Critic's picks

Last update: February 12, 2009 - 3:47 PM

Tearing the playhouse down

In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly," creator Joss Whedon displayed an ability to mix action with clever comedy, so it's a shame that the pilot episode of "Dollhouse" (8:01 p.m. today, KMSP, Ch. 9) doesn't provide even a giggle. Star Eliza Dushku deserves better than the role of a brainwashed slave who steps into a new comely identity every week. If Buffy had been asked to play such a sexist role, she would have kicked the creator in the neck.

Fitz blitz

Minnesotan Larry Fitzgerald Jr., pictured, fresh off his MVP performance in the Pro Bowl, joins his Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (10:35 p.m. today, KARE, Ch. 11). Larry Fitzgerald Sr. will review the show, but promises that he'll show no favoritism to his son over guests Anne Hathaway and Annie Lennox.

Leap of faith

Former NFL cheerleaders, flight attendants and stuntmen brothers are among the competitors in "Amazing Race 14" (7 p.m. Sunday, WCCO, Ch. 4). Their first assignment: Bungee jumping off a dam in Switzerland, a challenge that all but assures I would be out by the end of the opening credits.

NEAL JUSTIN

Wild pitch

Danny McBride, a standout comic in "Tropic Thunder" and "Pineapple Express," brings his vulgar sensibilities and pot-bellied physical antics to "Eastbound & Down" (9:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO), a promising new sitcom about an over-the-hill pitcher who tries to rebuild his career while toiling as a substitute gym teacher at his former middle school. Those seeking a politically incorrect anti-hero have a new champion to cheer on.

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