A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (July 5-11), and a peek ahead at what’s coming up.
Highlights
1. Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter for the Giants. That was the first Giants no-hitter in my 30-plus years of fandom, and it was worth waiting for. Fantastic pitching performance, amazing catch to preserve the no-no by Aaron Rowand, and the most dramatic Giants moment in years that wasn’t tainted by Barry Bonds. It’s moments like that — moments of pure, unexpected, unhibited glee — that make watching a game so much fun.
2. Al Madrigal on “The Tonight Show.” There’s something surreal about seeing someone you went to high school with get introduced by Conan O’Brien. Now 20 years later, the guy who sat in front of me cracking wise in Mr. Isham’s English class is appearing on a network sitcom (“Gary Unmarried”) and performing standup comedy on national TV. And I’m. . . . well, on the couch watching. Then blogging about it. Nice to know one of us doesn’t sob himself to sleep every night over the crushed dreams of his squandered youth. Anyway . . . . he’s funny. Watch:
3. “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Warehouse 13.” Two cable series made their debuts this week, and they weren’t half bad. “10 Things…” is a TV version of the underrated ’90s teen movie starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Lindsey Shaw is the standout in the Stiles role as Kat, the scary girl. And Larry Miller reprises his role note-for-note as the overprotective dad. The rest of the cast and the story is kinda mehhh, but it’s a cute show that doesn’t butcher the original too badly. It’s not great, but there’s no shame in checking it out. “Warehouse 13” is Sci Fi’s — oops, Syfy’s — new show about a pair of secret service agents hunting down odd and magical relics so they can be safely stored in a giant warehouse, like the one at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The setup is equal parts “The X-Files” and “Bones,” with a bit of “The Librarian” thrown in. Not a thing that’s original, but it’s good dumb fun. With both of these shows, you could do a lot worse.
3.5. “Top Chef Masters.” The episode itself was OK, but the interstitial clip with Neil Patrick Harris telling host Kelley Choi that the bunny from a magic act was peeing on her was classic. Click here for the video — it comes at the very end of the clip.
Lowlights
1. L’il Crunchies from Gerber. My girlfriend and I audibly gasped and had to rewind the DVR when we saw a commercial for this on “10 Things I Hate About You.” We simply couldn’t believe it. They’re basically Cheetos for babies. ‘Cause lord knows you’re never too young to start porking down junk food. Back in the good ol’ days, didn’t Gerber used to make healthy baby food? It’s kinda appalling. Of course, that probably wouldn’t stop me from trying them.
2. “Chopped” judge Alex Guarnaschelli. Another episode, another supremely sourpuss performance. She’s a joy-sucker who’s never met a dish she couldn’t criticize or a chef to slap down and put in their place. But as a villain, she’s almost always the best part of an otherwise bland cooking competition. If for once she’d taste something, smile, and say “Mmmm, that was really good! Nice job!” viewers’ heads might explode.
3. Jamika on “Next Food Network Star.” What happened here? Jamika was a shoo-in to win the whole thing, but she’s crashed and burned the past two weeks. And really, deserved to go home last week. She’s regressed, and at least Katie — who got the boot — showed improvement week to week. Looks like the door’s wide open for Debbie to run away with the competition.
Looking forward to . . .
1.”Entourage” (10 p.m. Sunday, HBO). Season 6 kicks off with Vinny a star again and the guys leeching off him a little bit less. Here’s hoping the change of pace gives the show a creative rebirth. It’s been stale for too long.
2. “Late Show with David Letterman,” (11:35 p.m. Tuesday, CBS). Wilco will perform their new song “You and I” with Feist. How much will that rule? (Answer: Totally.)
3. “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” (10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Comedy Central). Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (“Stella,” “The State”) are back with a new surreal sketch comedy show. This coincides nicely with the DVD release of all four seasons of “The State” on Tuesday.
