blue glow
SALON'S TV PICKS FOR
THURSDAY, NOV. 19, 1998
BY JOYCE MILLMAN

S P E C I A L S

Tonight, ABC and Fox compete to see which network can churn out the cruddiest sweeps programming. Is it the home movie footage of plane crashes, tornadoes and flood on I Survived a Disaster 4 (8 p.m., ABC)? The lowlife-a-palooza of World's Wildest Police Videos (8 p.m., Fox)? The surveillance camera footage of naughty employees on Busted on the Job 3 (9 p.m., Fox)? Why, it's an embarrassment of riches! Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, noted for making movies where a lot of stuff blows up, unveils his first TV movie, MaxQ: Emergency Landing (9 p.m., ABC), in which a space shuttle commander (Bill Campbell) tries to save the ship and crew after a lot of stuff blows up. Brian Boitano: Skate Against Hate (9 p.m., USA) finds the skater and pals performing in a benefit for programs targeting youth violence.

S E R I E S

Friends (8 p.m., NBC) delivers its Thanksgiving episode a week early, in which the gang shares memories of bad turkey days past. Frasier (9 p.m., NBC) is also celebrating the holiday; Niles' swanky Thanksgiving dinner at Maris' beach house is spoiled by the stench of death. (Really.) ER (10 p.m., NBC) focuses on one story line tonight instead of its usual handful. The whole staff pitches in to help Carter and Lucy scour Chicago trying to locate the one-in-50 million blood donor who can save a badly injured girl -- her missing father.

S P O R T S

Hockey:
Rangers at Kings (10:30 p.m., ESPN2)

T A L K

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Gene Hackman, Andy Dick
David Letterman (CBS) Christian Slater, Celine Dion
Jay Leno (NBC) Dana Carvey, Jewel
Charlie Rose (PBS) Harry Evans
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Debra Messing, Dr. Dean Ornish
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Jennifer Love Hewitt
SALON | Nov. 19, 1998

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Blue Glow for Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998