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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 20, 2008

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

SUNDAY'S MUST-SEE

Football, 10 a.m., CBS; 1:30 p.m., Fox. A season filled with surprises is now one game away from the Super Bowl. One surprise: The New England Patriots remain undefeated; in the first game they host the San Diego Chargers, who have overcome key injuries.A bigger surprise: The Green Bay Packers — who lost eight of their first 12 games last season — have been 18-3 ever since. Last week, they had six straight touchdown drives during a snowstorm; today, they host the New York Giants.

"Breaking Bad" debut, 8-10 p.m., AMC. Dying of cancer with bad insurance and a family that needs money, a high school chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston) creates a rolling meth lab. He has the science skills but none of the criminal craft. Now he must scramble. We have no idea how this series can keep this interesting. The debut, however, is beautifully written and filmed.

OF NOTE

"Bring It On" (2000), 2 p.m.; "Bring It On Again" (2004), 4 p.m.; "Bring It On: All or Nothing" (2006), 6 p.m.; debut of "Bring It On: In It to Win It," 8 and 10 p.m., all ABC Family. Ever spend eight hours watching competitive cheerleaders? Here's your chance. The first film — the only one that was intended for theaters — has Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku. The third has Hayden Panettiere before everyone was obsessed with saving her on "Heroes." Others lean on newcomers.

"Aftershock: Earthquake in New York" (1999), 6-10 p.m., Ion. Some terrific actors work in a so-so miniseries. The cast includes Charles Dutton, Cicely Tyson and Tom Skerritt.

"The Amazing Race" finale, 7 p.m., CBS. After four continents and 30,000 miles, the final three duos race in Alaska for the million-dollar prize. A young (23 and 22), dating couple faces cross-generation duos. There's a father and daughter (58 and 26) and a grandfather and grandson (68 and 23).

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 7-9 p.m., ABC. Recently widowed, a woman has struggled to continue her nonprofit horsemanship facility. Now the team works on her home, barn and riding ring.

"Masterpiece: Northanger Abbey," 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. As a girl, Jane Austen wrote satires of overblown gothic novels. In this story, she portrayed a young woman who is immersed in such stories until they seize her imagination. This new adaptation, starring Felicity Jones, is moderately engaging.

"Runaway Bride" (1999), 8-10 p.m., NBC. Here's the combination — Julia Roberts, Richard Gere and director Garry Marshall — that scored big with "Pretty Woman." This film, by comparison, falls flat, weighed down by unlikable characters.

"Cold Case" and "Shark," 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. Both stories revive cases in which someone may have been wrongly imprisoned. First is a triple murder from 1999; then is the slaying of Isaac's fiancee, four years ago.