What was on TV? Thurs, Dec 2, 2004

20 years ago, we were all coming out of our cages and doing just fine. Let's see what was on TV.

8:00 The OC on Fox

2x04 "The New Era"

Available on Hulu and Max

Last episode introduced The Bait Shop and this episode makes full use of it, as The Killers perform there on their way to becoming mid-2000s quadi-indie rockstars. As the sounds of Hot Fuss play, the The OC wraps up the opening salvo of its sophomore season, neatly pairing its core four off with brand new love interests. Let's see how long they stay together before Seth runs back to Summer (or vice versa) and Marissa runs back to Ryan (or vice versa).

This episode was written by J.J. Philbin. Philbin created Single Parents and has written for New Girl and Only Murders in the Building.

This episode was directed by Michael Fresco. He's directed episodes of Northern Exposure, Better Off Ted, and My Name is Earl.

9:00 America's Next Top Model (recorded)

3x11 "The Girl the Lionesses are Hunting" (record Peep Show on BBC America)

Available on Hulu

I mentioned this in yesterday's Project Runway review, but I am ready for Ann to go. She's given all the drama she can to the show and her pictures are all bad. I feel like the judges know they've kept her there too long and they're trying to justify their decision. Or maybe Nigel just thinks she's hot. That's also possible.

10:00 ER on NBC

11x08 "A Shot in the Dark"

Available on Hulu and Max

You know what? this is a good episode! It's a bunch of people trying their best in shitty situations. That's what makes ER the most relatable workplace drama of all.

Maura Tierney is treating a young girl with appendicitis and dealing with her difficult parents. It turns out that the Dad's father died on the table at this hospital. They treat the girl, but it's no fun for anyone. A cop is wheeled in along with the suspect who supposedly shot him. Only the suspect was only armed with a BB-gun. It was friendly fire that endangered the cop's life. And now his kid has to make medical decisions, only he's still a kid so his mother influences him, and also she's kind of competing with her ex-husband's new fiancé. At least Dr. Carter gets to go on a cute date.

But the cherry on top of the sundae is that someone FINALLY tells off Shane West. This has been a long time coming, but it was worth it. They wait until he's done something really shitty, and they let Neela do the honors. I'm so glad it was her. She's had kind of a rough season, and she deserves this win, and the scene is a nice showcase for Parminder Nagra.

(Now I'm worried they'll become a couple. Please no!)

This episode was written by Joe Sachs. He spent 13 seasons on ER and later wrote for Off the Map and NCIS: LA.

This episode was directed by Jonathan Kaplan. He directed many movies and music videos, including The Accused, which won Jodie Foster her first Oscar.

Late Night

Earlier that week, NBC followed tradition and lit up the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. So on Late Night with Conan O'Brien they celebrated their own tradition: lighting up the stump. This show is so stupid and I love it.

What Else Was On

• Brian Williams began his tenure as the anchor of NBC Nightly News. Topics on his first broadcast included the Iraq War (still going really badly!), the FDA not approving a testosterone patch that increased women's sex drive (lots to unpack there!), and how video games and screens harm childhood development (prescient and depressing!).
• Also: November sweeps were over! Thank god, this has been exhausting, Bring on the repeats!
• CBS won sweeps in a landslide, triumphing in the all-important 18-49 demographic for the first time since people started caring about that sort of thing. Comeback kid ABC squeaked out a victory over once-dominant NBC. Fox finished last, but with American Idol in the wings, no one was crying too much.

In the News

Both CBS and NBC blocked an ad for the United Church of Christ. The ad features bouncers in front of a church. They turn away a pair of men, then let in a white man and woman. Then they turn away a Latine man and a Black woman. The message at the end reads: "Jesus doesn't turn people away. Neither do we."

Explanations for why the ad was blocked varied. CBS said "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples...and the fact that the executive branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast." Meanwhile, NBC said the problem was essentially that it made some branches of Christianity look bad. So some contradictions there! LGBTQ+ people don't deserve rights, but how dare you make anyone look mean!

TiVo Status

The three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince and The Office Christmas Special from across the pond (2 hours), A Christmas Carol: The Musical, the TNT movie The Wool Cap, and one episode of Peep Show. 9.5 hours with 18.5 hours of space left.