What's on TV: Shows worth noting for Sept. 15-21
At this writing, season premières are planned this week for several network series, including "Dharma and Greg," "Spin City," and "Frasier" (Tues.); "West Wing" and "That '70s Show" (Wed.); "Friends," "CSI," "Will & Grace," "Just Shoot Me," and "ER" (Thurs.).
Sunday 9 /16
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (ABC, 7-9 p.m.): The Wonderful World of Disney presents its tribute to Walt Disney produced by his grandson, Walter Elias Disney Miller. The innovations the Disney factory produced are undeniable. After all, "Snow White" was the first full-length animated film.
wednesday 9 /19
Grounded for Life (Fox, 8:30- 9 p.m.): The season première of the intermittently amusing family show concerns a stolen car - and finding out who took it. The teenagers in this series can get into trouble, but they never mean any harm.
Meeting with a Killer: One Family's Journey (Court TV, 10-11 p.m.): This raw documentary takes on a difficult subject with intelligence and courage. Linda White visits the man who killed her adult daughter 15 years ago. Not even the warden of the prison can understand why she wants to meet him, but Linda and her granddaughter Ami, the murdered woman's daughter, have questions. As maudlin as it sounds, the real impulse behind this meeting is one of healing.
friday 9 /21
Art 21: Art in the Twenty-First Century (PBS, four-part series, continuing Sept. 28, check local listings): Figuring out what art is all about is part of figuring out what we are about as a culture. Laurie Anderson introduces the theme of place, and sterling interviews with sculptor Richard Serra, photographer Sally Mann, graffiti artist Barry McGee, and performance artist Pépon Osorio open up new worlds of creative expression. Part 2 will take on issues of the spiritual in art.
Once and Again (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): One of the most insightful family dramas on TV moves to Friday nights. This story about two divorcées who marry and merge families is no "Brady Bunch." Though viewers may take issue with the decisions they make about their children, no TV couple tries harder to be good parents. The children matter on this show - they are not merely extensions of the parents. In this season première, young Eli is busted for smoking pot, and his parents disagree on how to handle the situation.