TV: Five shows worth watching tonight: February 19
A select viewing guide for Tuesday, February 19
DRAMA NCIS (CBS, Global, 8 p.m.) Still the most-watched scripted show on American television–with roughly 16-million viewers weekly–this no-frills crime procedural series routinely throws solid storylines to its support players. Tonight’s new episode focuses on the character of NCIS director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), still on leave grieving the death of his wife. Out of the blue, Vance receives personal information prompting him to change his entire perspective on law enforcement. Former Ally McBeal regular Greg Germann guest-stars as deputy director Jerome Craig.
COMEDY Rick Mercer Report (CBC, 8 p.m.) You can always count on Rick Mercer for a solid chuckle on a cold winter’s night. Still drawing an audience of a million or so viewers weekly, Mercer’s weekly travelogue series remains appointment viewing with many Canadians. In tonight’s new show, he visits the Calgary Zoo where he takes a leisurely walk around the grounds with the king penguins. It’s not fancy, but it is funny.
COMEDY Hot in Cleveland (CTV, 9 p.m.) Never underestimate the appeal of an old-school sitcom. This half-hour comedy still ranks as the highest-rated show on the U.S. cable channel TV Land, and pulls in a million-plus viewers each week for CTV. If you’re late to the party, the show stars ex-Frasier regular Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) and Valerie Bertinelli (One Day At a Time) as Joy, Victoria and Melanie, three former L.A. doyennes with a new lease on life in Cleveland. Added to the mix is 90-year-old Betty White as their feisty housekeeper, Elka. Tonight’s episode takes viewers behind the scenes and includes previously-unseen footage of the cast and crew and multiple bloopers from the current third season.
DRAMA Body of Proof (ABC, Citytv, 10 p.m.) Back tonight for a third season, this medical drama’s appeal stems entirely from the performance of Dana Delany as a temperamental medical genius. The former star of China Beach and Desperate Housewives is a commanding presence as the neurosurgeon Megan Hunt, whose surgical prowess was cut short by an auto accident, after which she begins a new career as a medical examiner. In tonight’s new episode, Dr. Hunt returns to work several months after the death of her co-worker/boyfriend Peter, and is immediately assigned a detective partner named Tommy (Mark Valley) with whom she has a romantic past.
MOVIE The Fugitive (AMC, 10 p.m.) Based on the sixties TV series of the same name, which in turn was based on a real-life case, this 1993 action feature stars Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, a Chicago physician unjustly accused and convicted of killing his wife. En route to prison, Kimble survives a spectacular bus-train collision and is running over hill and dale from the cops in pursuit. Tommy Lee Jones, recently Oscar-nominated for Lincoln, delivers an Oscar-winning performance as the dogged U.S. marshal Sam Gerard, and watch for Glee’s Jane Lynch in a cameo role as a hospital medic.