Out to pasture

Once in a while, even the most tried and true narrative formula needs to be repackaged. Or so it seemed to the people at DreamWorks, who must’ve said while brainstorming Cowboys & Aliens, “So how about this: a thing meets another thing, but not the other thing you might expect! It’s so crazy, it might work!”

Inhuman nature

“Man vs. Food Nation” Wednesday 9pm, Travel Channel My niece and nephew are wild about this show, which features “food enthusiast” Adam Richman as he crosses the country stuffing his face in restaurant challenges. The current fourth season features a twist, in which Richman takes on locals at each stop and coaches them through the […]

Let’s make a deal

“Web Therapy” Tuesday 11pm, Showtime Lisa Kudrow takes another stab at the sitcom with this new, improvised series. Kudrow plays a self-absorbed psychiatrist who got bored with 90-minute sessions, and now bullies her clients into three-minute, web-based hit-and-run counseling bursts that are about as ineffective as they are offensive. Kudrow is of course best known […]

Critical darlings

“Damages” Wednesday 10pm, DirecTV Channel 239 Satellite-TV provider DirecTV scores its biggest coup yet, snatching up FX’s critically acclaimed but only moderately watched legal drama as the latest in its exclusive-content offerings. “Damages” returns for a fourth season (it’s also been renewed for a fifth, to air next year) with Glenn Close returning as tough, […]