What was on TV? Wed, March 16, 2005

20 years ago, Italy announced it was withdrawing troops from Iraq. Let's see what was on TV.

8:00 America's Next Top Model on UPN

4x03 "The Girl who Suddenly Collapsed" (record Survivor on CBS and American Dreams on NBC)

In yesterday's episode of the WB's The Starlet (basically Top Model for aspiring actresses) a lucky girl was rewarded with a trip to the Ocean's Twelve premiere. She got dolled up, walked the Red Carpet, and got interviewed by Extra and Access Hollywood correspondents. The other girls waited breathlessly for her return, and listened in awe as she told her story.

That is all very nice. But they should have let her pick a plus one. That's how you create real drama, and Top Model has always understood this. In this episode, girls must practice runway walking in a local K-Mart. The winner then picks four other girls to accompany her on a shoe-shopping spree. Those not chosen must wait on the chosen girls. Emotions run high, and Michelle gets so spooked by a motorized shoe rack that she has a minor breakdown and comes out as bisexual. And everyone is super supportive! It was all very entertaining and silly and even a little heartwarming.

All that, plus the photoshoot this week was for 1-800-Flowers and asked the girls to pose with six dogs. Truly a classic bit of Top Model silliness, and one that let me look at cute canines. A very fun episode.

9:00 Alias on ABC

4x11 "The Road Home"

A pre-HIMYM Jason Segal was on this episode and Sydney battled a drone armed with a bioweapon. But the main headline is that Victor Garber murdered Corey Stoll and his ridiculous accent. It was violent and nasty and hot and AWESOME. The most fun Jack Bristow has been in ages!

10:00 American Dreams (recorded)

3x15 "California Dreamin"

American Dreams was a period drama set in the 1960s. It was about family and political turmoil and all that jazz. But it was also about television itself. Heroine Meg and her best friend Roxanne dance on American Bandstand, and her father owns a television store. And characters are always watching television: sitcoms, American Bandstand, commercials, the news.

American Dreams' focus on television reaches its apex in this episode as Meg and Roxanne travel to LA, visit the I Dream of Jeannie set, and meet star Barbara Eden, played by special guest star Paris Hilton. It's a canny bit of stunt casting. Barbara Eden and I Dream of Jeannie were regarded as the height of superficiality in their day, much like Paris Hilton was in 2005. The show adds new layers to this dynamic when Meg and Roxanne encounter some hippies. They "don't watch television" and disdain Roxanne for her love of it and the fact that she lived in a bus to follow a band, not to turn on, tune in, and drop out. But Meg, who has been involved with the anti-war movement, is drawn to their rebellion. When Roxanne goes to a party at Barbara Eden's house, she follows the hippies. And she discovers that they actually have a lot in common with Barbara Eden and what she represents. They don't care about the war, they don't want to fight for anything. They just want to drop out and have fun. Perhaps they worship their own kind of superficiality.

What Else Was On

• American Dreams wasn't the only show to poke at hippies tonight. On Comedy Central, the South Park episode "Die, Hippie, Die" premiered.
• The first episode of The Office debuted on MySpace.
• The first finalist voted off of American Idol was 20-year-old Lindsey Cardinale. Since Idol, she has performed at local events and in local commercials and eventually went back to school, studying journalism and psychology.
• I Dream of Jeannie appeared on American Dreams, and also at the 3rd annual TV Land Awards, where it won chicest sitcom decor.

TiVo Status

The Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince, a Frontline documentary, the TV movies Sucker Free City, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Ladies Night, an episode of Survivor, and one episode of Miracle's Boys. 14.5 hours total.

Music, 20 years ago

John Legend played Stevie Wonder on this episode of American Dreams. Here is "Let's Get Lifted," a '60s-appropriate song about getting high from his debut album.