Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"The Amazing Race 5" debut, 8:30 p.m., CBS. One of TV's best reality shows makes a strong return. Crisply taped and edited, "Amazing Race" has fascinating people. Eleven duos race around the globe, following clues. Catch Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan, cousins who were born in Syria. They're 27, live in Maryland and speak five languages. They also face physical limits, including Faddoul's dwarfism; that's tough when they must carry a 55-pound beef carcass. Or Brandon Davidson and Nicole O'Brian, picture-perfect Texans with a Christian-based romance.Or Kami and Karli French, highly competitive 26-year-old twins from Oregon. Or Marsha McCoy, 26, a Florida law student; she's with her dad, 53, a Vietnam veteran who is so tough that he tries to ignore an injury that requires 25 stitches.
Of Note
"Crossballs" debut, 4:30, 8:30, 10:30 p.m., Comedy Central; repeats Wednesday and Thursday. There are hilarious moments as regular people think they are on a "Crossfire" or "Hardball" type show. Instead, improv actors are talking bizarrely. Tonight, there are brilliant bits from Matt Besser ("Upright Citizens Brigade") as a reality-show competitor and Andrew Daly as a slow-witted man who wants to be on a hidden-camera show.
"Big Brother 5" debut, 7 p.m., CBS. Tonight, 13 mismatched people enter the camera-filled house.
"Last Comic Standing," 7 p.m., NBC. Last week, Todd Glass was ousted in a close vote. That leaves six men and two women.
"8 Simple Rules," 7 p.m., ABC. David Spade and James Garner become reluctant roommates.
"Nova: Galileo's Battle for the Heavens," 8 p.m., PBS. Skillfully mixing dramatizations and a documentary approach, this film shows how Galileo — a devout Catholic whose daughter was a nun — was imprisoned because his scientific beliefs clashed with the church.
"The Jury," 8 p.m., Fox. In the style of "Twelve Angry Men," one determined juror makes an impact.
"P.O.V.: War Feels Like War," 10 p.m., PBS. At first, this documentary only shows that war coverage is hectic, especially for those not embedded with military units. Gradually, some involving portraits emerge — especially of Stephanie Sinclair, a diligent young Chicago Tribune photographer covering her first war.
"Nip/Tuck," 10 p.m., FX. It's another tough, angry episode, but there's a great scene near the end when Joely Richardson's character confronts her mother, played by Vanessa Redgrave (her real-life mother).
