Television critic Philip Wakefield chooses the 10 c. H. Best shows on the box this hebdomad, for Tuesday, August 12 to Monday, August 18.
1. Ashes to Ashes: Quipped The Daily Telegraph of this Life on Mars spin-off: "Yup, the Gene djinn was back with a bang." Credit to Prime for premiering it hither much faster than TV One did the original (and scantily a week after its finale).
Prime, 9.30pm Wednesday.
2. Dexter: Dexter comes under force per unit area from 2 sides: a special project force is set up to look into the ghastly remains of his victims; and girl Rita realises he set up her dead married man.� Not to be missed.
The Box, 9.30pm Tuesday.
3. Gossip Girl: Psst! Don�t pass up the premiere of this Big Apple take on The OC. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Gossip Girl is eye candy, and mind candy, as pretty as a perfectly prepared martini - 1 that some nasty, picture-perfect have-it-all english hawthorn or crataegus laevigata not ingest drugged."
TV2, 8.30pm Friday.
4. Inside NZ: First Time in Prison: Go behind the bars of Mt Eden with an 18-year-old inmate.�
TV3, 9.30pm Thursday.
5. DEA: Despite its overstrung music and gritty graphics, this reality newcomer so glamourises Detroit�s Drug Enforcement Agency unit that it could be mistaken for a recruiting film. Hence, Entertainment Weekly dubbing it "just Dragnet with a drug substance abuse".
Prime, 8.30pm Wednesday.
6. Elvis: Viva Las Vegas: Prime commemorates the 31st anniversary of The King�s death with this 2007 special that combines unique concert footage with the likes of Paul McCartney and Chris Isaak telling Presley classics and discussing how he influenced them.
Prime, 8.30pm Saturday.
7. AotearoHA�- The Billy T Awards: Which stand-up Kiwi comic will stand out enough to win?
TV3, 8.25pm Friday.
8. The Inside: Criminal Minds soundalike about an FBI unit that investigates ghastly trigger-happy crimes. It sustained only one season in 2005 but Maxim said its "mixture of grisly murders, dark drama, and, most importantly, intriguing characters, distinguish it from your typical detective dramatic play" (then over again, it does star ex-Maxim swimsuit theoretical account Rachel Nichols).
TV3, 11.15pm Tuesday.
9. Power of 10: Whose dirty money is it, anyway? Drew Carey hosts a newfangled, big bucks game demo from the brains slow Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
TV3, 7.30pm Wednesday.
10. The Late Show With David Letterman: Guests include Donald Trump (Tuesday), Will Smith (Wednesday), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Thursday) and Charlize Theron (Friday).
Prime, post-11pm weeknights (1.35pm weekday repeats).
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