Posted on: Monday, November 15, 2004

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Everybody Loves Raymond," 8 p.m., CBS. Forces conspire to send the three guys to therapy. Robert is happy to go; his brother and dad grumble. Then come the detours and they go to the racetrack, instead. Yes, their wives will find out and will be enraged by their deception. The results are hilarious. Before that, however, the men have a scene that is, in its understated way, revealing and moving. In its final season, "Raymond" continues to be TV's best comedy.

Of Note

"Still Standing," 7 p.m., CBS. Sally Struthers returns as Bill's mom, trying to lure him into spending time with her.

"Listen Up," 7:30 p.m., CBS. Two former "Seinfeld" people link. Jason Alexander stars; Wayne Knight (who played Newman) is the shaky head of a charity.

"Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer," 8 p.m., HBO. When Aileen Wuornos was billed as America's first female serial killer, she drew the attention of some bizarre people. That included a breezy lawyer who had no office, no fax machine and a fondness for marijuana. Nick Broomfield first captured all of it in a 1992 documentary. The filmmaker even was subpoenaed later when another lawyer argued Wuornos lacked good representation. She eventually lost, but not before giving a rambling final interview to Broomfield. This documentary seems poorly done, but it does bring insights into a woman who has been portrayed by Jean Smart on TV and Charlize Theron in the Oscar-winning movie "Monster."

"Las Vegas," 8 p.m., NBC. When a valuable painting is stolen, Ed (James Caan) reluctantly confers with his former CIA colleague (Alec Baldwin). Also, Sam (Vanessa Marcil) organizes an exotic lovers' weekend that goes bad.

"They Made America," 9 p.m., PBS. The third hour of this superb documentary looks at immigrants who scored with big ideas. Ida Rosenthal mass-produced the Maidenform bra. Samuel Insull managed public utilities, before the stock market crash ruined him and left many small investors bankrupt. Amadeo Giannini wanted to create a working man's bank. That grew into Bank of America.

"$25 Million Hoax," 9 p.m., NBC. Last week, we saw the show persuade a sweet young woman, Chrissy Sanford, to pull a cruel hoax on her family, making everyone think she had won a fortune and would share none of it. Tonight, she manages to steal her sister's fondest dream, recording a Britney Spears song.