SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Encore's Big '80s Weekend Continues (Encore, continuous) Among the highlights of Encore's Big '80s Weekend movie extravaganza today are Nine to Five at 10:30 a.m. ET, Mr. Mom at 4:20 p.m. ET, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome at 6 p.m. ET, Weird Science at 8 p.m. ET and About Last Night at 9:40 p.m. ET.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Encore's Big '80s Weekend Continues (Encore, continuous) Encore's Big '80s nostalgia fest continues all day and night. Highlights include Christine at 6 p.m. ET, Revenge of the Nerds: Nerds in Paradise at 8 p.m. ET, Real Genius at 9:35 p.m. ET and Back to School at 11:30 p.m. ET.
The Amazing Race Marathon, Part 1 (GSN, 6 p.m. ET) The first season of The Amazing Race will be presented in its entirety on GSN beginning tonight from 6 p.m.-midnight ET and continuing Monday, September 5 from 5 p.m.-midnight ET.
Rome (HBO, 9 p.m. ET) After eight years in Gaul, Lucius is reunited with his wife Niobe, who has thought him long dead and harbors a secret; Tully indulges at a brothel and suffers a serious head injury (leading to a surgery sequence that will have viewers squirming); and the simmering tension between Pompey and Caesar reaches its boiling point.
Footballers Wive$ (BBC America, 9 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Season One of Footballers Wive$ was one of the most talked about series of the summer and definitely the sexiest show on cable. The buzz will certainly continue with Season Two, as Tanya prepares a false rape charge against Frank, the sleazy owner of the team, to discredit his charge that she caused the automobile accident that put him in a coma; Donna and Ian cope with the trauma of their daughter's kidnapping; and Chardonnay and Kyle try to put their lives back in order after her disfiguring accident and subsequent behavioral disorders. (Chardonnay and Kyle, portrayed by Susie Amy and Gary Lucy, are often referred to as the Posh Spice and David Beckham of the show.) Footballers Wive$ will move to 10 p.m. ET Sundays as of September 25 (once ABC's Desperate Housewives, the series to which Wive$ is often compared, begins its second season in the 9 p.m. time period).
Entourage (HBO, 10 p.m. ET) Season Finale. Last week, Terence dumped Ari, Mandy dumped Vince and Vince dumped Aquaman. As this series' sublime second season draws to a close tonight we can only wonder, how will the guys hug out this mess?
Stroker & Hoop (Adult Swim, 12 a.m. ET) Series Premiere. This action-comedy about a private eye with limited skills, his sensitive sidekick and his persnickety talking car who tackle tough crimes as a team is the latest addition to the edgy animated fare on Adult Swim. Casper Kelly and Jeff Olsen, fresh off the network's signature hit Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, are the producers.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
Encore's Big '80s Weekend Concludes (Encore, continuous) The final day of Encore's Big '80s movie weekend includes Lucas at 6:20 a.m. ET, My Bodyguard at 6:15 p.m. ET, Working Girl at 8 p.m. ET and Jagged Edge at 11:40 p.m. ET.
Supernova (Hallmark Channel, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. Three Hours and 30 Minutes. Peter Fonda, Luke Perry, Tia Carrere, Lance Henriksen and Emma Samms star in this action-thriller about a scientist who discovers that the sun will explode in seven days, wiping out all life on earth. Samms — fondly remembered for her roles as Holly Scorpio on General Hospital and Fallon Carrington Colby on Dynasty -- plays a news reporter investigating strange sun storm activity.
Speak (Showtime/Lifetime, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Showtime and Lifetime will simultaneously telecast the original Showtime Independent Film Speak, about a high school freshman raped by an upperclassman at a summer party who is unable to open up about her ordeal and becomes a school outcast. Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Perkins, D.B. Sweeney, Eric Lively and Steve Zahn star. Both networks will present a Public Service Announcement from RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) after the telecasts.
The Closer (TNT, 9 p.m. ET) Season Finale. 70 Minutes. The long-simmering conflict between Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) and Captain Taylor (Robert Gossett) reaches its boiling point while Brenda and her team investigate the murder of a powerful Hollywood producer in the season finale of TNT's hit summer crime drama. Viewers who immediately identified with Brenda after the much-talked-about donut sequence in the series' opener will truly appreciate the final scene in this episode.
Rome: Engineering an Empire (History Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Anyone who has become instantly obsessed with HBO's formidable new series Rome, or is simply interested in world history, will find much to enjoy in this documentary that chronicles the rise and fall of the Roman Empire beginning with the reign of Caesar in 44 B.C. and continuing to 537 A.D. The primary focus here is on the advances in architecture, engineering and technology during this period, including the construction of the city's aqueduct system, which provided 200 gallons of water per day, and its sewer system, which still functions today; the creation of the world's first modern highway; and the development of waterproof concrete used in structures that are still standing. There are also shocking personal stories about some of the Empire's most notorious leaders.
Messiah: Vengeance is Mine (BBC America, 9 p.m. ET) U.S. Premiere. First of Two Parts. Detective Chief Inspector Red Metcalfe investigates the murder of his estranged brother, the victim of a serial killer seeking to settle an old score by targeting the investigators who are tracking him and their loved ones. Ken Stott stars. Vengeance is Mine concludes Tuesday, September 6 at 9 p.m. ET.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Go, Diego, Go! (Nickelodeon, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Dora the Explorer's bilingual eight-year-old cousin Diego — a nature expert who can talk to animals — stars in his own Nick Jr. spin-off. (The series has its premiere tonight on Nickelodeon but moves to its regular weekday morning Nick Jr. time period at 11 a.m. ET tomorrow. Diego will also join the Nick Jr. on CBS lineup on Saturday September 17.) In each episode, Diego and his friends respond to calls to his Animal Rescue Center in the Latin American rainforest and set out on adventures to save animals. Diego's fellow adventurers include his bilingual kid sister Alicia; the overeager Baby Jaguar; Click, a high-tech talking camera; Rescue Pack, a talking messenger bag that can transform into various modes of transportation as needed; and the Bobo Brothers, two mischievous monkeys. Each episode is intended to teach young viewers about animals indigenous to the region. Rosie Perez performs the voice of Click.
Seconds from Disaster: Pentagon 9/11 (National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Some folks might call this overkill. Others will appreciate all the attention that National Geographic Channel and others are devoting to the fourth anniversary of 9/11. Two weeks after the telecasts of its two-part documentary miniseries Inside 9/11, which chronicled the long build up to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, among other atrocities, this NGC series looks once again in great detail at the horror that followed when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed directly into the west wall of the Pentagon on that fateful day.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Rock Star: INXS (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) At the close of tonight's results show we will know the identities of the final four rockers competing to become the new lead singer of INXS.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
The O.C. (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. As desperate thug Trey lays in his hospital bed, comatose after Marissa shot him (in last spring's shocking season finale), exhausted spoiled brat Marissa lays by the pool at her family's majestic estate, resplendent in obviously a very expensive swimsuit and sunglasses, and sighs to friend Summer, "I shot someone, Sum. Even if he lives, I'm still going to have to live with that for the rest of my life." To which Summer thoughtfully replies, "I never actually knew anyone in a coma!" Yes, The O.C. is back, and in fine form. In other storyline news, sudden widow Julie and her opportunistic ex Jimmy bond anew before Caleb's corpse is cold, and Kristen is befriended by a recovering alcoholic with ulterior motives at rehab. Jeri Ryan joins the cast.
Reunion (Fox, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. The lives of six young friends over a tumultuous twenty-year period are explored one year per episode in this ambitious drama that seems designed to run its course after only one season. The narrative revolves around events during those two decades that result in the present-day murder of one of the friends and the subsequent investigation that prompts many a recollection and flashback. The murder saga is interesting, but the greater mystery involves the series itself: When the story runs its course by the end of this season, assuming Reunion lasts a full season, what happens next? How does it continue? Episode one flashes back to the summer of 1986, as the friends celebrate their high school graduation and tragedy strikes. Mathew St. Patrick of Six Feet Under plays the detective assigned to the murder. Will Estes (American Dreams) and Sean Faris (Life as we Know It) star.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, The WB and UPN, 8 p.m. ET) Live. Singers, actors and other celebrities band together tonight in a live, one-hour, commercial-free concert/telethon to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Shelter from the Storm will be simulcast from locations in New York City and Los Angeles on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, The WB and UPN. It has also been made available to other broadcast and cable networks as well as broadband Internet providers, so check the grid of your choice or search the Web for further viewing options if for some reason you don't care to watch on one of the six broadcast networks.
Fashion Rocks (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Destiny's Child, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, Joss Stone, Rob Thomas and David Bowie are among the performers in this concert kicking off Fashion Week in New York City. Taped at Radio City Music Hall. Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) and Mark McGrath are the hosts.
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Channel, 10 p.m. ET) Lucy Lawless — known to viewers as the classic title character in Xena: Warrior Princess and for her starring role in last spring's cheesy CBS science-fiction flick Locusts — and beloved by members of the Television Critics Association for her annual participation in the wildly informal alt-TCA Awards party that follows the prestigious Television Critics Association Awards ceremony in July — plays a reporter from the intergalactic Fleet News Service given access to the Galactica to document the stress of military life during wartime.