SEATTLE MED: Welcome, TV peeps, to the November sweeps, late-October edition, where not all stunts are created equal. First among non-equals is TV's still-reigning hospital soap, the durable Grey's Anatomy, showing it has lost none of its juice — and neither has the faux-documentary format — in a wrenching and pivotal episode seemingly inspired by last summer's excellent Boston Med. Or is it the local sweeps news? The show temporarily becomes Seattle Medical: Road to Recovery, with sensational teasers amid other infotainment hoopla, as hand-held cameras follow the doctors along the usual rounds of triumph (a double arm transplant, a regenerative trachea procedure in the pediatrics ward) and tragedy (Mandy Moore, from the shoot-em-up cliffhanger, is back, but goes into an irreversible coma after Bailey's routine op). The gimmick, though familiar, illuminates character as we watch them do their jobs from a new perspective while sparing us from the show's maddening tendency to overshare...
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As ABC's poignant documentary series Boston Med (Thursday, 10/9c, ABC) has unfurled, we've witnessed the treatment of a wounded police officer, an infant heart procedure and a risky brain surgery. While all were undeniably remarkable, none are as mesmerizing as the case that makes up tonight's finale — a partial face transplant.
Only the second such procedure attempted in the United States, the April 2009 operation lasted 17 hours...
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Big Brother 12
8/7c CBS
The Brigade (Matt, Lane, Enzo, Hayden) is back in power now that Matt is Head of Household and also possesses the Diamond Power of Veto, which guarantees his safety for the next two weeks and allows him to change the nominations if he so desires. As for tonight, the Brendon-Rachel alliance looks to be history as Day 41 is marked in the books.
Read on for previews of So You Think You Can Dance, American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior, Boston Med, Project Runway, BBQ Pitmasters and the PGA Championship.
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The TV medical drama may have hit hard times lately, with Mercy, Miami Medical and Three Rivers all limping off the air. But Boston Med (Thursday, 10/9c, ABC) reminds us truth is often much more compelling than recycled fiction...
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Huge (Monday, 9/8c, ABC Family)
In this episode, set on "movie night" at Camp Victory, Nikki Blonsky sings. (As any fan of the movie Hairspray knew she ultimately would — although some probably expected it to happen in the talent-show episode.) As the summer crushes escalate in this diverting series, Will (Blonsky) channels her jealousy over Ian's crush on Hayley into writing a love song. Will it be music to the campers' ears?
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