See what’s coming on Tuesday

Consider this your warning. TNT’s got some new shows coming up, and you should check them out.

Now, I’ve really only seen the trailers, but they look pretty good. You know in my analysis of NBC’s fall show Mercy, I’ve basically said that it’s the poor-man’s Hawthorne. Well, I guess we get to see if I’m right.

But before we get to that, let’s think about a completely different kind of show. First up is Wedding Day. It’s basically Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for couples. Instead of getting a new home, though, they get a wedding.

It takes a couple that’s had some sort of hardship–fiance in the army, overcoming disease, or in this case, a near-fatal car accident–and gives them a wedding of their dreams. In the first episode, this even includes an appearance by Boyz II Men. No kidding.

Expect tears. Lots and lots of tears. You can watch a sneak preview here.

I wouldn’t normally think about shows like this, but this one grabbed my attention. Why? Promotion. One really neat thing that TNT is doing to promote this premiere happens Monday, June 15. If you’re in the New York City area, watch out for “Random Acts of Brideness,” where brides will escort you to decked out cabs for a free ride to your destination. These aren’t just regular cabs. They’re bright pink, marked “Just married,” and with tin cans to boot. I think you’ll be able to spot them pretty easily.

Plus, you get the chance to see the show early. TNT will screen the first episode 24 hours in advance on the CNN board in Times Square at 8:00. With something like that to look forward to, why not give the show a shot? After all, why not have some warm fuzzies right before some drama?

And that drama is Hawthorne (and no, I will not spell it HawthoRNe). See a sneak peek here. I think this will be a quality show. Looks like it’s got a little humor–at least more than ER had. By no means does it look like a comedy, but just judging by TNT’s other original series (Raising the Bar, Leverage), I’m sure there’s some extra entertainment beyond the heavy hospital drama.

Plus, it’s got some strong acting. I have great expectations for Jada Pinkett Smith, and I have no doubt she can live up to them. I get a little nervous with hospital dramas. They have a way of either being too serious or too over-the-top, but based on what I’ve seen, this one seems to have struck the right balance so far. It’s worth checking out.

Anyway, looks like a pretty fun Tuesday–and heck, even an exciting Monday for those of you in the Big Apple. Man, I hope those random “brides” end up on YouTube somewhere. That would be funny to see.

I just play a bad guy in interrogation

BURN NOTICE: 3.02 “Question and Answer”

Well, we have our plot for season three. Finally, after two years, detectives discovered that there’s mayhem in Miami. Yes, somehow, it’s missed their attention that things keep getting blown up and people keep getting killed. Now, they know about it.

And all their attention is focused on Michael.

I must say, this could be a very intriguing twist to the show. I mean, it’s one thing to sneak around bad guys, but to have to sneak around good guys–that just adds another element that, really, I’m just excited about.

My only complaint is that so far, I’m not very convinced by Detective Paxton. See, the one good thing about Carla is that she had the authoritative, sexy, threatening demeanor about her. Something just made you realize that you didn’t want to cross her. But Paxton? I see that some might see her as authoritative, and in a way, she even has that sexiness about her. But threatening? Not so much. And I watch a lot of TV. I’ve seen threatening, sexy detectives. Right now, not that scared of her.

(By the way, Detective Paxton is played by Moon Bloodgood. What a name!)

Meanwhile, Michael has signed on to help Fi with some work. This meant a reverse interrogation for Michael and Sam. I found this really interesting. Now, let me clarify: You did have to take a lot on faith that this guy would believe everything that Sam and Michael were telling him. But then again, they told us awfully quick that he was new at the bad-guy game. Called him an amateur upfront, so I guess that’s what suspends our disbelief. I tended to believe it, but I know others felt it a little forced.

But the best part of the show had to be Michael’s birthday. Ok, ok. For the male viewers out there, sure, the hitting people and stealing things and all that was fun. But you can’t deny that the birthday party was just adorable? Michael’s mother attempting to cook (and of course, failing miserably). Plus his five-pack of beer–classic. And Fi gave him a sword. Who wouldn’t want that?

Overall, strong episode. Glad to see it. I did like it better than last week’s, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.