Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
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TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE
"Saturday Night Live" finale, 10:29 p.m., NBC. This has been an odd "SNL" year. Shortened by the writers' strike, it was sometimes so-so and occasionally hilarious. Now it ends on what could be a high note, with major stars as the host (Steve Carell) and music guest (Usher).
TONIGHT'S ODDITY
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 8-10 p.m., Ion. On one hand, this is a splendid new approach to a classic. There's no seething, no growling; Dougray Scott transforms by attitude alone. As Dr. Jekyll, he's quietly unsure. As Hyde, he strides and struts with confidence; he's charming and deadly. That much makes sense: The rest — with a young lawyer and a court case — is bizarre. Ask yourself this: If someone came to you and said he's a mass murderer and would like to surrender, would you say you'd work on the papers and get back to him tomorrow? That's the sort of absurd plot twist we get. Scott is brilliant; the story is not.
OF NOTE
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), 1 p.m.; "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984), 3:30 p.m.; "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), 6 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. Four days before the fourth Indiana Jones films hits theaters, we can savor the wonderful Steven Spielberg trilogy, filled with masterful filmmaking.
"Hitch" (2005), 7-10 p.m., ABC. Will Smith plays a dating consultant, teaching Kevin James how to be charming. Then the "expert" meets a woman (Eva Mendes) who makes him clumsy and giddy? There are no surprises, but "Hitch" is reasonably pleasant.
"Medium," 7 p.m., NBC. This reruns the conclusion to a superb two-parter. Allison's employer (Anjelica Huston) is after the people who schemed to kidnap and kill her daughter. But can she get a conviction? It's a strong and jolting finale.
"Cold Case," 7 p.m., CBS. Filled with music by Nirvana, this rerun has Lilly re-opening a triple murder from 1994.
"CSI:NY," 8 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, a body has been stolen from a coroner's van.