Seven Days of Television: February 8 to February 15
A select viewing guide to the next seven days of television
MONDAY FEBRUARY 9 The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 8 p.m.) Donald Trump may have the elegance of a New York dock worker, but he knows how to pull in the viewers. Ratings for the 14th edition of his blunt reality competition pitting vaguely famous celebrities against each other in pointless challenges are among the highest in the show’s history. Last week, The Donald canned ex-baseball star Johnny Damon, reality thingy Brandi Glanville and former Beverly Hills, 90210 hunk Ian Ziering in a nasty boardroom segment. The last three semi-stars standing: tabloid TV king Geraldo River, chirpy Leeza Gibbons and actress Vivica A. Fox. Note: The first hour is a recap of the past season; the second hour transports the trio to Orlando for one last big task and a reunion with some infamous past Celebrity Apprentice contestants. Hello, Omarosa!
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10 American Experience: The Forgotten Plague (PBS, 8 p.m.) Consider today’s sobering statistic: By the early 19th century, tuberculosis had killed one in seven of all human who had ever lived. In keeping with the American Experience fashion of chronicling really terrible but true-life events, this film rewinds the clock to the early 1900s when tuberculosis ravaged America, wiping out complete communities and in its own insidious way shaping the nation – in terms of medical advances, societal habits and economic development. The program also rightly honours the efforts of unheralded microbiologist Albert Schatz, who in 1943 discovered streptomycin, the antibiotic that eventually halted the tuberculosis scourge, saving millions of lives.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11 Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN, 9 p.m.) By any measure, Anthony Bourdain has an enquiring mind. In theory, this CNN travel series is supposed to be about following the big man all over the globe in search of unique culinary experiences, but in most episodes it’s more interesting to watch Bourdain soak up the entire culture through his sponge-like human curiosity. Tonight’s second-season episode, for example, takes him to South Africa, where he learns how to hunt (and cook) antelope, but visits the dodgy suburb of Hillbrow, spends a day as a taxi driver and explores how the city of Johannesburg became a safe place for families.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12 CBC Doc Zone: The Truth About Female Desire (CBC, 9 p.m.) As it turns out, men aren’t the only ones that think about s-e-x. Presumably scheduled as warmup viewing for Valentine’s Day, this new doc goes to remarkable lengths to portray females as healthy sexual animals. The film gives inordinate credit to sixties feminist and former Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown and includes several interviews with experts on the topic, including University of Ottawa sex researcher Dr. Jocelyn Wentland, who says, “Women are embracing their sexuality in ways that haven’t been acceptable in the public eye in a long time, if ever.” Woo-woo!
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13 Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (ABC, 8 p.m.) Here’s a kitschy but sweet blast from the past. First shown in 1975, this animated entry in the Peanuts TV universe follows each primary member of Charlie Brown’s gang navigating the joy and pains of grade-school romance. Linus is numb to the affections of Sally, but totally smitten by his new teacher, Miss Othmar. Lucy, meanwhile, tries to physically threaten Schroeder into being her boyfriend, while poor old Chuck is humiliated yet again when he doesn’t receive a valentine from that little red-haired girl, or anyone else for that matter. Ah, l’amour.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14 The Harder They Fall (TCM, 8 p.m. ET) Tonight being the most romantic night of the year, you might expect TCM to air Casablanca or Gone With the Wind. Instead, they went this 1956 film noir significant for being the last film appearance of Humphrey Bogart. A haggard-looking Bogie is a good fit as boxing manager Eddie Willis, whose last shot at the big time wrests in the ham-sized fists of a massive Argentinian pugilist named Toro. Toro can’t box to save his life, but the crooked promoter Benko (Rod Steiger) arranges a barnstorm tour and pays other boxers to take dives. When Toro’s string of phony victories starts to add up, the big man has to step into the ring with the heavyweight champ, causing Eddie to feel awful guilty.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 15 Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC, Global, 8 p.m.) Along with last week’s Super Bowl game, this three-hour salute to the venerable Saturday Night Live is the event of the year for NBC. The festooning begins with red-carpet coverage – seriously – of the famous guests and SNL alumni as they arrive at Rockefeller Centre for the live broadcast. Among those confirmed so far: Longtime holdout Eddie Murphy, successful ex-cast regulars Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler and less successful cast members Joe Piscopo Chris Kattan. But the really big guest showing up: former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. All past parodies forgiven? You betcha.