Tonight in HD: February 23

February 21, 2012 0 Comments

SoHo Highlight: Bored to Death (Sky 10, 8.00, 5.1) Season premiere: the creator of this whimsical, “noir-otic” HBO comedy series is its protagonist: a struggling novelist who moonlights as a private eye. Quirky and deadpan, it will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson – star Jason Schwartzman is an Anderson collaborator – Larry David, Jim Jarmusch (who guest stars as himself), and anyone else bored to death by Two and a Half Men and its sitcom fraternity. Ted Danson and The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis co-star. ✭✭✭✭

Bones (TV3, 8.30, 5.1) A toy company CEO (guest star Morgan Freeman) grants Booth and Sweets access to its top-secret lab after the remains of a female executive are discovered in a shrink-wrapped doll. Carla Gallo returns as Daisy Wicks to support Sweets while he prepares for his gun certification test. Brennan also worries about being a good mother and uses the toy company case as an opportunity to learn about playing with her child. Assignment X thought it “a decent mystery with some say-what character moments … The procedural aspect of it is lively, with good clues, misdirections, course corrections and a nice sight gag involving someone dressed as a toy. It just spends a lot of time trying to generate some kind of emotional response on a plot thread that never achieves traction.” ✭✭

Friends (TV2, 6.30, R) Phoebe catches chicken pox just as her old flame Ryan (guest star Charlie Sheen) arrives in town on leave from the Navy; Joey gets a job at Chandler’s office but decides to play it as a character with a make-believe life. ✭✭✭

Shortland Street (TV2, 7.00) Ula takes a stan; Brooke’s punished for her kindness; Daniel suspects a terrible betrayal. ✭✭✭

Once Upon a Time (TV2, 8.30) Mary Margaret pays a visit to a comatose John Doe in the hospital; Prince Charming unexpectedly meets Snow White for the first time back in the fairytale world. ✭✭

Crash Course (TV2, 11.30) Greg Murphy battles bad brakes to show what you need to do to survive brake failure. And sparks fly as the driver of a stolen van attempts to out-run 30 LAPD patrol cars. ✭✭

Lie to Me (TV3, 11.45, 5.1, R, F) The FBI calls on the Lightman Group to help identify terrorist bombers. ✭✭

Mental (TV3, 12.40, 5.1) Jack treats a construction worker who has physiological and psychological symptoms after an accident on the job. ✭✭

Sky Movies Greats Premiere: Barbershop (Sky 22, 8.30, 5.1) Reviews of this comedy, set in a barbershop on the south side of Chicago, ranged from “a rousing celebration of the family-run small business” (Variety) and “as warm as it is wise (Los Angeles Times) to “as hackneyed as they come (Village Voice) and “a sitcom pilot disguised as a movie” (Rolling Stone). No doubt stars Cedric the Entertainer and Ice Cube grew up on TV’s That’s My Mama; Fantastic Four’s Tim Story directs. (2002) ✭✭✭