TV critic's picks: Wednesday

Bye-bye, Betty

The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 13, 2010 at 8:26PM
America Ferrera is Betty Suarez in the comedy series "Ugly Betty."
America Ferrera is Betty Suarez in the comedy series "Ugly Betty." (David Giesbrecht/ABC)

It's the series finale of "Ugly Betty" (9 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5), a once-engaging, unpredictable lark that lost its spark as early as the second season. On the plus side, the show did introduce mainstream audiences to America Ferrera, who has a lot more than traveling pants in her future.

Dance all night You can celebrate Motown's 50th anniversary by dusting off your old Jackson Five and Supremes eight-tracks or you can simply groove to TCM's all-night marathon featuring music from the legendary label. The lineup: the campy "Thank God It's Friday" (7 p.m.), the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (9 p.m.), Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in "Lady Sings the Blues" (11 p.m.), the baby-boomer fave "The Big Chill" (1:30 a.m.) and Redd Foxx going nuts in "Norman ... Is That You?" (3:30 a.m.).

Dealing with loss Katie Couric (above) teams up with the Muppets for a worthy cause. No, Oscar the Grouch is not getting a colonoscopy. But he is contributing to “When Families Grieve” (7 p.m., KTCA, Ch. 2), a well-intentioned special aimed at guiding kids through the ordeal of losing a parent.

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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