What was on TV? Thurs, Jan 20, 2005

20 years ago, Donald Trump was getting ready for his third wedding. Let's all make sure he doesn't get a third inauguration as well. Anyway, let's see what was on TV.

8:00 The OC on Fox

2x09 "The Ex-Factor"

Available on Hulu and Max

Probably my favorite episode of the season so far? Lindsey gets some real character development, as she tries to fit in with the girls. It does a nice job paralleling her journey with Ryan from season 1, but it also shows the ways in which Lindsey, a nice and studious who probably has a lot in common with the average OC viewer, is different from the damaged and drama prone Ryan. It all comes to a head in a moment when Ryan charges into the waves, convinced that the drunk Lindsey is drowning, only to learn that she is perfectly fine. Ryan totally blows up at Marissa as we see his issues with their relationship come to the surface. It's ugly, but in a good way. It pushes his and Marissa's characters into exciting new territory. Especially Marissa, as the end of this episode teases a romance between her and Olivia Wilde. Very excited to dig into that storyline in the coming weeks.

9:00 King of the Hill (recorded)

9x03 "Death Buys a Timeshare"

I'm starting to see a patten with King of the Hill: Hank is right about somethings (in this case, that timeshares are a total scam and his dad should not buy one). But eventually realizes that being kind is more important than being right, and he makes a small sacrifice (here, he realizes that the timeshare is a scam but his dad loves is and be buys his own timeshare to make his dad happy). This is a conservative show, I suspect that I will find myself disagreeing with it a lot. But this core message? I love it. And I love the show.

The b-story about the family back in Texas searching desperately for a pool to squat in and escape the heat is also hilarious.

9:30 Everybody Loves Raymond (recorded)

9x10 "Favors"

Available on Peacock and Paramount+

A classic Everybody Loves Raymond in which a small debate about an old issue of Sports Illustrated spirals until it involves a letter from Muhammad Ali, a pink robe, a rosebush, and a terrifying web of lies and favors. A comparison to the mafia is invoked, and it is apt!

10:00 ER on NBC

11x11 "Only Connect"

Available on Hulu and Max

A few episodes ago I celebrated as Parminder Nagra told off Shane West, until I realized that this might mean they'd fall in love soon. I hate to be proven right sometimes. Also, I don't like any of the ships on ER right now. Not Parminder and Shane, not Luka and Sam. I don't hate Carter and the social worker, but they're kind of boring. I love romance, I love shipping! Why are you making me hate it! It's the worst.

Late Night

Sometimes, this project provides an escape from our terrible present. Sometimes, not so much. Such was the case on tonight's Conan, which featured a long segment titled "Fulfilling our Legal Obligation to Make Fun of Donald Trump's Wedding" (which was shamelessly scheduled to coincide with the season premiere of The Apprentice). The segment is even good! They basically do "meet your second wife." In 2005 this is hilarious. In 2025 I just see the child who will marry him from 2019-2024 and remember what he was actually doing during that time. And I see the baby he will marry next and it's right back to horrified visions of the future.

The rest of the episode had some moments of joy, thank goodness. Ethan Hawke was on to promote Assault on Precinct 13. He was handsome and sarcastic and dorky. They did a silly montage of all his wintertime movies. And we finish with a performance from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings! Truly, a light in the darkness.

What Else Was On

• Less than a year after its blockbuster debut, The Apprentice was flagging, so NBC, Trump, and Marc Burnett tried to revive the franchise with "street smarts vs. book smarts" gambit (contestants were divided into teams of college graduates and those without degrees, rather than teams of men and women). It didn't work, and the franchise ultimately needed celebrities to survive. People forget that Donald Trump wasn't even good at running a reality show. Typing this is making me depressed.
• Following the retirement of Tom Brokaw and the CBS news scandal, ABC was eager to make its newscast number one on the back of its experienced anchor, Peter Jennings. Tonight, they aired a newsmagazine special starring Jennings as part of this campaign. Unfortunately, this campaign would soon be halted by Jennings' lung cancer diagnosis. 2004-5 was a truly wild time in network news.

TiVo Status

The Masterpiece Theater miniseries He Knew He Was Right and The Lost Prince, and one episode of Carnivale. 9 hours total.