Set Your DVR

Your guide to the boob tube this January

By Kate Torgovnick
Published: Jan 01, 2008
Photography by abc.com

Do You Speak American?
Saturday, January 5th at 8pm, PBS
Robert MacNeil hosts this special about language in the United States—how it differs by region, how immigration is changing it, and where it’s headed. Dorky, but fascinating.

The L Word
Sundays at 9pm, Showtime
Season five of everyone’s favorite show about lesbians is gonna be good, with guest stars Pam Grier, Cybill Shepherd and Marlee Matlin joining Jennifer Beals and the originals.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Monday through Thursdays, 11pm, Comedy Central
Jump for joy—The Daily Show is back on January 8th with new episodes, writer’s strike be damned.

The Moment of Truth
Series Premiere, Wednesday, January 23rd at 9pm, Fox
This game show sounds easy—all contestants have to do to win is answer 21 questions completely honestly while hooked up to a lie detector. But most people don’t make it past question ten. Very entertaining.

Working Girl
Friday, January 4th at 8pm, AMC
The classic movie about women on Wall Street that made Melanie Griffith a household name. Get your shoulderpads ready.

In Treatment
Series Premiere, Monday, January 28th at 9:30pm, HBOHBO’s new series is like The Sopranos minus the mafia—in other words, it’s about a therapist who’s in therapy himself. Bonus: Gabriel Byrne with a side dish of Blair Underwood.

American Gladiators
Series Premiere, Sunday, January 6th at 9pm, NBC
Your favorite Saturday morning show from the ‘80s is back. With gladiators named Crush, Venom and Titan, we expect it to be just as gloriously campy as the original. Oh, and it’s hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali.

Lost

Season Premiere, Thursday, January 31st, ABC

The season tagline, “The Lost Are Found,” has us intrigued.

Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madame
Sunday, January 13th at midnight, the Documentary Channel
A look inside Heidi Fleiss’s infamous Hollywood skin trade, filled with
intense interviews. While Heidi often comes off as brash and completely in
control, this doc paints her as just plain reckless.

Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant
Sundays at 10pm, VH1
Who didn’t have a crush on Scott Biao circa Happy Days or Charles in Charge?
See the man now, in the latest VH1 guilty pleasure.

Kate Torgovnick lives in the world's smallest apartment, yet has a 3x5 foot television. Suffice it to say, that she watches it a lot. Kate also loves to write—she's an editor-at-large at Dame and her articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Jane magazine, and Page Six Magazine. Her first book Cheer! (www.cheerthebook.com), about the intense world of college cheerleading, comes out on March 11th.

Browse All Features >