“Smallville”
Thursday 8pm, CW
I’m a comic geek, so this show frustrates me to no end. It’s not that it changes things from the comics. It’s that all of the changes are stupid. The initial premise was to show Clark Kent’s life as a pre-Super teen and, for the first couple seasons, that made for a moderately compelling teen drama. Then they started bringing in characters from the comics—Aquaman, Green Arrow, Supergirl—and it all got really bad, really fast. In this seventh season finale the show loses one of its greatest assets, as Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor walks his shiny bald pate out the door. On a good note, joining him is Kristin Kreuk’s useless Lana Lang. And the powers that be have drafted new villains for Season 8, including Doomsday, the lumbering titan that killed Superman in the comics. But Clark’s not even Superman yet! Oh, my head hurts…
“Desperate Housewives”
Sunday 9pm, ABC
There are lots of rumors swirling around tonight’s fourth season finale. While we’ll almost certainly get some closure on the season-long mystery centered around Katherine (Dana Delaney, who really should stick around after her plotline is resolved), the big question is whether the other main housewives will be sticking around. We’re getting to that point where contracts need to be re-signed, and at least Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman are too good for this show. The leading candidate for booting is Nicollette Sheridan’s Edie Britt, who has allegedly been in some pretty heated negotiations. Of course, last season ended with Edie hanging herself to get attention, so it could all be a red herring. Perhaps more interesting is the pervasive rumor that, following this episode, the show will jump forward several years in time. I’m not sure if that gambit has really ever paid off for a show, but we’ll see.
“American Gladiators”
Monday 8pm, NBC
Season 2 of the primetime revival started last week, with NBC pushing the “something new every week” message. Among those somethings new: Season 1 winners Monica Carlson and Evan Dollard have fulfilled their contract options of becoming gladiators, taking on the names Jet and Rocket, respectively (they’re less bulky than the others, but look great). More exciting are the new games: Back from the original series is Atlasphere, where everybody rolls around in those giant caged balls; adopted from the British counterpart are Skytrack, Vertigo, and Tilt; and all-new competitions include Rocketball, which involves harnesses, people being shot into the air, and flying balls. So at least Militia, with his gay porn past, will feel right at home.
