Posted on: Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Lost" pilot, 7 p.m., ABC. When "Lost" began, ABC hedged its bets. It took the two-hour pilot and spread it over two weeks. Now the network knows it has a hit, a smart and well-crafted show. So here is a chance to soak it up in a two-hour chunk. The concept is as old as "Lord of the Flies" and "Swiss Family Robinson" — instant changes come when people are stranded on a tropical island. The difference here is that most of the people are strangers from a plane crash. They are fascinating people, many with secrets. They include a quiet doctor (Matthew Fox), an enigmatic beauty (Evangeline Lilly) and a fading pop star (Dominic Monaghan). If you joined "Lost" late, savor its strong start. "The Seinfeld Story," 7 p.m., NBC. Jerry Seinfeld's comedy series was miles above the others, so we shouldn't be surprised that this retrospective is also terrific. There are great clips, as expected. There are also specifics on how the show emerged — including the TV executives who doubted it. Of Note
"Kevin Hill," 4 p.m., UPN (KIKU). Kevin is the kind of guy who would have been a big man on campus. Tonight, he frets that his relationship with Evelyn is getting too serious. "America's Next Top Model," 5 p.m., UPN (KIKU). Here is the finale, choosing the show's third champion. "Christmas in Washington," 6 p.m., TNT. This tends to be one of TV's classier concerts. This year's singers include LeAnn Rimes, Ruben Studdard, Vanessa Williams, Michael McDonald and young newcomer JoJo. Phil "Dr. Phil" McGraw hosts with his wife, Robin. "Biography," 6 p.m., A&E repeats at 8, 10, midnight. Tom Selleck hosts this special, which announces the biography of the year. "Elton John at Radio City," 6 p.m., Bravo. Here is a rerun of a terrific concert film. John booms out his hits, backed by a full orchestra and chorus. "The West Wing," 8 p.m., NBC. At a summit meeting in China, the president is virtually paralyzed by the effects of his multiple sclerosis. Back home, Josh and Leo meet a scientist who says an asteroid is plunging toward Earth. "Big Man on Campus," 8 p.m., WB. At the University of Central Florida, 15 attractive coeds seek the ideal guy. They find some empty ones. ("As you can tell, I'm very concerned with my appearance," one quiet muscleman says.) Eventually, they find a pretty good one. Next week, he'll start dating each of them and making a choice. "King of Queens," 8 p.m., CBS. Doug loses his wallet and cancels his credit cards — just when he had some serious Christmas shopping to do. "Law & Order," 9 p.m., NBC. In a rerun, a Japanese tourist offers eyewitness testimony about his wife's killers. Police have doubts.
