The Globe and Mail

REALITY

Extreme Couponing: Black Friday Blitz
TLC, 8 p.m. ET/PT

In today's shaky American economy, clipping coupons is not a hobby, it's a way of life. This special edition of the popular reality series tracks four savvy shoppers as they gear up for the annual orgy of consumerism known as “Black Friday.” The program checks in with Maine bargain-hunter Chrystie, who begins her Black Friday preparations a month in advance. In New Hampshire, a housewife makes use of her customized RV to wait in line for bargains. Ohio housewife Joni enlists several of her friends to find online bargains. And in North Dakota, a woman puts a new spin on the old three-for-one concept when she shows up at the mall with her daughter and her mother, each clutching a fistful of coupons. A penny saved is a penny earned.

DOCUMENTARY

Slavery by Another Name
PBS, 9 p.m. ET/PT

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Douglas A. Blackmon, this documentary was a much-discussed entry at the recent Sundance Film Festival. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, the film challenges the long-standing notion that slavery in America ended with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. As related in the film by several eminent historians, the edict forbade outright chattel slavery, but was undermined by a new set of laws in the Southern states that made it illegal for African Americans to walk beside a railroad or speak loudly in the company of white women. And if a black man could not provide proof of employment, he was immediately convicted of vagrancy and put into forced labour. A powerful indictment of a shameful chapter in American history.

COMEDY

Mike & Molly
CBS, CTV Two, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT

Will Melissa McCarthy soon have an Oscar to keep her Emmy company? The talented comedic actress collected the Emmy last September for co-starring in this sitcom and she's already the odds-on favourite to collect best-supporting-actress honours for her work in the comedy feature Bridesmaids, in which she played the raunchy Megan. McCarthy is far more restrained as the schoolteacher Molly in this show, with the possible exception of tonight's new episode in which she takes her plus-sized beau Mike (Billy Gardell) to task for forgetting to make dinner reservations on Valentine's Day. Imagine!

DRAMA

Smash
NBC, CTV, 10 p.m. ET/PT

Is Smash a smash? It depends on which side of the border you live. In the U.S., NBC spent an astounding $25-million (U.S.) to promote the mid-season drama set in the Broadway world, which apparently paid off since nearly 12-million U.S. viewers watched the debut. In Canada, meanwhile, the opener earned 1.4-million viewers, but was edged out by the sophomore crime drama Hawaii Five-O, with 1.7-million viewers. Go figure. In any case, tonight's episode finds the central characters of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) still in heated competition to land the role of Marilyn Monroe in a new musical. At the same time, the show's co-creator Julia (Debra Messing) trips over fresh red tape in her efforts to adopt a baby from overseas.

MOVIE

The Guns of Navarone
TCM, 10:15 p.m. ET; 7:15 p.m. PT

A huge box-office hit in 1961, this film version of Alistair MacLean's novel earned an Oscar for best special effects. The guns in question are massive Nazi cannons, which have been installed on a Greek island with the goal of picking off Allied ships and planes. British Major Roy Franklin (Anthony Quayle) heads the unit assigned to put the guns out of commission, but when he's injured the mission falls to the less experienced hands of American Captain Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck). Aided by the explosives expert Miller (David Niven) and the Greek patriot Stavrou (Anthony Quinn), Mallory’s mission is nearing success – when he discovers one of his team members is a traitor.