Well, it’s 10 PM and I’m not sleepy. So what’s a girl to do? I decide to flip through the channels on my TV to see what’s on. Same-old. Same-old. Same-old… But wait, what’s this? FX, the USA Network, and the Sci Fi Channel all have original dramatic series to offer at this hour, often with repeats at 11, and happily, it’s all really good! Plus, there are new shows getting ready to start, and old favorites ready to return. This drama queen is jumping the network ship for something new!
Why don’t you give it a try?
THE RICHES, Monday at 10 pm et/pt & repeats at 11, Tuesday at 11, Sat at 11, Sunday at 11, on FX
The Malloys (not The Riches!) are an Irish family of gypsy travelers, conning unsuspecting “buffers” (ordinary, law-abiding folks) out of money while driving the country in their beat-up RV. But when their RV runs a car off the road - killing its occupants - father Wayne (Eddie Izzard) senses a golden opportunity; soon, he and wife Dahlia (Minnie Driver) adopt the persona of the deceased couple (attorney Doug Rich and his wife Cherien), move with their three kids into a fancy gated community and start a con like none they’ve ever pulled. Wayne has to impersonate an attorney, Dahlia is faced with learning Judaism and the kids are thrust into school (private school, no less) for the first time in their lives. Can they keep up the charade?
THE SHIELD, Tuesday at 10 pm et/pt & repeats at 12, Sunday at 10, on FX
The Shield breaks the conventional formula of the cop genre. It plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between good and bad is crossed ever day. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions. The Shield stars Michael Chiklis as rogue cop “Detective Vic Mackey,” leader of the elite Strike Team unit, who is effective at eliminating crime but who operates under his own set of rules. There are times when Mackey is so evil, that even a viewer cannot abide him. Benito Martinez plays “Captain David Aceveda,” the young precinct head who doesn’t like Mackey’s tactics and wants to bust him off the force. And the Emmy-nominated C.C.H Pounder plays “Detective Claudette Wyms,” a veteran detective who understands Mackey and knows how to play both sides of the fence. By the way, as of March 2005, “The Shield” became the longest running series on the FX Network, and it’s still going strong. FX has already green-lit the seventh and final season of the acclaimed show, to premiere sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.
RESCUE ME, Season Premiere Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 10 pm et/pt, on FX. Look for repeats from last season on Sundays, at midnight.
New York firefighter Tommy Gavin (Dennis Leary) is a mess. He talks to his cousin, Jimmy, who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and he’s starting to see ghosts of other victims too. On top of that, his estranged wife - who lives across the street - has a new boyfriend, and he pays his kids to offer up information on the guy. “Rescue Me” was created by Dennis Leary and Peter Tolan, who also collaborated on “The Job,” a short-lived ABC series about New York City cops.
DAMAGES, Premiering at 10 pm et/pt sometime in July 2007, on FX
FX has granted a 13-episode order to “Damages”, the previously (and for far too long) untitled legal drama featuring Glenn Close in her first-ever starring role for a television series. In this legal thriller, Close plays Patty Hewes, one of America’s foremost litigators going after corporate titans. One of Hewes’ targets is Arthur Frobisher, played by Ted Danson. Also co-starring on the series, which is slated for a July bow, are Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan and Zeljko Ivanek. This might well be the next buzzworthy FX series, so keep your ears open for its premiere.
THE TUDORS, Sunday at 10 pm et/pt & repeats at 11, on SHOWTIME
Nearly 1.3 million viewers hailed the debut and encore airing of Showtime’s new series “The Tudors,” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a trimmer, sexier incarnation of King Henry VIII than we’ve seen before. The show chronicles the early years in the reign of England’s notorious King, from 1520 to 1530, when he divorced his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Ironically, Henry was never intended for the throne of England. However, the death of his older brother Arthur at the age of 15 and his taking of his dead brother’s bride, propelled the young prince into the limelight and laid the foundations for one of the most spectacular reigns in English history. The young Henry VIII was an artist, musician, theologian and sportsman - the perfect Renaissance prince - but the failure of his first wife to produce a male heir brought out his darker side. Long live the king! (Season 2 has already been ordered by Sowtime)
PAINKILLER JANE, Friday at 10 pm et/pt, on SCI FI
Sci Fi’s new adrenaline-fueled actioner “Painkiller Jane” is based on the Event Comics series created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada. “Painkiller Jane” follows the adventures of Jane Vasco (Kristanna Loken,), a kickass heroine. Formerly a hard-nosed DEA agent, Jane is recruited by a covert government organization tasked with capturing “Neuros”, genetically-enhanced individuals who possess superhuman powers of the mind. During the course of her first investigation with the team, she discovers that she too possesses extraordinary abilities that render her impervious to injury but not pain. In fact, she cannot be killed. Plummeting from the 46th floor of a building and living to tell the tale definitely proved that. As she continues to work with the government to hunt “Neuros”, Jane tries to uncover the cause of her own transformation and what if any connection she shares with the very people she is pursuing. Operating from a secure abandoned subway platform, the core members of the unit are comprised of Andre McBride (Rob Stewart), the seasoned team leader, Connor King (Noah Danby), a special agent regularly armed with a smart remark, and Maureen Bowers (Alaina Huffman), Jane’s former DEA partner and friend who, like Jane, is recruited after discovering top secret information about “Neuros”.
AND DON’T FORGET OUR RETURNING FAVORITES……
NIP/TUCK, returning this Fall at 10 pm et/pt, date TBA, on FX
The leader in original late night programming is FX, beginning with their blockbuster medical drama “Nip/Tuck”, starring Dylan Walsh (Dr. Sean McNamara) and Julian McMahon (Dr. Christian Troy). The drama was originally set in a South Florida Plastic Surgery Center, where the two doctors got into heaps of trouble with their dubious morality and penchant for mischief. Although this series is currently on hiatus, be sure not to miss the shenanigans when the show returns this fall in a new location (the practice has now moved to Los Angeles), and at a day and time TBA.
DIRT (currently on hiatus) (By the way, “Dirt” Fans-a decision on Season 2 is expected very shortly- and the outlook, says the Hollywood Reporter, is good. “Dirt” airs on FX )
Lucy Spiller is the executive editor for two tabloid magazines in Los Angeles. Overseeing a crack team of reporters and paparazzi, Lucy is able to manipulate the lives of numerous celebrities. Her brother, Leo, tries to keep his sister grounded despite the whirlwind she lives in. The series also follows a schizophrenic paparazzi Don Konkey (Ian Hart), who works for Lucy, and a struggling actor trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood (who only wishes he appeared in Lucy’s magazines). Series star Courtney Cox, husband David Arquette and Matthew Carnahan are the executive producers.
Please note that all dates and times listed above are SUBJECT TO CHANGE
