Last Night's TV

Even without Battlestar Galactica, Friday night isn't half bad, thanks to the return of the USA stuff. And NBC's Las Vegas/L&O pairing is... watchable. I kinda gave up on Numb3rs recently, even though it's probably better than L&O, but after 16+ seasons, I have a hard time letting go. I sound like a shill for NBC Universal. But on with it (highlight to reveal spoilers):

• Las Vegas: Whenever something big and expensive shows up, you can be pretty sure it will turn up missing. So when Ed takes off on vacation and a priceless mummy shows up, guess what happens? And it went with the cliched diplomatic immunity plot. So they had to steal the mummy back, Oceans 11 style (costumes, elaborate scheming, montage to explain the whole thing at the end).
  
  The B plots were about Sam being offered $2m cash for 5 minutes of sweet, sweet loving, and Mary after a hotel guest who steals towels and stuff from the rooms. As much as you might have expected a main character in a network tv show to whore herself out, she ended up passing. And as much as you would've expected a completely open and shut case for the room thief, there was a surprise twist! Also, at some point, two attractive young women locked lips. Good times.
  
  This isn't great tv, but mindless fun. And it delivered this time.


• Law & Order: Remember when they sometimes did shows that were not "ripped from the headlines?" Sometimes, they used to actually write stories.
  
  This one's the Ted Haggard story. Anson Mount (Conviction) plays the fundie preacher who's secretly hooking up with a gay male prostitute. In the L&O version, the man whore threatens to expose the affair, and then ends up dead. It's weird that they dig up yet another Conviction alum, after putting Milena Govich in the original and Julianne Nicholson on CI. Mount was solid. But I'm still not digging the new cast members, and the old ones are phoning it in. The writing is weak, and I think had Jerry Orbach not hung around for as long as he did, the show would've died off years ago.


• Monk: First season Monk had mysteries that were sometimes challenging, Monk was a deeper character with his quest to get back on the force and find Trudy's killer, and the show was at times pretty dark, but still managed to be funny. Now, he's still funny, but the mysteries seem to be a lame excuse for a few amusing neuroses to pop up. This week's "I might have inhaled some reefer" spaz was pretty funny, and Tony Shalhoub makes it work. But the show is declining in a hurry. But it's not that old, so you never know when it might turn itself around.


• Psych: On the other hand, Psych is fresh, funny, and smart. James Roday and Dule Hill are great together. The dialogue is crazy and funny and frantic. The mysteries are solid, they surprise you but the twists aren't out of left field. This week it turns to a courtroom drama, with Shawn using his fake powers to defend an accused murderer.
  
  More importantly, Keegan Connor Tracy (semi-racy link) guest stars! She was on Jake 2.0 and all smoking hot in the glasses. She's popped up a few other places (almost all, like Psych, filmed in Vancouver), but usually not with the glasses. She's here, with the glasses again, and awesome. Yes, I'm a nerd and I dig the sexy librarian thing. Sue me. And there is noooo way sleazy weatherman guy wouldn't notice her.
  

Tivo: TCM stuff again.