Photo: NBC
Superpower heroes, female lead characters and remakes are all popular right now, so NBC probably assumes it can't fail with "Bionic Woman" (premieres at 9 p.m. EDT), in which Jaime Sommers is reimagineered as a no-nonsense brunette. Like so many dramas on the air these days, the pilot episode feels like the first half of a reasonably entertaining but somewhat derivative suspense thriller, from its nefarious government agents to its rain-soaked, rooftop battles. The highlight here is Katee Sackhoff's (Starbuck from "Battlestar Galactica") turn as the first bionic woman, Sarah Corvus. Sarah loves being bionic but hates her manipulative government overlords, and she's hungry for revenge. This dark, glossy take on an old story looks promising now, but only time will tell whether the network can rebuild her.
Part 4 of Ken Burns' seven-part documentary series on WWII, "The War," airs at 8 p.m. EDT on PBS (check local listings). "Criminal Minds" returns at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS, "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice" premieres at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC, followed by Peter Krause in "Dirty Sexy Money" at 10 p.m. EDT. And the first half of the two-part "Top Chef" finale airs at 10 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Regis and KellyABC, 9 a.m. EDT | Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Carrot Top, Queen Latifah |
The ViewABC, 11 a.m. EDT | Kate Walsh, Christopher Titus |
Ellen DeGeneresSyndicated, check local listings | Greg Kinnear, Kat Von D, Paul Potts |
Oprah WinfreySyndicated, check local listings | Children of divorce reveal their secret thoughts |
Charlie RosePBS, check local listings | Tzipi Livni |
Larry KingCNN, 9 p.m. EDT | TBA |
Jon StewartComedy Central, 11 p.m. EDT | Jamie Foxx |
Stephen ColbertComedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EDT | Tony Bennett |
David LettermanCBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT | Jennifer Garner, Ken Burns, Chaka Khan |
Jay LenoNBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT | Steve Carell, Madison Pettis, Bright Eyes |
Tavis SmileyPBS, check local listings | Robert Draper, Randall Robinson |
Jimmy KimmelABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT | Kyra Sedgwick, the first eliminated celebrity from "Dancing With the Stars," will.i.am |
Conan O'BrienNBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT | Ted Danson, Patton Oswalt, Devendra Banhart |
Craig FergusonCBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT | Marg Helgenberger, Seth MacFarlane, the National |
Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter
