Posted on: Thursday, April 21, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Pleasantville" (1998), 6 p.m., TBS. The black-and-white world of old TV comedies seems seductive. Houses are neat. Problems are small. So teen siblings (Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) are magically transported to that 1950s world, (thanks to Don Knotts). It's colorless and lifeless and it's also about to change. This was brilliantly written by Gary Ross, who had previously written "Big" and "Dave." He also made his directing debut, finding wonderful ways to work color and semi-color into the story.

"Pleasantville" is satiric, but it also captures the human warmth of its adults, played by William H. Macy, Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels. The movie didn't do much business at the box office, but the key people soon prospered. Ross and Maguire went on to make "Seabiscuit" and Maguire and Witherspoon went on to the "Spider-Man" and "Legally Blonde" films, respectively. Catch them in a dandy film.

Of Note

"Jake in Progress," 7 and 7:30 p.m., ABC. These two episodes deal with Brooke, the lovable character played by Julie Bowen. In the first episode, her former boyfriend arrives; in the second, Jake tries to spend time with her but there are distractions, including the fact that his boss is going into labor.

"The O.C.," 7 p.m., Fox. Sandy leaps into his lawyer mode as the teens face the aftermath of the party in last week's episode. Meanwhile, his wife is spending too much time on a wine tour with her handsome magazine editor.

"Tru Calling," 8 p.m., Fox. What happens if the rules are broken? Tru is desperate to help someone close to her who has died. Unfortunately, it's not the dead person who calls for help.

"ER," 8:59 p.m., NBC. Staffers face an ethical dilemma when a patient is on a hunger strike. Also, an old woman (Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher) may be a victim of elder abuse.

"Without a Trace," 9 p.m., CBS. An intense student disappears.