Fall premiere
Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek") is the auteur behind the new drama Wasteland (9 p.m., ABC) and, judging from the stunningly dumb pilot, I'd say the clock's ticking on Williamson's tenure as a TV golden boy. Intertwining the post-collegiate lives of a group of friends in their 20s, "Wasteland" is a lame hoot, from the characters' almost exclusive focus on sex, to the obligatory "Ally McBeal"-style fantasy sequences, to the annoying pop-culture-reference-laced jabbering that passes for dialogue. The only hope for "Wasteland" is if it catches on as an unintentionally funny "Melrose Place" substitute.
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Series
Rachel and Joey look for new living arrangements while their former roomies, Monica and Chandler, continue their rocky cohabitation on Friends (8 p.m., NBC). On Popular (8 p.m., WB), Sam's column in the school newspaper results in the cheering squad's funds being redistributed to the drama club. Chicago Hope (9 p.m., CBS) has an episode about a renowned surgeon with Tourette's syndrome who must perform risky surgery on a newborn. As far back as "L.A. Law," "Hope" creator David E. Kelley has had this idea that Tourette's is really, really funny. It's not. On Charmed (9 p.m., WB), the sisters travel to the future after Phoebe has a premonition of her death. Jeanie cares for an HIV-positive infant and Romano makes a surprising promotion on ER (10 p.m., NBC).
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Sports
Baseball playoffs:
Red Sox at Indians, Game 2 (4 p.m., ESPN)
Rangers at Yankees, Game 2 (8 p.m., Fox)
Hockey:
Red Wings at Thrashers (8 p.m., ESPN2)
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Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Noah Wyle, Lily Tomlin
David Letterman (CBS) Gov. Jesse Ventura, Peter Fonda, ZZ Top
Jay Leno (NBC) Liv Tyler
Charlie Rose (PBS) Ed Koch, Dominick Dunne
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Ally Walker, Nanci Griffith
Conan O'Brien (NBC) D.B. Sweeney, Elisabeth Shue
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