“Moment of Truth”
Wednesday 9pm, Fox
I suspect that America will love this show, and that makes me deeply uncomfortable. “Moment of Truth” is already an international hit, and now Fox is bringing it to America. It’s essentially the game show from hell. Contestants are hooked up to a lie-detector machine and asked a series of questions. If they tell the truth, they can win up to $500,000. The catch is that the questions become increasingly more personal as the game goes along, and the person has to answer them in front of their friends and family. To make any kind of sizable scratch, the person can expect to be emotionally brutalized and/or publicly humiliated, and I can totally see a Jenny Jones-style revelation leading to a very unfortunate freak out. Yikes.
“Torchwood”
Saturday 9pm, BBC America
This spin-off of the most recent “Doctor Who” series (“Torchwood” is an anagram for “Doctor Who,” donchaknow) returns for a second season. “Torchwood” is “Who”’s more adult counterpart. It keeps the sci-fi trappings, as it features a team of agents from the Torchwood Institute devoted to handling extraterrestrial/paranormal goings-on. But it also adds a bit more of the sex and violence we all love so much. Season 2 picks up with the return of team leader Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who disappeared in the Season 1 finale. Jack and team immediately run afoul of a rogue time agent (James Marsters, Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), and then have to deal with planted bombs, an impending invasion and a memory thief. Watch for a three-episode stint by Martha from “Dr. Who” later in the season.
“In Treatment”
Monday-Friday 9:30pm, HBO
HBO needs a hit badly, and it may just have one with this ambitious, genre-breaking drama, premiering on Monday. “In Treatment” follows therapist Paul (Gabriel Byrne, whom I typically don’t care for, but he works well here) as he works with five different patients. The twist is that the show airs five nights a week, each night devoted to a different patient/storyline. Monday concerns Laura (Melissa George), an emotionally unstable woman; Tuesday focuses on Alex (Blair Underwood), a former soldier recovering from a near-death experience; Wednesday features Sophie (Mia Wasikowska), a confused teen; and Thursday is for Jake and Amy (Josh Charles and Embeth Davidtz), a bitterly feuding couple. On Friday Paul meets with his own shrink, Gina (Dianne Weist). HBO has reportedly ordered 45 episodes, so here’s hoping it turns out as good as it sounds.
