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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, March 24, 2005

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

  • "The Office" debut, 8:30 p.m., NBC. The British version of this smart and subtle series has drawn praise, fans and a Golden Globe award. Will American viewers, accustomed to quicker laughs and brighter characters, catch on? It's tough to say. This version tries hard and manages some good moments. A documentary crew, we're told, is visiting the Dunder Mifflin Paper Supply Co., where employees sell paper products and fight boredom. The boss (Steve Carell of "The Daily Show") thinks his workers consider him a pal. In truth, only his assistant (Rainn Wilson of "Six Feet Under") finds him tolerable. These guys are hard to take, especially when the boss plays a cruel joke. The humanity comes from the receptionist (Jenna Fischer) and the guy who likes her from afar (John Krasinski). Some moments in the early episodes are genuinely funny or sweet. Others are so drab and distant that they're best left to the British.

Of Note

  • "American Idol," 8 p.m., Fox. After fouling up "American Idol" on Tuesday, Fox has made a quick adjustment. The mistake came when the wrong phone numbers were shown during the recap portion at the end of the show Tuesday night, according to Fox's Web site. That invalidated the votes so tonight, viewers won't see "Point Pleasant." Instead, viewers get what they had expected last night — an "American Idol" results show at 8 p.m., then the "Life on a Stick" debut at 8:30.
  • "Jake in Progress," 7 and 7:30 p.m., ABC. In the first episode, Jake has trouble sleeping so (as usual) he meets an interesting woman. The second has an avalanche of complications at work.
  • "Joey," 7 p.m., NBC. Is there a Madchen Amick war going on? Amick (Shelly in "Twin Peaks") was the gorgeous date on the first "Jake in Progress" episode. Now she's Joey's sexy new neighbor, the rare case of a date who's ahead of him.
  • "The Apprentice," 7:30 p.m., NBC. This show nudges a half-hour early to give "The Office" a boost. Tonight, both teams have a home-improvement project.
  • "ER," 8:59 p.m., NBC. After leaving viewers hanging for a while, this show has a new episode to view Dr. Gallant's crisis. He arrives with a badly burned Iraqi girl who needs treatment. Meanwhile, Sam still can't escape her past, and Pratt is troubled by a kid's accidental gunshot wound.