What was on TV? Thurs, Feb 3, 2005

20 years ago, the Iraqi elections were supposed to prove that everything was super great! And turnout was better than in the US! But just a week later, over 30 people died in two separate incidents in a single day. So maybe elections don't solve everything. Let's see what was on TV!

8:00 The OC on Fox

2x11 "The Second Chance"

Available on Hulu and Max

This night marked the beginning of February sweeps. ABC marked the occasion with a Happy Days reunion special (it did well). In the special, Gary Marshall told the people what you do during sweeps: ''You either have a wedding or you burn down something, that's what you do during sweeps week.''

Well, there are no fires and no weddings tonight on The OC. But TV's premiere teen soap still kicks off sweeps in style. Our OTP almost kisses, an affair is teased, someone has a heart attack, that most storied of sweeps traditions, the lesbian storyline, kicks into high gear. It should be an exciting month as The OC turns up the suds and hopes the ratings will follow suit.

10:00 ER on NBC

11x13 "The Middleman"

Available on Hulu and Max

I really hated last week's histrionic storyline, which culminated in a parking lot suicide. But this week, that storyline has transformed into a thorny debate between Susan Lewis and John Carter about the ethics of pharmaceutical grants. Carter is correct that they represent a huge conflict of interest. Susan is correct that the hospital cannot function without them. And she's also correct that idealism comes easily to him: his wealth has shielded him from ethical compromises. And later, she reveals another wrinkle to Abby: her job is on the line, if she doesn't bring in the big bucks, she could be out. And she has a new baby. But she can't mention that to Carter, whose baby just died. It tackles a real-world medical issue and embeds it in the real lives of our doctors. It reminds me why I like this show, even when it is so long in the tooth.

In other news, this episode is a great showcase for Mekhi Phifer. His Dr. Pratt has been in a funk this season, but too often the character has been annoying and not sympathetic, trapped in a lot of miserablism and self-pity. The balance is better in this episode, as he gets dumped, fights for one patient and saves his life, but makes a bad judgment call and loses a kid. And he learns to accept his mistakes and his wins, and to embrace the gravity of his job. At the end of the episode he respectfully tells off the girl who dumped him and it is very cathartic. Hooray for Dr. Pratt! Hopefully, the writers have turned a corner with his character.

Late Night

Tonight's Conan opened with a "State of the Show" segment (by now an annual tradition). It's a very funny piece of fan service and political satire. The producers do a truly superb job imitating the style, pomp, and circumstance of these events, except the masturbating bear is also there. Excellent.

What Else Was On

• As I mentioned in my review of The OC, tonight marked the beginning of February sweeps. Now networks will debut buzzy midseason replacements and quietly shuffle underperforming shows off the schedule. Expect lots strange tv-movie events, weird award shows and other tv specials, and deaths, kisses, betrayals, and other dramatics on scripted shows, and not a lot of repeats.
• ABC had the first big stunt of sweeps month with the aforementioned Happy Days reunion specials. Reunion specials were a big trend in this era. The 2004-5 season had already seen reunion specials for Dynasty, Dallas, and Growing Pains. But Happy Days was always nostalgic, which made it a natural fit for this format. Plus, several of the people in the special were hardly has-beens. Gary Marshall was fresh off the Princess Diaries movies. Ron Howard was a recent Oscar-winner and the producer-narrator of Arrested Development. Henry Winkler was enjoying a comeback of sorts on Arrested Development, and had also recently lent his voice to King of the Hill. Marion Ross also lent her voice to King of the Hill's recent Christmas episode. Perhaps this is why the Happy Days reunion did so well (almost 20 million people watched!).
• Tonight's special sweeps guest stars: Patti Lupone AND Jeff Goldlum on Will and Grace and Jay Leno on Joey (Joey was a guest on The Tonight Show. Synergy!).

TiVo Status

The Masterpiece Theater miniseries He Knew He Was Right and The Lost Prince. 8 hours total.