A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (July 12-18), and a peek ahead at what’s coming up.
Highlights
Tony vs. the Completo (Travel Channel photo)
1. “No Reservations.” I was pleasantly surprised to see a new season start Monday on Travel Channel. I love watching Anthony Bourdain eat his way across the world, and last week’s episode, in Chile, gave me both wanderlust and hunger pangs. That hot dog he tried looked obscene. And what’s up with Chileans’ obsession with mayonnaise? I saw this coming Monday’s show already on On Demand — he’s in Melbourne, Australia — and it’s fantastic. Amazing, mouth-watering food around every corner. Can’t wait to see his SF episode next month.
2. “Michael and Michael Have Issues.” Comedy Central’s new sketch show starring two alumni of “The State” was hit-and-miss, but when it hit, it was pretty funny. Who can’t appreciate brutally passive-aggressive potshots between co-workers that escalate to a shirtless lawn brawl?
3. “Burn Notice.” Michael Westen showed off some “Man vs. Wild” outdoors skills as he evaded a Ukrainian hit squad (I hate Ukrainian hit squads, they’re worse than Illinois Nazis) deep within the mangrove swamps of the Everglades.
Lowlights
1. “Madventures.” This Finnish-made gonzo travel show had a sneak preview after “No Reservations.” It was frenetic, raw and surprisingly fun. Kinda the “Jackass” of travel shows. But the segment where the host got his chest sucked by leeches until they were engorged with blood, then got boiled and eaten by his vegetarian co-host (who threw up), was the single most disgusting thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time. And that’s saying a lot.
2. “Top Chef Masters.” The episode was fine, but how could chef Rick Moonen not get anything on his plate in the Quickfire challenge? That just killed me. Especially since it looked so good. Judging by the way he rocked the Elimination challenge, if he had just put something, anything on the plate for the Quickfire, he would have won. Grrrrr. Time management, people!
3. “Entourage.” What a blah opener. I used to love this show so much. But it’s the exact same thing over and over again. Same situations, same problems, same insults. The series really needs to break its mold and go in a new direction this season or it’ll have one less viewer.
Looking forward to . . .
1. “Torchwood: Children of the Earth” (9 p.m., Mon-Fri, BBC America). I’ve never watched “Torchwood,” a “Doctor Who” spinoff, but I’ve always heard good buzz. And the previews for this five-night miniseries look good, kinda “X-Files”-ish, with creepy little kids getting possessed by an evil force or something. Best part: It coincides with BBC America going HD on Monday.
2. “Robot Chicken” (11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim). The second half of the fourth season of this twisted gem of stop-motion animation debuts next weekend. It’s always good for some outrageous late-night laughs.
3. “HGTV Design Star” (10 p.m. Sunday, HGTV). OK, this is not typically my kind of thing at all, but Genevieve Gorder is a judge, and she seems like the nicest, bubbliest person in the world. I want to see if she has a mean streak and slaps around some wannabe designers.
4. “Dating in the Dark” (10 p.m. Monday, ABC). Two contestants meet in a completely dark room (Oops, was that your shin?), chat a bit to see if there’s a spark (OMG, I love tacos and Wang Chung too!) . . . . and then the lights come up (Gahhh! Fugly!). I still can’t believe this is for real and not a spoof. It’s gonna be awful, maybe off-the-charts awful. And I just can’t turn away from that.
