If the notion of getting "Lost in the Amazon" and finding yourself in a weekly horror movie has any appeal, then by all means set your compass for ABC's The River, the most exciting thing to happen to TV's midseason since, well, Monday's premiere of Smash on NBC. If Smash is a show-stopper, The River is a terrifying heart-stopper, a cleverly cinematic supernatural adventure that takes us on a wild ride into an exotic heart of darkness. (It opens with back-to-back episodes Tuesday at 9/8c, and the second hour is even scarier than the first.)
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This was a good week for welcoming back familiar and much-missed talent to some very good shows. Let's start with one of cable's underdogs, TNT's gritty and gripping police drama Southland, which introduced Carl Lumbly (who'll always be Dixon from Alias to me) as the squad's militaristic new captain, Brucker. "Our job just got harder," grumbles one of the grunts. Bad for him, good for Southland. Pledging to command a pro-active patrol, with Mickey D applications at the ready for those who screw up, Brucker's mantra is: "We protect! We serve! And we kick a— till we smell s---!" Yeah, he's that kind of boss.
read moreOn that rare occasion when someone tells you there's nothing good on TV — but honestly, why would you be talking to people like that? — gently point them toward Tuesday nights at 10/9c, a time period that became ridiculously overstuffed this week thanks to some of cable's best and most entertaining dramas. (And let's pause to give thanks to cable replays, for those with limited DVR capability.)
THE TUESDAY LOGJAM: Let's start with FX's Justified, fresh as ever in its third season. Still recovering from last season's wounds, wry U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) may not be up to snuff just yet — as his boss taunts, "You can't run and you can't shoot, what good are you?" — but the show is so assured in its blend of barbed humor and deadly menace that you can always expect at least once per episode to be found laughing on the edge of your seat. Mags Bennett may be gone, and there's no replacing the great Margo Martindale, but icy-eyed Neal McDonough is giving it a robust go...read more