TV: Five shows worth watching tonight: March 5
A select viewing guide for Monday, March 5
HISTORY Vietnam in HD History, 8 p.m. Long before the U.S. military machine rolled into Iraq and Afghanistan, there was the unwinnable war in Vietnam. This remarkable program tells the real story of the sustained military conflict that nearly tore America apart in the sixties. Utilizing heretofore unseen footage, now remastered in digital format, the series provides compelling first-hand accounts by the soldiers who spent time in the killing fields. Tonight’s chapter opens in early 1967 when U.S. troops embarked on widespread “search and destroy” operations for the first time. Back home, meanwhile, the American public is starting to question the war effort with demonstrations on every major college campus. This was not the summer of love.
REALITY Redemption Inc. CBC, 9 p.m. Will there be a second season of this reality series starring Kevin O’Leary of Dragons’ Den? Based on ratings, it’s not a done deal. The show’s offbeat premise, in which O’Leary oversees a group of ex-convicts competing in business challenges, started off strong with ratings nearing the million-viewer range. One month later, the viewing audience was nearly halved. Those who stuck with the concept will know that the feisty single mom Alia has already won the grand prize – $100,000 of O’Leary’s money to invest in her landscaping and snow-removal company – but what about the rest of the ex-cons? In tonight’s finale, O’Leary and adviser (and ex-drug smuggler) Brian O’Dea check in on the participants several months after the cameras stopped rolling.
REALITY Bear Swamp Recovery OLN, 9:30 p.m. Despite the catchy title, this popular unscripted series has absolutely nothing to do with rescuing bears from swamps. Instead, the focus is on a repossession agency called Bear Swamp Recovery, which is located in Mercerville, N.J. The star of the show is the larger-than-life PJ Vinch, who runs the company with the help of his son “Tiny” (yes, it’s an ironic nickname) and his father “Pops.” In handheld cinéma vérité style, the series documents their daily work routine, which most often involves repossessing such unlikely items as garbage trucks, hot air balloons and even the occasional Zamboni. But life as a New Jersey repo man is not all glamour and pizza slices. In tonight’s show, one of the three is in the middle of reclaiming a vehicle when he’s tasered by the owner.
DRAMA Smash NBC, CTV, 10 p.m. The future does not look bright for this big-budget drama set in the frothy world of Broadway. Despite huge ratings for its debut mid-January, the show has successively shed U.S. viewers with each new episode; here in Canada, the show is being soundly thumped by Hawaii Five-O in the Monday-night ratings. The problem may be that the show launched with a tasty premise – veteran lyricist Julia (Debra Messing) tries to mount a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, while stage divas Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) compete for the role of the bombshell – but subsequent episodes have veered into soap-opera territory. In tonight’s episode, Julia gets physical with the actor playing Joe DiMaggio, while Ivy gets into a tiff with the show’s director. Whatever happened to the play’s the thing?
MOVIE The Entertainer TCM, 10:15 p.m. ET; 7:15 p.m. PT Laurence Olivier etches one of his most memorable screen portrayals in this haunting 1960 drama. The late, great British thespian is achingly believable as the hammy stage veteran Archie Rice, who still insists on performing before meagre crowds at a resort town’s rundown music hall. Despite the concerns of his daughter Jean (Joan Plowright, who later became Olivier’s third and final wife) and his soldier son Mick (Albert Finney) shipping off to active duty, Archie lives only for the smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd. While his family falls apart, Archie boozes and philanders and attempts to mount his next show, which involves coaxing his more respectable father Billy (Roger Livesey) out of retirement. As with Shakespeare, the tragedy is inevitable.