“Human Giant”
Tuesday 11pm, MTV
Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer are two of the more reliably funny contributors on VH1’s increasingly inconsistent “Best Week Ever.” The two of them, along with award-winning stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari, make up comedy troupe Human Giant. Giant is kind of the next permutation of the sketch show, very much in the vein of “Kids in the Hall” or “The State.” Their absurdist, pop culture-infused clips generated buzz on the Internets, and now they’re back on MTV for Season 2. You should watch it, if only because the success of shows like this means less airtime for crap like “My Super-Sweet 16” or “The Hills.” Consider it your patriotic duty for the week.
“The Return of Jezebel James”
Friday 8pm, Fox
It seems like a sitcom dream team: Former indie film queen Parker Posey and “Six Feet Under” alum Lauren Ambrose play squabbling sisters, all overseen by “Gilmore Girls” writer/producer Amy Sherman-Palladino. So why is Fox seemingly dooming this new show to failure by consigning it to the Seventh Circle of T.V. Hell, a.k.a. Friday night at 8pm? Admittedly, it’s a little more challenging than the net’s other shticky sitcoms, like “Til Death” or “Back to You.” But NBC has had big success with more cerebral fare. The premise: Uptight, successful book editor Sarah (Posey) can’t conceive a child, and drafts slacker sister Coco (Ambrose) to carry her baby as a surrogate. An “Odd Couple”-meets-“Sisters” vibe ensues. What’s not to love? And no, I have no idea what the title refers to either. Sorry!
“Dancing with the Stars”
Monday 8pm, ABC
And what stars they are! For the first time, like, ever, I’m excited about this season’s lineup. Priscilla Presley! Kristi Yamaguchi! Monica Seles! STEVE GUTTENBERG! Can you even stand it, people? Other pseudo-celebs hoofing it up for Season 6 (Jesus, already?) include magician Penn Jillette, Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin, “Loveline” host Adam Carolla (I would kill for Dr. Drew on this show), American Pie starlet Shannon Elizabeth, Broadway’s original Tracy Turnblad, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and NFL “Man of the Year” Jason Taylor. Say what you will about the cheesy-ass show, but its crop of talent is definitely rising. Not a George Hamilton in the bunch this time around.
