Sunday, October 30, 2011

'Hoggers' bores in on a niche market

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October 19, 2011 12:00 AM

Yes folks, we've reached the point where there is room for two cable shows about the capture of feral boars. Not to be confused with Discovery's ?Hogs Gone Wild,? the new series ?American Hoggers? (10 p.m., A&E) stars Jerry Campbell, a 64-year-old Texan who appears to have dedicated his life to the cause. He drives an armored jeep that would not look out of place in a ?Mad Max? movie. He also speaks in a nearly incomprehensible mumble that has to be subtitled.

His son, Robert, 28, is a tad less caffeinated than dad. He's philosophical about the hog-chase and even cites Chaucer at one juncture. And that's certain to be a first for a basic cable show about hogs and their pursuit. His sister, Krystal, 23, rounds out the trio. She's a rootin'-tootin' tomboy given to tight Western wear and blue eye shadow who can hog-tie with the best of them.

?Hoggers? remains blessedly free of reality show shenanigans and kooky contrivances. It's all about the hunt, with a dollop of family dynamics on the side. It's also free of much information. Why are there so many wild hogs? Where did they come from? Why have they become such a danger, and how much money does this feisty family make? Or rather, how much would they make, absent a TV contract?

? You can't take it with you, but you can still boss people around from beyond the grave. ?The Will: Outrageous Final Wishes 2? (8 p.m., ID) recalls some of the most famous and peculiar last requests and burial arrangements.

?The Will: Family Secrets Revealed? (9 p.m., ID) continues with the strange case of Howard Hughes' will, which seemed to bequeath a huge sum to an obscure gas station owner. The incident inspired ?Melvin & Howard,? an Oscar-winning 1980 movie directed by Jonathan Demme.


TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

? Game one of the World Series (7:30 p.m., Fox).

? Too s2pid 2 watch, ?H8R? has been canceled. Repeats of ?Ringer? (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) run in its place.

? Halloween looms large on ?Pretty Little Liars? (8 p.m., ABC Family).

? ?Nature? (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) examines wolves rendered radioactive by the Chernobyl disaster.

? A controversial teacher becomes a client on ?Harry's Law? (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

? Phil takes Haley on a college tour on ?Modern Family? (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

? ?MythBusters? (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG) takes on tall tales about duct tape.

? A medical chopper goes missing on ?CSI? (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

? A tale of a missing baby begins to unravel on ?Law & Order: SVU? (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

? Victoria's weak spots emerge on ?Revenge? (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

? The real estate market proves to be illuminating on ?American Horror Story? (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

? Piranhas and other fish stories on ?Penn & Teller Tell a Lie? (10 p.m., Discovery).

? ?Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files? (10 p.m., Syfy) returns with tales of a UFO crash landing and a graveyard ghost.

? A memory lapse may earn the guys a murder rap on ?Psych? (10 p.m., USA).

? ?Extra Virgin? (10:30 p.m., Cooking), a celebration of Tuscan cuisine starring Debi Mazar and her Italian husband, returns for a second season. I wonder if they cook any cinghiale? That's Italian for wild boar. (See ?American Hoggers? above.)


CULT CHOICE

Zombies make for unfriendly skies in the 2007 shocker ?Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane? (8 p.m., AMC, TV-14). How would the girdled gals on ?Pan Am? handle that?


SERIES NOTES

?Survivor? (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Chris contemplates quitting on ?Up All Night? (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) ... The family mulls a rental on ?The Middle? (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... Movie night heats up on ?Whitney? (8:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) ... Doll thieves strike on ?Suburgatory? (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

A predator targets troubled mothers on ?Criminal Minds? (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... Tyra Banks hosts ?America's Next Top Model? (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) ... Therapeutic visualization on ?Happy Endings? (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).


LATE NIGHT

The Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled on ?The Daily Show With Jon Stewart? (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Tom Selleck and Julianne Hough appear on ?Conan? (11 p.m., TBS) ... Coldplay visits ?The Colbert Report? (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Taylor Lautner, Minka Kelly and Wilco are booked on ?Late Show With David Letterman? (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) ... Jay Leno welcomes Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Aubrey Plaza and Blondie on ?The Tonight Show? (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) ... Julie Bowen, Elisha Cuthbert and Pitbull appear on ?Jimmy Kimmel Live? (midnight, ABC, r).

Jason Sudeikis, Deena Cortese and Jon Rineman chat on ?Late Night With Jimmy Fallon? (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Carla Gugino, Jake Johnson and Joe Matarese on ?The Late Late Show? (12:35 a.m., CBS).


Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.


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