendy “key parties.” This one’s from the director of HBO shows “Big Love” and “Rome.” Just don’t expect as much sex as the network is expecting you to expect.

“Fear Itself” (KOB-4 9 p.m.) Some of the bloody brains behind Showtime’s “Masters of Horror” series cut loose with another horror-based anthology.

Friday 6

“Charlie Jade” (Sci-Fi 6 p.m.) Sci-Fi Channel imports this 2005 sci-fi series all the way from South Africa (no, really). The gritty, head-spinning storyline concentrates on a private detective who gets bounced between three parallel dimensions, trying to track down some evil corporate types bent on stealing precious water from alternate realities (no, really).

Saturday 7

Sybil (KRQE-13 7 p.m.) Thirty years after the original aired, CBS is offering up this remake of the classic multiple personality disorder TV movie. Academy Award winner Jessica Lange ( Tootsie ), Emmy winner Tammy Blanchard (“Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows”) and Golden Globe nominee JoBeth Williams ( The Big Chill ) star. So, why the update? Well, for one, multiple personality disorder is now known as dissociative identity disorder.

Sunday 8

Circuit (ABC Family 6 p.m.) OK, so this TV movie about a young hottie (Michelle Trachtenberg) who bucks tradition to compete against her father in the world of professional stock car racing looks silly. But I am forced to admit that Michelle has gotten mighty cute in her post-teenage years. … Of course, she’ll always be little Nona Mecklenberg from “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” to me.

“When We Left Earth” (Discovery 7 p.m.) Discovery Channel begins an in-depth, high-def look at the history of NASA.

Monday 9

“Master of Dance” (TLC 9 p.m.) Ah hell, I give up. I can’t keep coming up with witty slams for all these new reality dance show competitions. Every week, it’s another “Dancing with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Dance” or “America’s Best Dance Crew” or “Your Mama Don’t Dance”or “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie” or “Step it Up & Dance” or … Aaaaagh! Make it stop!

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (HBO 10 p.m.) The controversial documentary about famous filmmaker/infamous statutory rapist Roman Polanski gets its first American airing courtesy of HBO.

Tuesday 10

“The Alaska Experiment” (Discovery 8 p.m.) With tonight’s season finale looming, we’ve at least concluded that ordinary schmucks like us should pretty much never consider living in the icy Alaskan wilderness for three months.