TV Daily

Salon’s guide to what to watch

Prime Pick

Dick Cheney

Photo: PBS

The first Frontline special of the season, "Cheney's Law" (9 p.m. EDT, check listings), offers a detailed look at the ways Vice President Dick Cheney has maneuvered to give Bush unprecedented wartime power. By subverting the checks and balances set in place by the U.S. Constitution, Cheney defined and encouraged some of President Bush's most disastrous policies, and while you may be familiar with the administration's more questionable gambits, the specifics will shock you. Key figures from Colin Powell to Condoleezza Rice were cut out of the loop of several major decisions in the wake of 9/11, as Cheney and his lawyer, David Addington, engaged in legal tightrope walks to increase Bush's authority. This haunting look at the behind-the-scenes trickery includes scenes dramatic enough to belong in a "West Wing" season finale, so don't miss it.

Also…

PBS's Nova special "Ghost in Your Genes" (8 p.m. EDT, check listings) examines epigenetic therapy. The Oscar-winning film "The Last of the Mohicans" airs at 8 p.m. EDT on AMC. Sundance documentary "Wordplay," which focuses on New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, airs as part of PBS's Independent Lens series at 10 p.m. EDT (check listings). And on FX's "Damages" (10 p.m. EDT), the events surrounding David's murder are further revealed.

On the talk shows

Regis and Kelly

ABC, 9 a.m. EDT
Jake Gyllenhaal, Dominic Purcell

The View

ABC, 11 a.m. EDT
Susan Lucci, Amy Grant

Ellen DeGeneres

Syndicated, check local listings
Drew Carey, Jonathan and Kate Gosselin and their eight children, Angie Stone

Oprah Winfrey

Syndicated, check local listings
Dr. Christiane Northrup

Charlie Rose

PBS, check local listings
Samantha Power, Mark Penn

Larry King

CNN, 9 p.m. EDT
Joel and Victoria Osteen

Jon Stewart

Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EDT
Meryl Streep

Stephen Colbert

Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EDT
Bob Drogin

David Letterman

CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT
Richard Simmons, Casey Affleck, Sondre Lerche

Jay Leno

NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT
Reese Witherspoon, David Koechner, PJ Harvey

Tavis Smiley

PBS, check local listings
Amy Madigan, Michael Otterman

Jimmy Kimmel

ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT
Kristin Chenoweth, Nick Cannon, Angie Stone

Conan O'Brien

NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT
Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Hendricks, Ghostland Observatory

Craig Ferguson

CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT
Vicente Fox, Leslie Bibb, Ron Pearson

Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter

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