Tonight's TV Hot List: Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
House
House
8/7c Fox
So House is officially back on the job. (Talk about phoning it in last week!) Will it be just like old times? We'll find out tonight, when the patient is an African dictator (James Earl Jones) who's accused of crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, House might be drug-free (or not). He might even be pain-free. But he's still House, and as Wilson learns yet again — this time when he tries to end a feud with a neighbor — House is still a pain in the you-know-what. — Paul Droesch
Sherri
7/6c Lifetime
Sherri Shepherd has clearly taken a disco diva's words about survival to heart in this sitcom version of her life. After leaving her cheating husband (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), Sherri focuses on caring for her son, Bo (Brandon Khalil), and pursuing a showbiz career as a comedian and actress — all while working as a paralegal. In the premiere, she learns her ex is expecting a baby with a much younger woman, and that news doesn't sit well with her. Still, to paraphrase Gloria Gaynor, we don't think she'll crumble or lay down and die. — Rhoda Charles
Two and a Half Men
9/8c CBS
Emmy winner Jon Cryer reunites with Annie Potts, who starred with him in the 1986 classic film Pretty in Pink, when she guest stars as Lenore, Judith's inebriated mother. In the episode, Alan pulls double duty when he ends up looking after Lenore, too, while taking care of Judith's baby. Meanwhile, Jake blackmails Charlie with an incriminating photo. — Bill Ecklund
Monday Night Football
8:30/7:30c ESPN
He's the Packers all-time leader in darn near everything (including awkward departures), and his name is synonymous with cheeseheads, frozen tundra and Lambeau leaps. Yet there Brett Favre stands tonight, wearing purple, while trying his best to beat the franchise with which he spent 16 mostly scintillating seasons. As far as Week 4 drama goes, it's not too shabby. There are also Vikings not wearing No. 4 — like Adrian Peterson, who looks to reprise his 196 rushing yards from last season's win over Green Bay, Minnesota's first since 2005. — Roger Leister
Outrage
9/8c HBO
Muckraking filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) is at it again, this time turning his camera on politicians, including former U.S. senator Larry Craig and Florida governor Charlie Crist, who have exhibited an antigay agenda despite often compelling allegations that they are homosexual. To be fair, most of the evidence is either hearsay or circumstantial, but the 2009 documentary gets extra mileage from provocative, impassioned commentary from activists, politicians, journalists and bloggers. — Joe Friedrich
