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TV Junkie: 'Justified' Season 2 Premieres Tonight as Does Matthew Perry's 'Mr. Sunshine'
Timothy Olyphant and Joelle Carter star in FX's "Justified" which has its 2nd season premiere tonight at 10pm.
If you haven't had a chance yet, please check out our interview with Joelle Carter who plays Ava Crowder on FX's "Justified" whose 2nd season premiere airs tonight at 10pm. We're very excited about this season and about the show which, we predict, will be a breakout hit for FX. "Justified" is our hands down pick of the night.
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Tonight also marks the premiere of "Mr. Sunshine" on ABC at 9:30pm after "Modern Family." "Mr. Sunshine" is a vehicle that is built around Matthew Perry, marking his return to primetime TV after the demise of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" four years ago. Check out all the "Friends" alumni on TV as of late: Courtany Cox on "Cougar Town," Matt LeBlanc on "Episodes," and Lisa Kudrow's "Who Do You Think You Are?". It seemed like time for Perry to return, right? We think he did a good job when he joined Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" despite the show's many flaws: he wasn't playing a "funny" guy and despite all appearances, "Studio 60" was not a comedy. Perry was also part of a very strong ensemble on that show, a signature of Sorkin's, thus he had a lot of people to share the load with him.
Let's contrast this with "Mr. Sunshine": it's a comedy, Perry is supposed to be funny all the time, and his character is one of a very small stable of characters. Even on "Friends" Perry's exasperated Chandler Bing was made funny because the mix of other strong characters. Let's face it, "The Chandler Bing Show" wouldn't have lasted very long as a spin-off and that's why there never was one.
What do I know about "Mr. Sunshine"? Not a lot as ABC never sent me screeners despite a being a member of the Television Critics Association - is this an oversight or do they want to see less reviews of it out there before the show airs? I know of a few critics who did receive screeners but I've stayed away from their reviews as I'd rather have seen something before relaying a negative or positive I'd heard somewhere else. Out of deference for his previous good work, I'm going to give Perry a chance tonight ....and it will help me kill time before "Justified" airs at 10pm on FX.
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The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "Nova scienceNOW," "Modern Family," "Mr. Sunshine," "Justified," Conan (50 Cent, Chris Elliott, Ray LaMontagne performs), Fallon (Annette Bening, Nick Swardson, outdoor survivalist Les Stroud, Cowboy Junkies perform)
8:00pm Live to Dance CBS - Season Finale. The winning act is announced.
8:00pm Nova scienceNOW PBS/KOCE - How Smart Are Animals? Whether animals have the same feelings as humans.
9:00pm Modern Family ABC - Claire and Phil decide to reprise their role-playing adventure from the previous year; Jay's elaborate Valentine's surprise for Gloria keeps getting held up; an admirer comes between Cameron and Mitchell.
9:00pm NOVA PBS/KOCE - Making Stuff: Making Stuff Smarter An Army tanker truck heals its own bullet wounds; an airplane wing changes shape as it flies
9:00pm Human Target Fox -i Chance's investigation into Ilsa's deceased husband reveals a web of deception that could destroy the team.
9:30pm Mr. Sunshine ABC - Series Premiere
10:00pm Justified FX - Season Premiere. Raylan tangles with a ruthless Harlan County crime family while hunting a fugitive sex offender.
10:00pm Blue Bloods CBS - When a girl is kidnapped, Jackie and Danny suspect her drug-addicted boyfriend is responsible; Erin's relationship with her boss takes a turn
10:00pm Top Chef Bravo - Feeding Fallon A new spin on fondue; chefs cater Jimmy Fallon's birthday party.
10:00pm Face Off Syfy - Makeup artist Michael Westmore meets the contestants at Vasquez Rocks in Southern California, where episodes of Star Trek were shot
11:00pm Conan TBS - 50 Cent, Chris Elliott, Ray LaMontagne performs
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Journalist Anderson Cooper; Elton John and Leon Russell perform.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actor Matt LeBlanc; football player Clay Matthews; Ricky Martin performs.
12:00am Lopez Tonight TBS - Joan Rivers, Greg Jennings, Baron Vaughn
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Adam Sandler; chef Bobby Flay; Ke$ha performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor Carl Reiner; chef Cat Cora.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actress Annette Bening; actor Nick Swardson; outdoor survivalist Les Stroud; Cowboy Junkies perform.