Seven Days of Television: February 17 to February 23
A select viewing guide to the next seven days of television
MONDAY FEBRUARY 17 Castle (ABC, 10 p.m.) Still pulling healthy ratings in season six, Castle faithfully runs off the star power of two unsung but pretty talented Canadian actors: Edmonton–born Nathan Fillion chews up the scenery as the titular Richard Castle, a bestselling mystery author and general bon vivant who somehow becomes embroiled in solving a real-life crime each week; and Hamilton, Ontario native Stana Katic still sizzles as Beckett, the hot NYPD cop assigned to make Castle’s sleuthing legal, sort of. And now that they’re a couple, there’s even more witty banter between them as they work cases. In tonight’s new outing, the handsome odd couple look into the murder of a high-schooler with a rep as a “mean girl.”
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18 Frontline: Generation Like (PBS, 10 p.m.) Here’s a new documentary bound to make you feel like a fossil. Bestselling pop culture author Douglas Rushkoff hosts this program that feels like a primer to inform parents about their kids’ use of social media. In proper Frontline fashion, Rushkoff interviews several experts espousing different theories on why teens and tweens are spending so much time on Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook and shows how big corporations are taking advantage of that fact.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19 Criminal Minds (CBS, CTV, 9 p.m.) Nasty as it ever was, Criminal Minds continues to roll out the corpses each week, which still pulls in remarkable ratings for CBS. Go figure. Tonight, FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit boss David Rossi (Joe Mantegna) wheels his team into Pittsburgh to investigate a series of murder that looks to be the work of a serial-killer team. Hey, what else are you going to do in Pittsburgh on a Saturday night?
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20 Millionaire Matchmaker (Slice, 10 p.m.) Bless your big heart, Patti Stanger. The sassy professional matchmaker still believes everybody has a soulmate out there, somewhere. Now in its seventh season, this reality series documenting the professional matchmaker’s efforts to hook people up remains wildly entertaining, depending on who she’s trying to hook up. Tonight she tries to find the right partner for her best friend, a celebrity chef, and applies her usual brisk reality check upon a real-estate millionaire accustomed to dating L.A. party girls.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21 Hello Ross (E!, 10 p.m.) Well, hello, Ross! Back tonight for a second season, this weekly talk show is the perfect showcase for the talents of pop culture maven Ross Mathews. The giggly super fan rose to fame delivering field reports on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and he’s a natural fit in his new role of sitting down with various celebrities for delicious dish and girl talk. The best part: Ross is so innocuous, the really big star names are quite willing to sit down for a chat. Last season saw guest turns by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Lance Bass and Kelly Osbourne!
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22 Horrible Bosses (Showcase, 10 p.m.) Released in 2011, this black comedy seems about right for a Saturday night. Jason Bateman and Charlie Day take the spotlight as Nick and Dale, best friends with, yes, horrible bosses. Nick answers to a sadistic financier named David (Kevin Spacey), while Dale toils for a sexually-voracious dentist named Julia (played quite well by Jennifer Aniston). And their pal Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) is stuck with a coke-sniffing idiot boss named Bobby (Colin Farrell). A helpful hitman (Jamie Foxx) makes a suggestion: If the unlucky three kill each other’s bosses, they just might get away with it.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23 The Amazing Race (CBS, CTV, 8 p.m.) Finally, now that those tiresome Winter Games are over we can finally get to the real athleticism: Harried couples flitting all over the world in pursuit of a million-dollary payday. The 24th edition of the global scavenger hunt series brings back Amazing Race fan favourites from seasons past. Among them, The Cowboys (pictured, in case you couldn't figure that out) and Brendon and Rachel. This time they’re crossing four continents and nine countries over a trek exceeding 35,000 miles. Scheduled stops include Rome, China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The indefatigable Phil Keoghan returns to host.