Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE
"Standoff" finale, 8 p.m., Fox. This is one of those good-enough shows that never quite caught on. Matt and Emily have been breaking the rules by sleeping together, despite working together as crisis negotiators. Now they've split romantically; they're ready to split at work, too. Matt heads on a case alone. It's a good idea that soon goes bad.
"Human Weapon" debut, 7 p.m., History Channel. Jason Chambers is a muscular and handsome guy who's also a fighter. He's listed as the Total Fighting Challenge Welterweight Champion. Bill Duff is a former pro football player, 6-feet-4 and 280 pounds. He played in the expansion year of the Cleveland Browns in 1999, then went on to the XFL, Arena Football League and NFL Europe league. These are tough dudes by any standards. But now they're visiting worlds, where they're the underdogs. In the opener, they go to Thailand to learn Muay Thai. The settings are beautiful; the fights are brutal. By the end of the hour, one of them will be chosen to fight a Muay Thai champ. First, both will learn all sorts of ways to maim and destroy. Some viewers will find this fascinating. More will quickly wonder if this really counts as entertainment.
OF NOTE
"A Model Life," 7 p.m., TLC. Who can blame young models for being bewildered? Last week, a Brazilian beauty was told to lose weight; tonight, a fitness expert (Gregory Joujon-Roche) says five of the six models are too thin and the sixth is just right; the "just right" one is soon told by others to trim down. Joujon-Roche is disturbed to find one 5-foot-11 model at 128 pounds; worse is one who stands 5-foot-8 and 100. She insists that it's her natural weight and she's always been eating; fashion people find her interesting, in an offbeat way. It's all part of the perplexing beauty lifestyle.
"Set For Life" debut (ABC) and "1 vs. 100" rerun (NBC), both 7 p.m. Yes, there really are two competing game shows at the same time — three if you count "Lingo" on the Game Show Network. ABC's newcomer is hosted by Jimmy Kimmel; duos try to win a paycheck for the rest of their lives. NBC's rerun has one person trying to top 100 people in trivia questions; this time, the audience includes Rhodes scholars, drag queens and actor Adam West.
"Bones," 7 p.m., Fox. When a headless skeleton is found in a woods in this rerun, it brings back 18th-century witchcraft tales.
"Ghost Whisperer," 7 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, Melinda has feelings of being bound, but can't see a ghost responsible.
"Monk," 9 p.m., USA Network. Monk tries to help a rap star who was accused of murder. Snoop Dogg and Kurupt are guest stars.
"Numb3rs," 9 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, a mixed-martial-arts fighter dies in the ring. Police wonder if he was drugged.
"Psych," 10 p.m., USA Network. Shawn and the police disagree sharply about when a victim died.