Reality shows scraping bottom of ‘celebrity’ list
Coolio’s girlfriend trades places with the spouse of singer Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) for a week on “Celebrity Wife Swap” (7 p.m., WPTY-TV Channel 24).
It’s come to this: Coolio’s girlfriend.
Faithful network viewers are beginning to grumble that the words “celebrity” and “star” have been diluted. The announcement of the forthcoming lineup for “Dancing With the Stars” caused some to complain that it was beginning to resemble Kathy Griffin’s infamous “DList.” Andy Dick, anyone?
For pure freak-show, low-level, has-been recycling, nothing beats “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,” seen on NBC on Sunday nights. It almost goes without saying that Gary Busey is on board. The true tragedy is that the cast features Marilu Henner. As we learned on “60 Minutes,” the former “Taxi” star has a nearly photographic memory. That means she’ll never be able to forget a second of this pointless experience.
CNBC shakes up its schedule and changes its image. The launch of something called “CNBC Prime” includes “Treasure Detectives” and “The Car Chasers,” and while they may be new to CNBC, you’ve already seen them a hundred times.
“Treasure Detectives” (8 p.m.) offers a variation on the well-traveled buying-and-selling-stuff genre. Its slightly different hook is its focus on forgeries. Detective Curtis Dowling separates the wheat from the chaff, informing folks that the valuable collector’s item they just purchased is actually fraudulent. Of course, the Keno brothers on “Antiques Roadshow” have been doing that since before the turn of the century.
“The Car Chasers” (9 p.m.) becomes the umpteenth series to follow dealers who buy and sell classic and collectible cars. It also features the contrived sitcom antics of a couple working and living together and coping with a know-it-all dad. Although it’s set in Lubbock, Texas, few folks here sport any recognizable accent. But most of them speak loudly, as if unsure anybody is watching or listening.
If these generic reality offerings represent CNBC’s new direction, the network needs a different navigator.
Don’t go looking for “Cult.” The CW (WLMTTV Channel 30) headscratcher has been yanked from Tuesday nights, where it has yet to find an audience, and will move to Friday nights beginning March 8.
Some think the baffling show-within-a-show just doesn’t fit well on a night that kicks off with the relatively wholesome “Hart of Dixie.” Others think it’s being exiled to Friday nights, where many shows go to die.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Ten semifinalists perform on “American Idol” (7 p.m., WHBQ-TV Channel 13).
Spencer vanishes on “Pretty Little Liars” (7 p.m., ABC Family).
Seven finalists emerge on “The Taste” (8 p.m., WPTY-TV Chanel 24).
A car thief’s desperate deal on “The Lying Game” (8 p.m., ABC Family).
One clue leads to another on “Golden Boy” (9 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).
Julia feels the tension between Peter and Tom on “Smash” (9 p.m., WMC-TV Channel 5).