TV critic's picks for the week of 1/1

December 31, 2011 at 10:16PM
Chris Lilley in "Angry Boys."
Chris Lilley in “Angry Boys.” (Margaret Andrews — Angry Boys Production/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sunday

Chris Lilley, the creator of "Summer Heights High," is a literal stage hog, choosing to play almost all his major characters. His latest, "Angry Boys" (9 p.m., HBO), has him morphing into six characters, including 17-year-old twins, a peculiar prison guard and a soft-spoken Japanese wife. Lilley has a lot of talents. Too bad one of them isn't making me laugh.

Monday

Winemaker Ben Flajnik tries to give his personal life a buzz on the 16th season of "The Bachelor" (7 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5). In the opener, he meets 25 contestants (one of whom arrives on horseback) and must whittle the number down to 18 by the end of the show. Those who are dismissed go home with a bottle of Two Buck Chuck.

Tuesday

Just because Tom Hanks went from "Bosom Buddies" to Oscar-winning films doesn't mean that every show about crossdressing pals is going to lead to stardom. Actors Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco will soon learn that lesson after viewers actually see their abysmal new sitcom, "Work It" (7:30 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5), an early contender for the worst show of 2012. Fortunately for the cast, this show shouldn't be around long enough to do serious career damage.

Wednesday

Pamela Anderson has learned enough about underwear over the years to actually sell it. She's one of the celebrities going "undercover" as ordinary people -- like you and me -- in a new season of "I Get a Lot of That" (7 p.m., WCCO, Ch. 4). Others attempting the simple life include Jerry Springer as a deli worker and Drew Pinsky as an eyeglasses salesman.

Thursday

Being alive apparently is not a prerequisite to be featured on Animal Planet. "American Stuffers" (9 p.m., AP) looks at the fun lovin' world of taxidermy in Romance, Ark., where Daniel Ross and his co-workers give animals a different kind of afterlife. In the first episode, Dan catches heck when he dries a few animal parts in the family oven. Hey, didn't I see that plot on "Roseanne"?

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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