'Cold Case' takes on WWII murder; the mystery of Jeff Dunham, 'Dexter' twist

Can't say I've watched much of CBS's "Cold Case" (10 p.m. Sunday, KDKA), but this week's episode sparked my interest because the cold case investigated is from World War II, an era I've had a fondness for since my beloved "Homefront."

In this week's episode, the cold case squad looks into a murder among the WASP program of civilian women pilots who flew non-combat missions for the U.S. Air Force in WWII.

The flashbacks are in black and white and the music is of the period. The story isn't all that surprising as crime procedurals go and the production values do not live up to "Band of Brothers" (or "Homefront" for that matter), but if you like period pieces, it may be worth checking out.

It's basically of the same caliber as the "Army Wives" episode that also flashed back to WWII earlier this fall.

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Can someone explain to me the appeal of comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham? I really don't get it, and yet the atrocious "Jeff Dunham Show" was a smash hit in its 9 p.m. Thursday debut last week:

"The Jeff Dunham Show" bowed at 9:00 p.m. on the all-comedy channel and proceeded to break the network's all-time records for a series premiere among total viewers (5.3 million), Adults 18-49 rating (2.6) and Adult 18-49 viewers (3 million).

Seriously, did anyone watch it and enjoy it? And if so, why?

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Showtime's "Dexter" took quite a twist at the end of last week's episode when -- SPOILER ALERT! -- it was revealed that the Trinity killer (John Lithgow) is not a loner as suspected but rather a family man ... just like Dexter (Michael C. Hall). It was a brilliant move on the part of the show's writers and has me more engrossed in the series than I've been since season one.

Sunday's episode offers more fascinating psychology as Dexter learns how to be a better family man from Trinity. It's a creepy yet perfect step forward for the character and the series.

In addition, Showtime now has TV-MA-rated animated Webisodes based on the show available online.

Comedy revival: 'Community' and 'Parks and Recreation'

One of the great joys (and surprises) of the Fall 2009 TV season is that after years in the TV desert, comedy is once again cool. It may not yet be king, but I definitely find myself more excited about TV's comedies than most of its dramas these days ("Mad Men" is an obvious exception).

ABC's "Modern Family" (9 p.m. Wednesday) is at the top of my must-watch comedy list but NBC's Thursday comedies are not far behind.

I've already sung the praises of the greatly improved "Parks and Recreation" (8:30 tonight, WPXI). which has another winning episode tonight that's Halloween-themed.

But I've also enjoyed watching "Community" (9 tonight, WPXI) develop. It's not as sure-footed as "Modern Family" and Jeff's (Joel McHale) pursuit of Britta (Mt. Lebanon native Gillian Jacobs) threatens to become repetitive, but I like seeing the ensemble players come into their own. That's especially true of Abed (Danny Pudi), a breakout character in the pilot who continues to make the strongest impression.

What comedies are you hooked on this season? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your comments below.

WTAE tests its repeater

WTAE has been testing its long-in-the-works DTV repeater this week from 8-11:30 p.m. The repeater, located on the WQED tower in Oakland, is designed to serve the East End and may also help some WTAE viewers with reception issues on the South Side.

Director of Engineering Dave Kasperek wrote me earlier this week:

"So far it appears to meet, or in some ways exceed our expectations. But  WQED-TV's tower work is not finished yet, so we are on hold for a fulltime launch within (hopefully) a week or so. (Tower crew safety issues)  

... Over the air viewers interested in seeing if they can get us now need to rescan their TVs or Converter boxes to find us on 4-3 & 4-4 (that's how they'll know it's the repeater). "

Comcast outage

If you were trying to watch local stations this morning between sometime after 7 a.m. and 8:49 a.m. and you were using a TV connected to Comcast through a cable box, you might have been out of luck.

Comcast had an outage that seemed to affect only the local channels and only on digitally connected sets. TVs connected directly to a cable coming from the wall were not affected (at least at my house; if someone else had a different experience, let me know). and for some viewers it didn't matter whether or not there was a cable box.

UPDATE: Here's a statement from Bob Grove, senior manager of public relations and community affairs:

This morning an equipment failure resulted in a disruption of programming on a limited number of digital and analog standard-definition channels (HD channels were unaffected). The issue was detected immediately by our internal monitoring tools, and our engineers responded quickly, restoring service within 90 minutes. We sincerely apologize to our customers. At this time we do not have a specific number of customers impacted.

I have yet to memorize the HD channel numbers -- it's news, I don't care if I see Diane Sawyer's pores -- so I often forget to check the HD channels when something like this happens.

Lights on: 'Friday Night Lights' returns

Although most viewers won't get to see the new season of "Friday Night Lights" until NBC airs it sometime next year -- possibly not until next summer -- DirecTV subscribers get the new season beginning tonight at 9 on The 101 Networks. Yeah, it's a bummer that non-DirecTV subscribers have to wait but if this business deal involving two media outlets sharing the show is what it takes to keep the fantastic "FNL" alive, so be it.

As the new season begins, Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) has been forced to take the head coach job at the reopened, scrub-like East Dillon after he was forced out of the job at Dillon High School, where wife Tami (Connie Britton) remains as principal.

Eric, who can often be irritated easily, is super-irritated with his new situation: The field is a mess and there's no budget for anything, leading him to take on a volunteer assistant coach, found working at Sears, who turns out to be an annoying jabberjaw.

"I wish you'd learn to filter your thoughts better," Eric tells him. "That would really help."

The cops bring him a new player, Vince (Michael B. Jordan), as part of an at-risk youth intervention program. But plenty of other players are in lousy shape and the team makes "The Bad News Bears" look proficient.

At Dillon High, parents revolt over the re-districting that forces their kids to East Dillon and quarterback J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter), so vulnerable last year when pummeled by his perfectionist father, has turned into his old man, becoming a jerk who attempts to score with Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) much to the chagrin of her boyfriend, Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), who delivers pizza when not attending a local tech school.

High school graduate Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch, right), in a pique of realization while studying the hero's journey in a college literature class, quits school and returns home where he promptly sleeps with a cougar whose teen daughter asks, "What's it like to be the guy who used to be Tim Riggins?" Ouch.

These are fantastic characters with socio-economic backgrounds we rarely see in TV dramas, and that's one of the many things that makes "FNL" unique. Whether you can watch the show now or won't have access to it until 2010, "FNL" continues to be TV worth watching.

TV explains the world

Vanessa Richmond at AlterNet.org drums up a list of "The 10 TV Shows You Have to Watch to Understand the World," and it's an interesting idea for an exercise. But Richmond's description of the shows she included ("the 10 sexiest most stylish shows that also happen to have cultural significance") is a less thoughtful than the article's title implies.

At the top of the list: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a series I long-endorsed.

"M*A*S*H," "Dallas," "Melrose Place," "Star Trek" and "Twin Peaks" are also among the shows that make the cut.

But as I read through the article, I had to wonder, if you've got "Dallas" on such a list, do you really need "Melrose Place"? If you include "Twin Peaks," what's the point of also having "The X-Files" in the lineup?

I was intrigued by some of the suggestions of what should have been included in comments left by other readers, including "All in the Family," "The Simpsons" and "The Wire." I'd add to that list my all-time favorite series, "Homefront" (ABC, 1991-93), and "60 Minutes."

It's probably too early to add "Modern Family," but week-after-week I find myself identifying with different characters and situations presented on this new ABC comedy.

What TV shows would you put on such a list? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post a response below.

WPXI hires news director

WPXI general manager/acting news director Ray Carter sent out the following announcement about a new hire today, less than a month after former news director Corrie Harding was sent on his way:

Dear Staff,

I am pleased to announce the hiring of Mike Goldrick as News Director of WPXI. Mike is an energetic, experienced leader who will have an immediate impact in our newsroom. He will occupy the ND’s office starting December 1^st, and I will return to my office on the 2^nd floor. (Alright, stop the loud cheering in the newsroom!)

Mike is currently serving as News Director of WHEC-TV in Rochester, NY. He has been at that station for nearly 3 years. WHEC was his first News Director’s job but what an impact he has had. In the last year, WHEC won the 6am ratings for the very first time, won the 11pm ratings for three books in a row, and won its first-ever Edward R. Murrow award, for Best Newscast.

Before becoming a News Director, Mike was the Executive Producer at KOMO-TV in Seattle and Executive Producer at WSOC-TV. (Yes, our sister station in Charlotte). Prior to that, he spent a dozen years or so in positions on the Assignment Desk and as a Producer and Senior Producer in markets like West Palm Beach (WPTV), Tampa (WTSP), Detroit (WDIV), and Houston (KPRC).

His combination of experience, creativity and bold leadership will be a terrific fit for us. As you’ll see, his energy and enthusiasm are contagious.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Florida. He, along with David Johnson officially put us over the obnoxious UF quota. Mike and his wife Willa are the parents of three children, Brendan (17), Emma (14) and Connor (10). Willa and the kids will likely finish out the school year in Rochester, before making the move to the ’burgh.

Please join me in making Mike and his family feel welcome in the City of Champions.

'Mad Men': Like a ticking time bomb

SPOILERS in the discussion of last night's "Mad Men" episode in....

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It's been an interesting season on AMC's "Mad Men," what with the shocking lawnmower incident and the departures of Joan (Christina Hendricks) and Sal (Bryan Batt) from Sterling Cooper.

But nothing had me more on the edge of my seat than last night's episode when Don (Jon Hamm) went into his house as his latest fling waited outside in his car -- the lady in question was his daughter's former school teacher -- only to find Betty (January Jones) returned home early from a trip and was waiting to confront him with the material she found in his desk -- evidence of his secret past life as Dick Whitman and a previous (paper) marriage.

It was bad enough that Don was caught but the whole time that Betty was interogating him like Pembleton with a perp in the box on "Homicide: Life on the Street," I kept waiting for the horribly uninteresting school teacher to get out of Don's car and come waltzing into the house. It was like a ticking time bomb.

Ultimately, she just got out of the car and walked home, but until she did, what an anxious-making episode.

The Betty-Don stuff was fascinating. It's cathartic to see Betty finally have a voice and challenge Don. On the other hand, my eyes glaze over in scenes of Don and the school teacher. I hope we have seen the last of her.

The story of Roger's long-lost love was interesting, too, particularly because the philanderer remained faithful to his current wife. And it was great to see Joan again, even if her husband's decision to join the Army, without telling her in advance, means that she may get dragged off to some foreign locale in the future. The Joan-Roger phone conversation was also nicely played.

Only two more episodes left for this season. We're at Halloween 1963 in last night's show so I assume we'll get to JFK's assassination by the finale. I wonder if the wedding of Roger's daughter, slated for the day after JFK's murder, will still go on?

Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your thoughts on the current season of "Mad Men."

The 'Southland' that almost was

The Oct. 18 TV Week cover got pulled Oct. 8 while it was on the press when NBC canceled "Southland" (my editor actually got to say, "Stop the presses!"). Although some of the "Southland" covers got distributed, most of the covers were for BBC America's "Occupation."

(The printer said some other newspapers also swapped out covers but many were not as lucky and had already printed their TV books with "Southland" on the cover before news of the show's demise broke.)

In memoriam for "Southland," which was due to return for its second season on NBC tonight, here are those stories, which may yet run in print if the cop drama gets picked up by a cable network. (Supposedly Warner Bros. is in talks with TNT about a pickup.)

Curiously, there is some hint of mismanagement on NBC's part in this story that was written before NBC killed the show:

BURBANK, Calif. - If you find communication challenges in your workplace, you might be surprised to learn Hollywood is no different.
This summer at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, NBC prime-time entertainment president Angela Bromstad said "Southland" tried to do too much in its first six episodes.
"Instead of re-piloting the pilot" - Hollywood-speak for making early episodes hew closely to the pilot episode - "and letting the audience get more familiar with these characters, it became very serialized and they were a large, large ensemble," Bromstad said. So far, so good, and an absolutely accurate critique. But then...
"It's really going to focus on Regina King and Ben McKenzie, the two sets of officers and detectives and crimes and how they come together," Bromstad said.
This was the statement that seemed to catch "Southland" executive producer and 1979 Carnegie Mellon University graduate John Wells off-guard.
"I think we were all interested in reading what Angela had to say to you the other day," Wells began during a press conference a few days later on the Warner Bros. lot. He acknowledged that when the cop drama returns at 9 p.m. Friday on WPXI it will be less serialized. "Someone who shows up and just watches that episode will fully understand what's happening in the episode."
Director Christopher Chulack defended the serialization, noting it was out of necessity due to NBC's short order of only six episodes.
"We didn't know if we were coming back or not and we had to wrap up certain stories we committed to and that was part of the reason that it got a little serialized," Chulack said.
"Southland" is a Los Angeles-set cop drama - "the Southland" is a nickname for Los Angeles and its surrounding environs - with attention paid to characters and their relationships. In the first season the show's large cast became somewhat unwieldy but the most compelling characters were those played by King, a detective, and McKenzie, a rookie patrol cop with a brusque partner played by Michael Cudlitz.
Wells said the intent is for "Southland" to remain an ensemble show but that NBC requested that both detectives and beat cops be featured in each episode.
"When we originally began planning the series, we had talked about doing episodes that would be solely about one group or one character, and they've asked us not to do that in the future," Wells said. "They would like it to be an ensemble show, which has all the characters in it on a weekly basis."
One polarizing element of the show is the decision to allow the characters to utter profanities and bleep them out as would happen on a reality show. Wells said loyal viewers love the verisimilitude of that approach but it annoys others. As he points out, some of the same viewers may think nothing of bleeps over an episode of "Deadliest Catch."
"It began as the idea of how do you fictionalize a version of ‘Cops'? You get into the car and drive around and it makes you feel like you're actually with cops," Wells said. "And one of the things that breaks you from that world is when you've got to say ‘frickin' a lot. So we decided to try this."
In a copy of this week's season premiere sent for review, I only counted three bleeps, a steep decline from some of the first-season episodes.
"I think a lot of time last year we had episodes with way too much of it and it just became a distraction," Wells acknowledged. "We're trying to find some level where it's integral and feels like it's real but doesn't bug ya."

Here's the sidebar review:

When it began its brief spring run in April, "Southland" (9 p.m. Friday, WPXI) came across as a competently made, character-driven, contemporary cop drama that was more interested in every day police work than in outrageously dramatic scenes.
That remains true in the second season premiere, which has a tighter focus on police work and less emphasis on the personal lives of the show's cops, which makes "Southland" easier to follow. Last season, the show had such a large ensemble that it often became difficult to keep track of the characters and their relationships, especially as it grew overly-serialized toward the end of its first batch of episodes.
The most compelling characters remain Det. Lydia Adams (Regina King) and the team of training officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie, "The O.C.").
At the end of last season Adams' partner, Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) was shot. Bad for him, good for viewers, who get to see King's Adams at her empathetic best as she deals with the aftermath.
After patrol officer Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis) turned in her partner for his excessive drinking on the job, she finds herself paired with a cop with the apt nickname Slug. Young Ben Sherman is perplexed by how fellow cops shun her, especially because his hothead partner is addicted to pills for back pain and he might someday find himself in Chickie's shoes.
There's a cool, no-nonsense attitude about "Southland" that makes it maybe less easy to embrace than some other shows but there are so many strong performances and enough strong-but-nuanced writing that it's easily one of the better dramas currently in prime time.

'Survivor' star down; new podcast

CBS has already given away a major element of what happens on this week's "Survivor" (8 tonight, KDKA-TV) in its promos, so there's probably not much need for this, but here goes: SPOILER ALERT!

In this week's episode, former Pittsburgher Russell Swan, not to be confused with Evil Russell, appears to get knocked down for the count during a reward challenge, bringing the competition series to a dramatic halt.

Actually, it dosn't go down exactly the way it looks in the promos but the end result is the same: Medics are called and the question becomes, will Swan be taken out of the game?

"It was the scariest moment I've ever had on this show," says Jeff Probst in tonight's episode. "In 19 seasons, I have never been more afraid in my life."

Even though CBS gave away a medical emergency in promos for "Survivor: Samoa," the episode still tries to build some foreshadowing for Swan's accident, showing him fishing alone and being the Galu workhorse who keeps the camp running.

Read an interview with Swan in tomorrow's Tuned In column.

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P-G classical music critic Andrew Druckenbrod and I discuss "The Venture Bros.," The annual "Simpsons" Halloween episode and "30 Rock" in this week's Tuned In podcast. Listen or subscribe at post-gazette.com/podcast.