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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 14, 2006

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

The season opener of Sesame Street introduces a new Muppet at 11:30 a.m. on PBS.

ADVERTISER LIBRARY PHOTO | 2006

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TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Monday Night Football," 2 p.m., ESPN. One of the top shows in TV history has switched networks. For 36 seasons, "MNF" was an ABC staple, often reaching the top 10 in the ratings. In prime time, only "60 Minutes" has gone longer. But ABC said it was losing too much money on it and stepped away. NBC grabbed network rights, which moved to Sundays; ESPN (owned by Disney, which also has ABC) grabbed cable rights and a Monday schedule. Now ESPN will revive an old idea: Put a third person in the booth who is neither a play-by-play guy nor an ex-player. That idea sometimes worked for ABC with Howard Cosell and Dennis Miller. ESPN has Tony Kornheiser, a sportswriter who knows more about football than those two. He'll be with play-by-play guy Mike Tirico and analyst Joe Theismann. Michelle Tafoya and Suzy Kober work the sidelines. The game — Oakland at Minnesota — is minor, but the fun will be in seeing "MNF" return.

OF NOTE

"Little Einsteins," 8 and 10 a.m., Disney Channel. In a new episode, the kids have a mission to fly past and count all nine planets. From 8:30 to 10 a.m., there will be reruns of three other interplanetary episodes.

"Sesame Street" season opener, 11:30 a.m., PBS. The new season introduces Abby Cadabby, pushed as the first major female Muppet star since Miss Piggy. Abby is a 3-year-old fairy who is different from some of the tomboy Muppets; she seems comfortable with girly-girl ways.

"The Closer," 6 p.m., TNT. Brenda must testify in the custody hearing between her boss, Will Pope, and his estranged wife. If she reveals her affair with Pope, however, there might be repercussions.

"Hell's Kitchen" season-finale, 7 p.m., Fox. It's time to pick the champion, with the two finalists having much in common. Each is a young woman, 25, working in a restaurant in New York State. One, simply identified as Virginia, is a salad chef in Manhattan. The other, Heather, is a sous chef (sort of an assistant chef) in Port Jefferson.

"Psych," 7 p.m., NBC. Here's another rerun of this light-hearted cable show (10 p.m. Fridays on the USA Network) about a guy claiming to be a psychic detective. Tonight, he must somehow snag a stolen wedding ring at a wedding.

"Saved," 7 p.m., TNT. Here's a rare time when Wyatt might get help from his dad, who is a prominent surgeon. A widower is suing the paramedics (Wyatt and his partner) in a controversial case.

"Two and a Half Men," 7 and 8 p.m., CBS. In the first of two funny reruns, Charlie tells Alan he's too obsessed with getting women's approval. In the second, Alan tries to get back together with the much-too-young Kandi.

"Kyle XY," 8 p.m., ABC Family. Desperate for information about his past, Kyle heads to a university lab — where a former student looked a lot like Kyle.