“Dark Days in Monkey City”
Tuesday 10pm & 10:30pm, Animal Planet
One of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen on TV was an episode of the amazing “Planet Earth” documentary miniseries in which a pack of monkeys declared war on a rival gang of monkeys and snuck up on them military style—signals and everything—and then literally ripped several members of the opposing tribe to shreds and devoured the remains. Horrifying. In that vein is this new quasi-documentary show that follows the various packs of toque macaques that have overtaken the ruins of the Sri Lankan city Polonnaruwa. The various animals are given characters, a la Animal Planet’s popular “Meerkat Manor,” so you’ll follow the dominant Temple Troop, led by King Lear and Queen Gemini, as they defend their prime territory from the encroaching Black Claw tribe.
“Running in Heels”
Sunday 8pm, Style Network
Since the new season of “Project Runway” remains MIA due to legal issues, you’ll have to get your fix of everyone’s favorite scary judge, Nina Garcia, a.k.a. Meana Garzilla, in this new candid reality show. “Running” is a competitor of sorts to the CW’s tepid “Stylista,” in that it follows the goings-on at a top fashion magazine, in this case Marie Claire. But this isn’t a competition. Instead, each episode will focus on the jobs of one or two Marie Claire employees, and will likely prominently feature Garcia, who notoriously jumped ship to the mag after being allegedly pushed from Elle last year.
“Celebrity Apprentice”
Sunday 9pm, NBC
The first “celebrity” edition of this show gave new life to Donald Trump’s flagging reality franchise. Who knew that watching Marilu Henner shucking and jiving at a hot dog cart in New York City would be so compelling? Now, with Trump’s financial woes once again making headlines, let’s see if he can keep the streak alive with a moderately more buzz-worthy lineup. Although it’s still pretty D-list: Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, ’90s country star Clint Black, biker/business owner/Mr. Sandra Bullock Jesse James, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins from girl group TLC, poker champ Annie Duke, Playboy model Brande Roderick, obnoxious comics Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Green (Donald, would you like some sausages?), R&B star Brian McKnight, and my personal favorites, both Joan and Melissa Rivers. Damn it, Trump, you’ve sucked me back in!
