Path of Destruction (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET)
Premiere. Given recent events, the scheduling of this thriller about devastating storm systems might strike some people as insensitive. But it's so darn cheesy we'll give it a pass. It's the story of man-made storms
that rage out of control, threatening all life on earth. Only two pretty young people -- a reporter played by Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) and a scientist played by Chris Pratt (lovable lunk-head Bright on The WB's Everwood) -- can save the planet, which may be the most devastating news of all.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
The West Wing (NBC, 8 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. The Santos and Vinick campaigns are in full swing as NBC's once-mighty political drama begins its
seventh and very likely final season. Oliver Platt returns as bulldozing White House counsel Oliver Babish. This time he's grilling C.J. about the NASA crisis.
Martha Behind Bars (CBS, 9 p.m. ET)
Premiere. When will television executives stop making unremarkable movies about recent current events? After all, who didn't follow the story of the trial and imprisonment of lifestyle queen and business
titan Martha Stewart? We all know how it played out and we're currently watching Stewart as she endeavors to re-establish herself as a multi-media powerhouse. So what entertainment value does a movie about this still fresh subject have to offer -- other than watching Cybill Shepherd camp it
up once again as Mad Martha (as she did in a 2003 TV movie for NBC)?
Desperate Housewives (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Will Susan and Mike subdue gun-wielding Zach? Is Rex really dead? What is Betty's secret? Why
doesn't her son smile? How will Lynette fare in the workplace? Will Gabrielle remain faithful while Carlos is behind bars? These and other questions will be addressed, if not answered, in the second season premiere of television's hottest show.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 10 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Meredith struggles with last spring's shocking cliffhanger revelation that Derek is married and Cristina
stresses about her relationship with Preston as the second season of ABC's sexy hospital soap opera begins.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 10 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. The long-awaited fifth season of television's funniest situation comedy begins with Larry believing that he hears a shocking revelation from his father and complaining about the contents of a
sandwich named after him by the owner of his favorite deli. Ted Danson, Richard Lewis and Shelley Berman are the guest stars.
Extras (HBO, 10:30 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, creators of the BBC smash The Office, created, wrote, directed and star in this comedy about a bitter, forty-something would-be actor plowing his way through one failed audition after another. Gervais plays Andy Millman, the hapless
aspirant who manages to alienate every casting director with whom he comes in contact. Merchant is featured as his contemptuous agent, who would prefer that Andy simply give up acting altogether. Extras features cameos by such stars of the silver screen as Samuel L. Jackson, Kate Winslet, Patrick Stewart and Ben Stiller.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Arrested Development (Fox, 8 p.m. ET)
Academy award-winner Charlize Theron begins a multi-episode arc as a new love interest for Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman).
Todd Oldham's Handmade Modern (HGTV, 8 p.m. ET)
Premiere. Designer Todd Oldham offers viewers practical advice about home accessories and furnishings inspired by mid-century
modern design. The series is based on and informed by Oldham's new book Handmade Modern: Mid-Century Inspired Projects for Your Home. This five-part series will be telecast Monday-Friday this week at 8 p.m. ET.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
The Amazing Race: Family Edition (CBS, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Two Hours. The eighth installment of the three time Emmy Award winner (for Outstanding
Reality Competition Series) has a new twist: Instead of eleven teams of two, the around-the-world race this time features ten teams of four, with each team comprised of members of the same family. Phil Keoghan hosts.
Commander In Chief (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. The best new series of the fall season stars Geena Davis as Vice President of the United States Mackenzie Allen, an independent woman in every way who ascends to the top office in the land after
the president dies during surgery. Both the president and the Speaker of the House insist that Allen step down should the worst come to pass and allow the Speaker to take on the presidency, but Allen refuses, asserting that she is up to the challenge. Donald Sutherland co-stars as Speaker of the House
Nathan Templeton, an arrogant sexist. Kyle Secor also stars as Allen's husband, the first First Husband in history. Commander In Chief was created by Rod Lurie (The Contender), who wrote and directed the pilot.
Sex, Love & Secrets (UPN, 9 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Denise Richards and Eric Balfour star in a new prime time serial about problem-plagued twenty-somethings in the hip Los Angeles neighborhood known as Silver Lake that will invariably be
compared to Melrose Place. If this uninteresting pilot is any indication, the comparisons won't hold up. But it must be remembered that Melrose was a ratings-challenged mish-mash in its first season, until the producers recruited Heather Locklear and Marcia Cross to stir up its storylines.
BET Comedy Awards (BET, 9 p.m. ET)
Premiere. Steve Harvey hosts the second annual telecast of the BET Comedy Awards, taped September 25 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, CA. The Awards honor the funniest performances
in film, television and standup comedy. Presenters and performers include Chris Rock, Anthony Anderson, Tichina Arnold, Charlie Murphy, Sheryl Underwood and Flava Flav. Martin Lawrence will receive the Icon Award.
Boston Legal (ABC, 10 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Its second season premiere makes clear that Boston Legal features more stars per minute than any other drama on television. Series regulars James Spader, William Shatner, Candice
Bergen, Rhona Mitra, Rene Auberjonois, Julie Bowen and Mark Valley are joined by Heather Locklear, Betty White and Rupert Everett in this episode, which finds Locklear's character accused of murdering her wealthy husband. Mediavillage readers are advised to pay special attention to Bergen's first scene in which her character, Atty. Shirley Schmidt, speaks with great urgency about an important meeting with "Jack Myers." Spader and Shatner were surprise winners at
this year's Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, honors that will earn them inclusion in television history books and future trivia games. (Spader won the same award last year for portraying the same character on The Practice. Shatner last year won an Emmy as Outstanding Guest Actor in a
Drama Series, also for portraying the same character on The Practice.)
Nip/Tuck (FX, 10 p.m. ET)
The third season premiere of this landmark drama earned Nip/Tuck its highest Nielsen ratings ever. If you
were among the more than 5 million people who tuned in, you probably have yet to recover from the shocking story of Momma Boone -- or the sizzling three-way sex scene between Julian McMahon, Kelly Carlson and Rhona Mitra. Still, you ain't seen nothing yet. In tonight's episode, young Matt
learns that Ava, the woman with whom he enjoyed all that steamy sex last season, is a transsexual, and he doesn't handle it very well.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Lost (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)
In some ways Lost became a very different show during last week's second season premiere with the revelation that a minor acquaintance from Jack's past is living in some kind of bizarre retro control
room under the island. Maddeningly, we learned nothing about the fates of raft-mates Michael, Sawyer and Jin -- though Shannon saw, or thought she saw, the kidnapped Walt in the jungle. Previews suggest the show will pick up their story tonight.
Veronica Mars (UPN, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. This quiet cult success has over the summer become one of the most buzzed-about television series on the Web. Fans are dying to know who was on the other side of the door at the end of
last season's final episode; they'll be happy to know that the second season opener thoroughly addresses and further complicates the "Logan or Duncan" debate. Don't miss a minute of tonight's show -- the final scene reveals one of the most unexpected and shocking plot turns on any television series ever.
Get Up, Stand Up: The Story of Pop and Protest (PBS, check local listings)
Premiere. The history of efforts by popular musicians to speak out on behalf of human rights causes (most recently
through the Live 8 concerts) is reviewed in this documentary featuring some of the most influential performers in music history. James Brown, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and U2 are among the dozens of artists featured.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Alias (ABC, 8 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. After the return late last season of the Big Red Ball -- and the singularly silly story that followed -- we're ready to write this show off. And given the show's history of inflicting terrible physical and
emotional abuse on its primary characters, we're really disturbed by the news that Jennifer Garner's pregnancy has been written into the show, meaning the always overstressed, perpetually imperiled Syd is with child. Here's hoping she wasn't pregnant at the time of the shocking car accident that ended last season with a crash, if not a bang.
Smallville (The WB, 8 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Its action-packed fourth season finale last May was one of the most exciting episodes of series television this year, even if this show's increasingly complex narrative started to split at the
seams. But with all the fuss at the time about American Idol, Desperate Housewives, Lost and the Quentin Tarantino-directed season finale of CSI, nobody took special note. The episode ended with Clark alone in the Arctic, a locale that can only mean one thing to
fans of the Superman comic books and the feature film franchise starring Christopher Reeve: He gonna find the Fortress of Solitude! Meanwhile, Lana, Chloe, Lex and the Kents deal with the aftermath of the second meteor shower to demolish the title town.
Will & Grace (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Live. Season Premiere. The eighth and final season begins with a live episode. Wonder if it will make mention of Karen's
quick trip to Los Angeles with Donald Trump to sing the theme song from Green Acres at the Emmy Awards?
Night Stalker (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. The opening episode of this supernatural thriller about a determined journalist who investigates strange events and mysterious murders isn't nearly as scary or atmospheric as a spooky series
should be. Perhaps that's because it's based on a short-lived series from the '70s that was never a critical or ratings success because it was never as scary or atmospheric as a spooky series should be. But time has been kind to the legend of Carl Kolchak, the hardscrabble journo played by Darren McGavin in two memorable movies of the week (that actually seemed very scary
and atmospheric at the time), so much so that there was big interest in this show -- until people saw the pilot. Kolchak is now a handsome young newspaper guy who makes enough money to afford a multi-million dollar aerie with a glistening in-ground pool high atop the Hollywood Hills. All together now: Huh? For those who haven't seen enough women tortured and slaughtered
on television series in recent weeks, the Night Stalker premiere tells the story of a beastie that kills pregnant women and rips their unborn babies from their bodies. Understandably traumatized fans of the original movies will undoubtedly enjoy the brief computer-generated cameo by McGavin. Stuart Townsend and Gabrielle Union star.
Everwood (The WB, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. The fifth season begins with Ephram, the most sullen spoiled brat on television, still moping his way through Europe on daddy's dime. His absence frees up his family and friends back home in
Colorado to concentrate on concerns beyond the Anxieties of Ephram Brown, and the show is instantly the better for it. Every other character and storyline on this show suddenly intensifies, reminding us that Everwood really is one of the best dramas on television. Nina chooses between Andy and Jake. Bright finds an interesting roommate. Amy continues to help her mother
through her cancer recovery. And all memories of Ephram and his terrible problems are instantly forgotten … for a while anyway.
Bodies (BBC America, 9 p.m. ET)
U.S. Series Premiere. It may not have been the intent of its creators, but this deeply disturbing, unforgivably intense
medical drama from Britain makes a strong case against socialized medicine. Max Beesley stars as a resident who begins work in the Ob/Gyn unit of a big city hospital and is immediately overwhelmed by all the
terrible things that go wrong within. It's very well made and the acting is top notch, but this series is not for the fainthearted or easily distressed.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Malcolm in the Middle (Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Malcolm and family attend the Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, where Malcolm has
an encounter with a sexy shaman (Rosanna Arquette) and Lois discovers the happiness of hemp.
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