Posted on: Tuesday, January 4, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

Orange Bowl, 3 p.m., ABC. The national college championship, no less, is at stake. Oklahoma, which has been in lots of Orange Bowls, faces Southern California.

"Committed" debut, 8:30 p.m., NBC. Two people meet by accident. No logical human would link them. He (Josh Cooke) worries about everything. She (Jennifer Finnigan) seems to worry about nothing. He's neurotic, she's daft; nothing fazes her including the old clown (Tom Poston) living in her closet. The two main characters share nothing — except that they are young, attractive and well meaning. That's a pretty good formula for any romantic comedy.

"Committed," which also stars Darius McCrary and Tammy Lynn Michaels, is so breezy and off-center that you might think it's British. It's not, but it's well above average for American comedies.

Of Note

"Veronica Mars," 5 p.m., UPN (KIKU). Veronica's classmates want her to dig up some dirt on their parents. It doesn't work out the way she thought.

"The Biggest Loser," 7 p.m., NBC. After nine weeks of workouts, the contestants have a weigh-in, their last one at the ranch. Then the final three are chosen and are sent into real life.

"Nova: Welcome to Mars," 8 p.m., PBS. Last year, "Nova" traced the effort to land space probes on Mars. Now this hour steps back for an overview. We see the people who guided the project while missing sleep, munching ice cream bars and occasionally joking or applauding. Their main effort — to learn if life could have once existed there — keeps facing hurdles. It's an interesting ride.

"House," 8 p.m., Fox. Here is a rerun of the show's superb pilot. A young teacher is stricken. Her prime hope is Dr. House (brilliantly played by Hugh Laurie), a smart doctor who would be happy if he never had to meet a patient.

"Independent Lens: A Hard Straight," 10 p.m., PBS. Two-thirds of all parolees are back in prison in three years, this documentary says. This film shows why, tracing three people in tough circumstances.