You may not enjoy the ‘Game of Silence’
Buried secrets loom large in the new series “Game of Silence” (9 p.m., WMC-TV Channel 5). At first glance, Jackson Brooks (David Lyons) has it made. He’s getting married to a gorgeous fellow lawyer, Marina (Claire van der Boom), and is about to join her as a partner in their elite firm. But old friends with a secret past re-enter his life and drag him back to horrific memories.
Flashbacks reveal Jackson’s childhood on the slightly wrong side of the tracks of a small Texas town. There he and his gang rode their bikes, shot off fireworks and went swimming in a quarry. A moment of irresponsibility would send them to a juvenile detention facility — and provide “Game” with its grim catalyst.
Not only would they be subject to violence and abuse by other inmates, but singled out for brutalization by guards and the warden himself. A quarter-century later, some of Jackson’s pals have taken vengeance on their old tormentors. Jackson must save them from prison, and the hotshot Grishamesque investigator must follow a conspiracy of corruption all the way to the governor’s mansion. That is, if he can escape his own actions that he has kept secret from nearly everyone over the past 25 years.
Filled with gruesome flashbacks, “Game of Silence” suffers from a plot that seems wildly farfetched and completely predictable at the same time.
Reality television replaced the sitcom for many viewers. And it did so years ago. Jessica Simpson, Ozzy Osbourne and any number of “Real Housewives” were not professional actors or comedians, but people laughed at them nonetheless.
So why can’t comedians get into the act? “Living With Funny” (8 p.m., Oxygen) asks viewers to watch five emerging comedians negotiate life on the stage, on the road and at home with their spouses, girlfriends or, in one case, multiple girlfriends. The new Showtime comedy “Dice” takes a similar approach, but calls itself a scripted series. Here’s hoping “Living” offers more “Funny” than “Dice.”
TV-themed DVDs available today include Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie” season one.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Live playoffs continue on “The Voice” (7 p.m., WMC-TV Channel 5).
Guest-stars on “iZombie” (WLMT-TV Channel 30) include Ken Marino (7 p.m.) and Rob Thomas (8 p.m.). The second episode is the season finale.
Hydra’s past proves perilous on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (8 p.m., WATN-TV Channel 24).
The four-hour documentary “Jackie Robinson” (9 p.m., WKNO-TV Channel 10) concludes.
The pitches continue on “America’s Greatest Makers” (8 p.m., TBS).
Feedback from a focus group on “The Grinder” (8:30 p.m., WHBQ-TV Channel 13).
The business of peanut butter gets sticky on “Beyond the Tank” (9 p.m., WATN-TV Channel 24).
Mountain bikers embark on a 24-hour endurance test in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert on the third season debut of “Boundless” (9:15 p.m., Esquire).