Category: TV

“The Closer” — Third Season

Jae-Ha Kim

Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is back in season three of TNT’s crime procedural The Closer. With a couple years at the Los Angeles police department already under her belt, Brenda has proven that her eccentric method works at getting confessions from even the most hardened criminals. But even she’s not quite sure how to handle the season opener, where a slaughtered family’s sole survivor is the stunned, stoned teenage son. Bleak, dark and wonderfully scripted, the opener sets the tone for the 14 episodes that follow it.

“Lipstick Jungle”

Jae-Ha Kim

Based on the Candace Bushnell novel of the same name, Lipstick Jungle is what the ladies on Sex and the City might have been like, had they been married characters rather than New York singletons. Brooke Shields stars as Wendy Healy, a high-powered movie mogul who can’t get through a day without talking to (or lunching with) her best friends Nico Reilly (Kim Raver, 24) and Victory Ford (Lindsay Price, Beverly Hills, 90210).

Henry Winkler: The Fonz writes books!

Jae-Ha Kim

Three decades ago, Henry Winkler was best known for his role as the Fonz on “Happy Days.” These days, the actor has a whole new generation of fans, thanks to his Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever series of children’s books. Hank, an irrepressible fourth-grader, deals with dyslexia, bullies and a potential love interest in the latest installment — The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk ($5.99, Gosset & Dunlap) — which just hit book stores.

“Friday Night Lights” — Second Season

Jae-Ha Kim

Friday Night Lights is deeply entrenched in the world of football and teamwork, but the series transcends sports and delves into rich, human relationships that at times are heartbreakingly real. A compelling drama, the show also features one of the strongest (and best looking) ensemble casts. The second season fulfills the promise of its debut. Full of drama, heart, and superb acting, the series is set in fictional Dillon, Texas–a town where everyone lives and breathes football.

An organized, healthy lifestyle is the key to Marilu Henner’s positive attitude

Jae-Ha Kim

Phoning from her California home after her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” was completed, Marilu Henner is in a chatty mood. Born and reared in Chicago, the actress best known for her work on “Taxi” gives a verbal high-five to her interviewer, whose accent she immediately recognizes as one from her hometown.

“Sense & Sensibility”

Jae-Ha Kim

Lush, dramatic, and beautifully acted, the BBC’s three-part miniseries “Sense & Sensibility” captures the languid urgency that resonates throughout the Jane Austen novel on which it is based. The miniseries begins with a seduction scene: As a young girl cautiously gives herself to a man, she asks, “But when will you come back?” He answers ominously, “Soon… very soon,” and gallops off into the night.

“Wings” — Season Six

Jae-Ha Kim

Set in Nantucket, “Wings” focuses on a group of people who work at the same small airport and like each other so much (or are so bored) that they are constantly meddling in each other’s business. The sixth season of the sitcom includes preparations for not one, but two weddings. Not to be outdone by Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen’s (Crystal Bernard) engagement (finally!), busybody Roy (David Schramm) decides that he, too, wants to get married and sends away for a Russian mail-order bride.

“Girlfriends” — Season Three

Jae-Ha Kim

Like “Living Single” and “Sex & the City,” “Girlfriends” captures the warm camaraderie (and competition) between good friends. Succinctly balancing comedy with real-life issues, the sitcom returns for a strong third season. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Toni (Jill Marie Jones) are all back and they are as sassy and conflicted as ever.