I can't dance "Dexter" wasn't the first time John Lithgow got a chance to show off his evil side. The probable Emmy nominee played the preacher who thought boogieing was a sin in 1984's "Footloose" (4:30 and 9:30 p.m., Oxygen) and while it's Kevin Bacon's shakin' that was immortalized, it's Lithgow who makes you believe the otherwise unbelievable premise.
Bottoms up MTV has occasionally provided programming that's meant to benefit its teen audience. "The Real World" used to be one of them. No more. "The Real World: New Orleans" (9 p.m., MTV) is the most glaring example of how the groundbreaking series has become more and more about conflict and less and less about bridging gaps. Yes, it's great for the Gulf Coast community to have a TV show pouring money in, but the real reason the young people are in Crescent City is evident in the very first episode, when the gang goes on a drinking spree that ends in a drunken display.
Express yourself "Locked Up Abroad" (9 p.m., Nat. Geo.), the series that examines cases of imprisonment and hostage taking, focuses on an account that inspired one of Hollywood's most harrowing films: "Midnight Express." Billy Hayes, who was played by the late Brad Davis in the film, tells his own version of how he was sent to a Turkish prison and managed to escape.
