Posted on: Friday, November 26, 2004
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Dateline: Tom Brokaw Retrospective," 8 p.m., NBC. Tom Brokaw has been one of the great TV journalists, a man of intelligence, diligence and wit. He's also one of the few network people who seem to understand real, blue-collar Midwestern life. That may be one reason he's stepping down as NBC anchor; among other things, he'll spend more time in the outdoors. This special interviews Brokaw about his rich history. "Rain Man" (1988), 8 p.m., Pax TV. One of the great movies, "Rain Man," has had lots of cable runs. Here's a rare chance for some people to catch it on broadcast TV. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as an idiot savant, his mind stuffed with random details. Tom Cruise is perfect as his high-pressure brother forced on a cross-country trip. "Mr. Deeds" (2002), 7 p.m., Fox. Frank Capra's 1936 "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," with Gary Cooper as a small-town guy who inherits a fortune and wants to give it away, is considered a classic. This version, with Adam Sandler, is not. "Joan of Arcadia," 7 p.m., CBS. Grace is finally ready to go for her bat mitzvah; now Joan is supposed to help her. "8 Simple Rules," 7 p.m., ABC. There's one more night of Thanksgiving dinner episodes. This time, Cate surprises her kids by bringing home Ed Gibb (Adam Arkin), who's principal of their high school. "Titus' Norman Rockwell is Bleeding," 7 p.m., Showtime. Before his Fox series began, Christopher Titus had this acclaimed one-man show. He uses humor to relate his family history, including his mother, a beautiful concert pianist, with a soaring IQ, who committed suicide. "Complete Savages," 7:30 p.m., ABC. The boys make Thanksgiving dinner themselves. This episode has another pretend safety video starring Mel Gibson, the show's producer. The previous ones he did were hilarious. "Hope & Faith," 8 p.m., ABC. On Thanksgiving, we get flashbacks to the sisters' late mother, played by Cheryl Ladd. "JAG," 8 p.m., CBS. There's trouble for Petty Officer Jennifer Coates (Zoe McLellan). Someone from her criminal past wants to stay with her. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 9 p.m., CBS. After a rich man and his wife are killed, cops learn they were once in the porn business.
Of Note
