Top draws on broadcast and cable and in sports
By Louisa Ada Seltzer Oct 30, 2009
FRIDAY
Best bet on broadcast: CBS, “Medium,” 9 p.m. Allison has a dream that looks eerily like the movie “Night of the Living Dead.”
Best bet on cable: Epix, “Sticky & Sweet: Live from Buenos Aires,” 10:10 p.m. The Paramount, Lions Gate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer channel launches with a Madonna concert special.
Top sporting event: ESPN, “NBA Basketball,” 10:30 p.m. Game two of a doubleheader features the Dallas Mavericks at the Los Angeles Lakers.
SATURDAY
Best bet on broadcast: Fox, “Major League Baseball,” 7:30 p.m. Game three of the World Series between the Yankees and Phillies, with the series shifting to Philadelphia.
Best bet on cable: Syfy, “Ghost Hunters Halloween Live,” 7 p.m. Live version of the show from Essex County Hospital in New Jersey.
Top sporting event: NBC, “College Football,” 7:30 p.m. Rare primetime game for Notre Dame, which takes on Washington State in San Antonio.
SUNDAY
Best bet on broadcast: ABC, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” 8 p.m. Country star Clint Black serves as this week’s celebrity volunteer.
Best bet on cable: Disney Channel, “Sonny with a Chance,” 8 p.m. Sonny tries to get Tawni to fire her manager before realizing it’s actually Tawni’s mom.
Top sporting event: Fox, “NFL Football,” 4:15 p.m. Should be another ratings extravaganza as Brett Favre and the Vikings take on Favre’s old team, the Packers, in Green Bay. Last time they played they set an all-time cable viewership record on ESPN.
A look at this week’s top TV draws
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
Time
Network
Program
Description
7 a.m.
ABC
“Good Morning America” (N)
Actor Jim Carrey makes an appearance.
8 p.m.
CBS
“Ghost Whisperer” (D)
Melinda is haunted by the headless horseman.
8 p.m.
Disney Channel
“Wizards of Waverly Place” (K)
Justin looks to Juliet’s vampire family for a monster-hunting course.
8 p.m.
ESPN
“NBA Basketball” (S)
The Bulls take on the Celtics in Boston.
9 p.m.
ABC
“Ugly Betty” (D)
Marc works as Betty’s temporary assistant.
10 p.m.
USA
“Monk” (D)
Monk takes care of a dog whose owner has gone missing.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
Time
Network
Program
Description
3:30 p.m.
CBS
“College Football” (S)
SEC game between Georgia and Florida.
7:30 p.m.
NBC
“College Football” (S)
Notre Dame takes on Washington State in San Antonio. (Apparently neither school has a great geography department.)
7:30 p.m.
Fox
“Major League Baseball” (S)
Coverage of game three of the World Series.
8 p.m.
ABC
“College Football” (S)
Regional matchups, most likely Texas versus Oklahoma State for much of the country.
9 p.m.
Showtime
“Boxing” (S)
Bantamweight title fight between Joseph Agbeko and Yonnhy Perez.
9 p.m.
Animal Planet
“Dogs 101” (N)
A look at Italian Greyhounds, Border Collies and others.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Time
Network
Program
Description
1 p.m.
ABC
“NASCAR Racing” (S)
A Sprint Cup race from Talladega, Ala.
4:15 p.m.
Fox
“NFL Football” (S)
Most of the country will watch Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field.
8 p.m.
Fox
“Major League Baseball” (S)
Game four of the World Series.
9 p.m.
ABC
“Desperate Housewives” (D)
Juanita gets expelled from school, and it’s Gaby’s fault.
9 p.m.
HBO
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (C)
Larry has a string of bad luck on the golf course.
9 p.m.
Showtime
“Dexter” (D)
Dexter tries to ramp up his efforts in catching the Trinity Killer.
10 p.m.
AMC
“Mad Men” (D)
Peggy’s poor taste in men comes to light.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.
Louisa Ada Seltzer is a staff writer for Media Life.
