Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"P.O.V. Bill's Run: A Political Journey in Rural Kansas," 10 p.m., PBS. Burdick is a shrinking Kansas town. The grocery stores and high school closed; the town has 60 people, a meat market and only one gas station, which is closed noon and evenings. It's also where Bill Kassebaum works his farm with his wife and two young daughters. He's a quiet Kansan who brings surprises. Kassebaum is a lawyer. His mother, Nancy, spent 18 years in the U.S. Senate; his grandfather, Alf Landon, was governor and the Republican presidential candidate, crushed by Franklin Roosevelt. The biggest surprise came when Kassebaum decided to run for the state Legislature. To win, he would have to beat the House majority leader in the Republican primary. It was a long shot, especially with a campaign that called for raising taxes. People will keep leaving Kansas, he said, if it can't promise a good education. That race was filmed by Richard Kassebaum, who is Bill's brother and the gifted producer of PBS films on Woodrow Wilson and John Brown. This isn't an unbiased portrait; instead, it's a richly detailed portrait of rock-solid people.
Of Note
"Next Action Star," 7 p.m., NBC. The seven duos each film a complex rescue scene. Also, an "emotional recall" exercise in acting class causes two people to crumble.
"Last Comic Standing," 8 p.m., NBC. Last week, housemates singled out Bonnie McFarlane for the challenge; she chose to face John Heffron. He had a great standup set and promptly drew more than 90 percent of the votes from a studio audience; she was out. That leaves the show with only two women and seven men.
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 9 p.m., NBC. A rape arrest leads to the discovery of the body of a 16-year-old girl.
"Real World," 10 p.m., MTV. Here's the finale for the San Diego group.
"Nip/Tuck," 10 p.m., FX. This dark-spirited show has its two plastic surgeons falling apart. Christian (Julian McMahon) can't stand the fact that he's 40 and physically imperfect; Sean (Dylan Walsh) is worried about his emotionally caused hand tremors. Those problems deepen tonight, with a couple of horrifying scenes; still, they're overshadowed by Sean's son's problems. This is one awesomely pessimistic show.
