Blue Glow

Salon's TV picks for Thursday, Oct. 7, 1999

Published October 7, 1999 4:00PM (EDT)

Fall premiere

Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek") is the auteur behind the new drama Wasteland (9 p.m., ABC) and, judging from the stunningly dumb pilot, I'd say the clock's ticking on Williamson's tenure as a TV golden boy. Intertwining the post-collegiate lives of a group of friends in their 20s, "Wasteland" is a lame hoot, from the characters' almost exclusive focus on sex, to the obligatory "Ally McBeal"-style fantasy sequences, to the annoying pop-culture-reference-laced jabbering that passes for dialogue. The only hope for "Wasteland" is if it catches on as an unintentionally funny "Melrose Place" substitute.

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Series

Rachel and Joey look for new living arrangements while their former roomies, Monica and Chandler, continue their rocky cohabitation on Friends (8 p.m., NBC). On Popular (8 p.m., WB), Sam's column in the school newspaper results in the cheering squad's funds being redistributed to the drama club. Chicago Hope (9 p.m., CBS) has an episode about a renowned surgeon with Tourette's syndrome who must perform risky surgery on a newborn. As far back as "L.A. Law," "Hope" creator David E. Kelley has had this idea that Tourette's is really, really funny. It's not. On Charmed (9 p.m., WB), the sisters travel to the future after Phoebe has a premonition of her death. Jeanie cares for an HIV-positive infant and Romano makes a surprising promotion on ER (10 p.m., NBC).

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Sports

Baseball playoffs:

Red Sox at Indians, Game 2 (4 p.m., ESPN)

Rangers at Yankees, Game 2 (8 p.m., Fox)

Hockey:

Red Wings at Thrashers (8 p.m., ESPN2)

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Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Noah Wyle, Lily Tomlin

David Letterman (CBS) Gov. Jesse Ventura, Peter Fonda, ZZ Top

Jay Leno (NBC) Liv Tyler

Charlie Rose (PBS) Ed Koch, Dominick Dunne

Politically Incorrect (ABC) Ally Walker, Nanci Griffith

Conan O'Brien (NBC) D.B. Sweeney, Elisabeth Shue


By Joyce Millman

Joyce Millman is a writer living in the Bay Area.

MORE FROM Joyce Millman


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