Week In Sloth: “American Ninja Warrior,” “Doctor Who” Holiday Special, Kendra’s Baby, “Addicted To Psychics”

The Week In Sloth

\ Dec 17, 2009

3 min read

Thursday 17

“SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas” (NBC 7 p.m.) This either involves country music star Mickey Gilley or some kind of fish. … Huh. No, it’s a collection of “Saturday Night Live” skits hosted by Kristen Wiig as a character named Gilly. If you bother to watch “SNL” these days, I guess it makes sense.

Friday 18

“Oxygen’s 25iest: Hollywood’s Most Outrageous Holiday Gifts” (Oxygen Midnight) Yeah, while we get a recession, celebrities exchange Bentleys and Harry Winston jewelry. Prepare to be jealous.

Saturday 19

“American Ninja Warrior” (G4 5:30 p.m.) G4’s weeklong “American Ninja Warrior” challenge comes to a close, announcing which contestants will be heading off to Japan to tackle Mount Midoriyama on the real “Ninja Warrior.”

“Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars” (BBC America 7 p.m.) BBC America finally lets loose with the next “Doctor Who” holiday special. This one finds our soon-to-retire Time Lord battling a plague of very damp zombies on the red planet.

“WWE Tribute to the Troops” (KOB-4 8 p.m.) Once again, our fighting forces get some second-string entertainment. During Korea it was all Bob Hope and Marilyn Monroe. Now, they’re lucky to rate Jessica Simpson and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

Sunday 20

“Christmas in Washington” (TNT 9 p.m.) Ring in the holidays with the musical stylings of Neil Diamond, Sugarland, Rob Thomas and Usher. It’s the concert for people who have no consistent musical taste!

“Survivor” (KRQE-13 7 p.m.) The venerable reality competition enters its 19 th season finale (seriously?) filled with back-stabbing excitement.

“Kendra: Here Comes Baby” (E! 10 p.m.) The second season of former Girl Next Door Kendra’s reality show kicks off with her giving birth to a baby. Sorry, honey, but you’re gonna have to squirt out, like, 10 more of those to make it in the world of reality television.

“Addicted to Psychics” (TLC 8 p.m.) TLC digs into the subculture of people who can’t eat, sleep or leave the house without consulting psychics.

Monday 21

“Little Chocolatiers” (TLC 7 p.m.) TLC, combining two great tastes that taste great together, launches a reality show about a family of little people who operate a dessert-making business. Next up: people with 12 kids who own a pawn shop. After that: obese people who run a tattoo shop. After that, TLC runs completely out of ideas and goes off the air.

Tuesday 22

“Party Heat” (truTV 7 p.m.) Spring break cops go looking for the three Ds—drunk, disrobed and disorderly—in truTV’s newest docureality show.

Wednesday 23

“Man vs. Fish With Matt Watson” (Discovery 6 p.m.) Remember the good old days, when fishing shows were boring? And on PBS? And aired on Sunday mornings before you woke up?

“Bristol Bay Brawl” (Discovery 7 p.m.) Aaaaand here we have another docureality show about hearty fisherman braving the wild ocean to harvest a fortune in … for this new outing, herring roe . I think, Discovery, you’ve pretty much exhausted the realm of fish-based reality shows.