Posted on: Saturday, January 8, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes,
Gannett News Service

Today's Must-See

"MI-5" season-opener, 8 p.m., A&E. Last season ended with a jolt. Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfayden), the gallant British spy, was accused of killing the chief of the defense department staff. Quinn shot his own boss and fled. Now his colleagues, Zoe (Keeley Hawes) and Danny (David Oyelowo), race to clear his name. Meanwhile, a higher-up is determined to crush the MI-5 unit and put it under political control. The result is "MI-5" at its best — sleek, smart, complex and compelling.

Football, 11:30 and 3 p.m., ABC. The pro playoffs begin their route to the Super Bowl. First it's is the NFC, which has a shortage of winning records. Seattle hosts St. Louis. Then it's the AFC. San Diego hosts the New York Jets.

Of Note

"Roustabout" (1964), 10 a.m., AMC. An all-day Elvis Presley marathon begins with this musical. Don't expect much, except to see a wonderfully instinctive singer, shorn of his instincts.

"The Will" season-opener, 7 p.m., CBS. If nothing else, this reality show should push the awful phrase "trailer trash" out of our language. Here, people behave as mansion trash, while trying to inherit a gorgeous ranch. One young woman proudly boasts that she's a lot like her ex-boyfriend's mother. "We both have fake boobs and blond hair and (manipulative natures)." The result is too nasty to be fun.

"Battlestar Galactica" (2003), 7 p.m., NBC. The stiff, old series was remade last year by the Sci Fi Channel, with a terrific four-hour miniseries. Now — six days before Sci Fi debuts a new "Battlestar" series — a trimmed-down version of the miniseries airs on NBC. This "Battlestar" is hugely better than the old one. Starbuck, the confident fighter pilot, is now female (Katee Sackhoff). The evil forces include a hyper-sexy creature (Tricia Helfer). The good guys tug between military (Edward James Olmos) and political (Mary McDonnell) leaders.

"The Four Seasons" (1981), 7 p.m., Pax TV. With restraint and intelligence, Alan Alda wrote this graceful tale about the stages of friendship. The terrific cast includes Alda, Carol Burnett and Len Cariou.

"Saturday Night Live," 10:30 p.m., NBC. Luke Wilson hosts with U2 as the musical guest.