Welcome to the big election week TV or Not TV EXTRAVAGANZA!
OK, not really. I won’t get in to political rhetoric here because the only thing that the election does for the avid television viewer is mess up your regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday nights.
Of course we’ve seen more than our fair share of interruptions in programming this year with the three Presidential debates and the one Vice-Presidential debate. All of the debates this year had massive ratings numbers so from that aspect alone we can tell that America is doing something that it hasn’t seemed to do as much in the years prior: it actually cares about the Presidential election. As a fan of Democracy this is a very good thing to see.
I know that plenty of other organizations have tried in the past to use television’s advertising to try to entice us into getting out and exercising our constitutional right. Rock the Vote has done a decent job of this, and who else remembers the terrifying notion that Sean Combs tried to instill in us with his clever and morbid “Vote or Die.”
Last week we saw what I found to be the most surprising move of all with the airing of the 30 minute infomercial by the Obama campaign. The approach was simple of course with the show reaching out to those on Main Street (I’m still not sure what that means) to let them know that Barack Obama is the man with the plan who will be looking out for you AND America if he is elected as our nation’s President. This aired on three of the four major networks so you know it had to have cost a pretty penny.
I also have to say that Saturday Night Live has done a wonderful job of keeping trying to keep balance with their election coverage. Even though it is very clear that the Republican agenda is the one that is constantly getting smeared, they’ve countered that with appearances by both John McCain and Sarah Palin. It is only too bad that this election coverage has clearly drained the writers as all of the non-political skits this year have been rather dry.
If you are able I am sure you will be out Tuesday night and doing your part to vote in the election. All I can say is I hope you do because, well, there isn’t much on Tuesday night this week (there’s a ringing endorsement for why you should vote).
Now back to our regularly scheduling programming selections, already in progress.
MONDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: I’m sure it isn’t enough pressure appearing on national television while trying to win a million dollars, but tonight the heat is cranked up on the Deal or No Deal contestants when they find they only have 20 seconds to accept or reject The Banker‘s offer. Someone is going to snap and attack Howie, I can feel it.
NICK – 8:00 PM: If you don’t have kids than you won’t care that tonight is the hour long Dora the Explorer special Dora Saves the Snow Princess. 10 to 1 I’ll be watching this tonight. I wonder how it ends?
CBS – 9:00 PM: Tonight on 2 and a Half Men Judith… ok, seriously, who cares?
NBC – 9:00 PM: If you are like me and you have been disappointed in Heroes then I have good news, it’s not on tonight! Instead we get a few new political skits and retreading of skits from elections past with the Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2008.
TUESDAY
ELECTION NIGHT: It’s going to be strange for me watching the election results this year after the passing of Tim Russert. I can honestly say that it is the first election night that I’m nervous about. Does the success and future of our country hang on tonight? Will we look back and discover we truly voted for change, or did we put country first? See you on the other side.
AMC – 5:30 PM: Want to put the politics aside and watch an underdog with a heart of gold? Rocky followed by Rocky II.
COMEDY CENTRAL – 9:00 PM: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention tonight’s Futurama episode A Head in the Polls.
TBS – 11:00 PM: On FrankTV the impressions are great and the comedy isn’t, but tonight’s agenda is all political so there may be a laugh to be found as you either cheer or jeer the President-Elect.
WEDNESDAY
CW – 8:00 PM: An investigation on Bones leads to a former girlfriend of Angela being a suspect (oh yeah, you read it right).
NBC – 9:00 PM: Life is sandwiched tonight between the new Knight Rider and the returning Law & Order. Tune in.
PBS – 9:00 PM*: Fans of history and the stories of war would be very interested in watching Medal of Honor. No, it’s not about the video game, it is the stories told of some of the medal’s noteworthy recipients. *Check local listings for time
THURSDAY
CW – 8:00 PM: It’s back to the Phantom Zone tonight on Smallville so the show can wrap up the loose end that is Kara Kent (aka Super Girl).
NBC – 9:30 PM: If you have been watching NBC at all for the past few weeks then you know that Oprah makes a guest appearance on 30 Rock tonight. This might be something major but there’s a big name guest star every night the show is on for the month of November, so I guess Ms. O is just kicking it all off.
MTV – 10:00 PM: Here’s the pitch: A rapper from the hard streets mentors a group with big ideas and no money to help them make it big like he did. Intrigued? 50 Cent: The Money and the Power. I don’t want to know what Fiddy does when you get booted off this show.
FRIDAY
E! – 8:00 PM: Tonight the E! True Hollywood Story takes a look at the crumbling of the Hogan family with the events leading up to the incarceration of Nick and Linda’s decision to divorce.
CMT – 9:00 PM: Taylor Swift meets Def Leppard on on tonight’s CMT Crossroads.
NBC – 10:00 PM: If they keep showing two nights of Life a week they are going to run out of episodes before year end. Tonight Crews and Reese spend the blackest Friday of all looking for a killer in a mall the day after Thanksgiving.
SATURDAY
COMEDY CENTRAL – 8:00 PM: I’m not sure what message Comedy Central is trying to send tonight. First they have Kevin James: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff followed by Ralphie May: Girth of a Nation all being followed by the Chris Farley classic Tommy Boy. Did someone order a super sized Saturday?
NICK – 8:00 PM: iCarly: iGo to Japan is on while iGo watch anything else but this.
MAX – 10:00 PM: Even though no teenager talks this way in real life, you can take in the Best Original Screen Play award winning Juno tonight. It’s quirky good.
NBC – 11:29 PM: A replay of James Franco’s hosting of SNL from earlier this year.
SUNDAY
NBC – 2:30 PM: Try watching the 2008 Paralympic Games and come up with an excuse why you can’t go to the gym. If you can actually come up with a reason than I would say follow this up with…
STYLE – 8:00 PM: A reality series about a 487 woman determined to change her weight and life on Ruby.
MSNBC – 9:00 PM: I don’t know if it is because I’m a San Francisco Bay Area native, but the Jonestown story always mystified and frightened me. 30 years later MSNBC is airing their documentary Witness to Jonestown that contains real footage from events as they unfurled.
HBO – 10:30 PM: The eight part Australian mockumentary Summer Heights High makes its US premiere tonight on HBO. This really is a must see.
– Will Wilkins urges you to go out and vote on Tuesday.
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