Posted on: Saturday, March 12, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"Minority Report" (2002), 7 p.m., ABC. In the year 2054, law and order has reached precision in the nation's capital with the first pre-crime unit. Officials are able to determine who will commit a crime before it happens and make an arrest in advance. That works well for the ace man-hunter (Tom Cruise) — until the system claims he's next. Then he's on the run. The idea (from a story by Philip K. Dick) works powerfully as whatever metaphor the viewer prefers. Director Steven Spielberg, gets great performances, especially from Cruise and Samantha Morton. Like most recent Spielberg films, however, this tends to be cool and distant. You might long for the emotional charges he once delivered.

"Saturday Night Live," 10:30 p.m., NBC. Hawai'i singer/songwriter Jack Johnson does his first-ever SNL solo performance, featuring songs from his recently released third disc, "In Between Dreams." The CD debuted on this week's Billboard's Top 200 album chart at No. 3. David Spade hosts.

Of Note

"Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber," 6, 8 p.m., Oxygen. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays a young advertising executive who is obsessed with looks and style. This movie looks wonderfully bright and appealing but offers little to care about. Think of it as a pleasant enough "Sex and the City Lite."

"Thicker Than Water," 7, 9 and 11 p.m., Hallmark Channel. A rich lawyer (Melissa Gilbert) is searching for clues about her late father. That takes her to a rancher (Lindsay Wagner) who is trying to rescue wild horses. The result is slow and predictable. Still, it links two gifted actresses who have been absent lately (except for Wagner in those mattress commercials) and drops them into a soothing setting.

"Cold Case," 7 p.m., CBS. In a change of plans, CBS bunched together its final episodes of "Wickedly Perfect" last Saturday. With that show (a ratings failure) gone, it now has more reruns. This one deals with the 1985 murder of a stockbroker; the list of angry clients is large.

"Without a Trace," 8 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, a former cop — now a bounty hunter — has disappeared after being shot.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 9 p.m., NBC. A 16-year-old has been found in a vacant campus building. She says three men in uniform seized her. Police spot possible holes in the story.