TV critic's picks: Friday

"Army Wives," "The Spin Crowd"

August 19, 2010 at 8:26PM

Santa Klaus Klaus Voormann may not be a familiar name, but his influence on pop music is extraordinary. "All You Need Is Klaus" (7 p.m. Sunday, Smithsonian) covers the should-be legend's career, from illustrating the Beatles' "Revolver" cover to lending the bass lines to Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," introducing us to an artist who is anything but vain. Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and Paul McCartney are among those singing his praises.

In the bunker They may not be on the front lines, but the women of "Army Wives" (9 p.m. Sunday, Lifetime) spend a lot of time dodging emotional grenades in this fourth-season finale. No one is handing out Emmy nominations for this hit series, but there's some smart work being done by the veteran cast, most notably Catherine Bell and Brigid Brannagh.

Spin cycle The new reality series "The Spin Crowd" (9:30 p.m. Sunday, E!) focuses on a Hollywood publicity office run by anal Jonathan Cheban and his exasperated lieutenant Simon Huck, both of whom are so over the top you'd swear they're auditioning for a Fox sitcom. Carmen Electra, Mario Lopez and Kelly Osbourne all make guest appearances this season.

Death becomes them It's grand to see the Kids in the Hall back on the small screen, but it's even more satisfying to see them reunite with something as meaty and ambitious as "Death Comes to Town" (9 p.m. Friday, IFC), an eight-part series about what happens when Death visits a small Canadian burg to clean up a mistake he made decades ago. The five-member cast, which plays nearly all the parts, has cooked up some rich characters and a juicy story line that will keep you entranced between the big laughs.

NEAL JUSTIN

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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