Posted on: Thursday, May 26, 2005
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Will & Grace," 8 p.m., NBC; or "Descent" (2005), 6 p.m., Sci-Fi Channel. What is Luke Perry, the former "Beverly Hills 90210" star, up to? Here are two opposite roles. In "Will & Grace," he is a bird watcher. Karen sets him up for a date with Jack. This rerun also has Grace going on her first date with handsome Nick (Edward Burns). In "Descent," Perry is a scientist, plunging toward the Earth's core. Michael Dorn of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" co-stars. "Bearing Witness," 6, 10 p.m., A&E. Here are portraits of female war correspondents. The fly-on-the-wall technique is a little lazy, with too many slow points; still, there are compelling moments. Molly Bingham describes a week in the Abu Ghraib prison during the Gulf War. At times, she was sure she would be raped or killed. Marie Colvin describes a Sri Lanka ambush that left her blind in one eye. Janine DiGiovanni had a complex year, with a wedding, a pregnancy and a new war zone. May Ying Welsh describes her unique role: An American of mixed ethnicity, she works for the Al Jazeera TV network. Of Note
"Slave Catchers, Slave Resisters," 5, 9 p.m., History Channel. As the horrors of slavery grew, this documentary says, strange systems developed. In the 1690s, South Carolina whites were required by law to help catch any runaways. In the 1730s — when two-thirds of the people in the state were slaves — whites were required to wear guns to church and to alternate in posses. This film, heavy on re-enactments, describes the elaborate methods used by both sides to perpetuate and to overcome slavery. "The O.C.," 7 and 8 p.m., Fox. Summer reruns begin. The first has the wedding of Julie and Caleb. The marriage, we now know, was doomed. The second is the season-opener; Sandy retrieves his teen son, Seth, who ran off for the summer. "The Waterboy" (1998), 7 p.m., Fox. Adam Sandler stars as a football team's hapless water boy, nudged into stardom. "Joey," 7 and 7:30 p.m., NBC. Here are reruns of the two episodes that have Kelly Preston as Donna, who was Joey's high school dream girl. In the first, she visits and is divorcing, stirring his hopes anew. In the second, her husband complicates things. "About a Boy" (2002), 9 p.m., USA Network. Critics were charmed by this gentle adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel about a self-centered bachelor (played by Hugh Grant) who befriends a troubled, 12-year-old boy. "ER," 9 p.m., NBC. A brutally beaten rape victim helps police.
