WASHINGTON, January 30, 2013 —Tonight we get a glimpse of one of the best parts of the Super Bowl hysteria; the commercials. When advertisers are willing to pay up to 4 million bucks for 30 seconds of Super Bowl air time, you know they’re efforts will be worth watching, if not instantly iconic. Our own Gayle Falkenthal has written a great article about Super Bowl commercials, complete with videos of some of the best. For a deeper look, just read her article here.
The 9 p.m. hour is definitely a toss-up between Law and Order SVU on NBC, and Who Killed Lindbergh’s Baby on PBS. Both sound like great detective stories, but I’ll opt for PBS since I’m a sucker for anything historical. On the other hand, watching anything on NBC is almost like tossing your change in a Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time.
Other than an occasional football game or awards show, NBC has only two shows that crack the top 25 shows; The Biggest Loser and Law and Order: SVU. With these dismal numbers, the trademark peacock seems more like a turkey these days. Since NBC was the very first TV network and broke ground for those that came later, let’s hope the net-heads are developing a game plan for making their peacock shine once again. At this point, there’s nowhere to go but up.
And that brings us to the last decision of the night: what to watch at 10 p.m. For me it’s an easy choice. I’ll be watching the show I hate to love, the season finale of Moonshiners on Discovery Channel. As much as I loathe structured reality shows, the characters, (and I do mean characters) on Moonshiners are natural entertainers who take an otherwise preposterous story line and make it compelling.
Apparently I’m not the only person who loves this guilty pleasure, because Moonshiners consistently lands at the top of the Nielsen cable ratings, with over 3 million viewers last week. For anyone unfamiliar with the show, Discovery Channel is running a marathon of Moonshiners starting at 3 p.m., leading up to the season finale at 10 p.m.
The promos for the season finale promise that one of the shiners will have an unwelcome encounter with the law. So tune in and watch Jim Tom, Tickle and the rest of the gang evade capture while perpetuating their wonderfully lawless heritage. Making scotch, minus the aging, has never been more entertaining.
Tonight’s viewing:
All times are EST:
8 p.m.
ABC: The Middle: (Repeat) Frankie does not make a good impression on the first day of dental assistant school; Mike and Frankie ask Axl to get a tutor and improve his grades; Sue and Brick try to pawn an item they found in an old safe.
CBS: Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2013: (New) Boomer Esiason and Aisha host a look at the best commercials to air during past Super Bowls, with viewers choosing the top spot. Also: a preview of the 2013 commercials.
Those of a certain age will remember Apple’s famous 1984 commercial kicking off the Macintosh during the Super Bowl. Shown only once, it left an indelible impression. Remember who the PC’s “Big Brother” was at the time? If you guessed IBM, you’d be correct. (Credit: Apple.)
FOX: American Idol: (New) The four American Idol judges continue auditions in Long Beach and San Antonio.
NBC: Whitney: (New) Whitney meets up with her ex-boyfriend to find out if he’s still a manipulative jerk.
CW: Arrow: (New) Thea is in trouble with the police after she gets caught using a drug called “Vertigo.” Oliver thinks the only way to keep her out of jail is to find the dealer, a man who goes by the name of “The Count” (guest star Seth Gabel). Oliver turns to McKenna Hall (guest star Janina Gavankar), an old flame and current Vice cop, for help.
PBS: Nature: (New) Attenborough’s Life Stories: Understanding the Natural World, Part 2 of 3. David Attenborough recalls the scientists and the breakthroughs that helped shape his career. Included: Austrian scientist Konrad Lorenz, who deduced that goslings would think he was their mother if he was the first thing they saw.
8:30 p.m.
ABC: The Neighbors: (New) The Weavers and Bird-Kersees are confronted with class and race issues as they compete for membership in an exclusive new country club.
NBC: Guys With Kids: (New) Marny feels selfish for wanting alone time; Sheila and Nick team up in a trivia tournament.
9 p.m.
ABC: Modern Family: (Repeat) Mitch and Cam try to save an old tree in the park; Jay takes Manny to a kid’s Olympics-themed birthday party; Gloria and Claire have an eventful shopping trip.
CBS: Criminal Minds: (Repeat) The bodies of two seemingly unrelated victims are found just hours apart in San Diego and Los Angeles, and the investigations reveal that the crimes may have been committed by two killers working together.
NBC: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: (New) The SVU squad hunts a culprit who preys on victims with secret lives. Nia Vardalos guest stars.
CW: Supernatural: (New) am and Dean are stunned when a man who claims to be Henry Winchester (guest star Gil McKinney), their grandfather, suddenly appears in their hotel room demanding to know where he can find John Winchester. Henry has time-traveled to stop a demon named Abbadon (guest star Alaina Huffman) and was looking for John’s help.
PBS: Nova: (New) Who Killed Lindbergh’s Baby? The 1932 kidnapping and killing of Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son is revisited. Investigators employ forensic and behavioral science techniques in an effort to learn what happened to the baby—and why.
9:30 p.m.
ABC: Suburgatory: (New) When Yakult feels depressed, Dallas asks Yoni (Wilmer Valderrama) for help; the Shays ask Tessa to set Lisa up on a date.
10 p.m.
ABC: Nashville: (Repeat) Marshall Evans pushes for Juliette and Rayna to collaborate at an event at the Ryman Theater; when Peggy’s desperation escalates, Teddy is forced to tell Rayna the truth; Scarlett gets closer to Gunnar.
CBS: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: (Repeat) A 14-year-old girl is shot and killed at a large rave in the desert.
NBC: Chicago Fire: (New) Firehouse 51 is rocked by the events that lead to a surprising death. Meanwhile, Severide makes an unexpected move towards his future.
PBS: Life on Fire: (New) Ash Runners: A look at how animals have adapted to life on the volcanic Papua New Guinea island of New Britain. Included: birds; hermit crabs; flying foxes; butterflies.
Basic cable:
New episodes of:
Moonshiners: Outlaw Cuts at 9 p.m. on DSC
Ghost Hunters at 9 p.m. on Syfy
Toddlers & Tiaras at 9 p.m. on TLC
Super Bowl Tailgate Takeover at 9 p.m. on Travel Channel
Full Throttle Saloon at 9 p.m. on TruTV
Lords of War at 9 and 9:30 p.m. on NGC
Shipping Wars at 9:30 p.m. on A&E
Barter Kings at 10 p.m. on A&E
Top Chef at 10 p.m. on BRAVO
Moonshiners at 10 p.m. on DSC
Bobby’s Dinner Battle at 10 p.m. on Food Channel
The Americans at 10 p.m. on FX
Highway Thru Hell at 10 p.m. on NGC
Ghost Mine at 10 p.m. on Syfy
Black Gold at 10 p.m. on TruTV
Hot in Cleveland at 10 p.m. on TVLAND
For movie lovers:
8 p.m.
Mrs. Doubtfire on AMC
La Bamba on ENC
Barbershop on FLIX
Crossfire Hurricane on HBO
Buffalo ’66 on SUND
The Farmer’s Daughter on TMC
9 p.m.
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown on FMC
This Means War on HBO
Big Miracle on HBO
Strike Back on MOMAX
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 on SHO
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on SHO
Later tonight:
The Stranger at 9:45 p.m. on TCM
The Ring Two at 9:50 p.m. on MOMAX
Titanic at 10 p.m. on HBO
High Plains Drifter at 10 p.m. on REELZ
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