The Layover (Travel) — Series premiere. Anthony Bourdain’s take on a more traditional, accessible travel show (rather than the personal essays of “No Reservations”). He’s got a great interview with the A.V. Club about the new show and travel and his notorious quotes about other chefs, but this highlight is why I’ll love him forever:
AVC: Before the age of the cable or public-TV travel show, how would you find that out-of-the-way place the locals go to?
AB: You’d have to make friends, and you’d have to get to know somebody in the town. How do you do that? Drink. Drink recklessly. Make mistakes. Honestly, it’s the way we acquired this information on the show, through trial and error. This is the distilled wisdom of many wheels gone wrong, and many scenes gone wrong. But in fact, that little out-of-the-way place, that discovery is often the result of a happy mishap or an accident.
2 Broke Girls (CBS) — It’s a Christmas-themed episode. Apparently CBS is that A-hole on your block who starts playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving.
Death Valley (MTV) — Season finale. I haven’t watched an episode since the premiere, but I enjoyed it okay. It’s one of those shows that I’d probably love if I were a teenager.
Dancing with the Stars (ABC) — It’s the last dance of the season, and the three finalists — J.R. Martinez, Ricki Lake, and Rob Kardashian — comprise what HAS to be the least star-like final trio in the show’s history.
Woody Allen: American Masters (PBS) — The two-part documentary concludes. Whenever possible, I try to point out how obscenely overrated Woody Allen is, which is why I was so disappointed that I thoroughly enjoyed Midnight in Paris.
