Thursday , March 28 2024
Top Gear and me, a winning combination.

PBS Primetime Programming for the Week of May 11

Every week I like to stop for a moment and take stock of where I am in life. Frankly, I usually consider myself quite lucky. I have the best family anyone could ever hope for. I have a lovely wife, a nearly two-year-old daughter who amazes me every day with the things she says and does, and all the ancillary family members to go with them. Perhaps, career-wise, I'm not quite as far along as I'd like, but I take a Quantum of Solace from the fact that there's allegedly been a pilot ordered for a US version of Top Gear, and I'd like to throw my hat into the ring right now to host the show.

 
Sunday, May 11:

8:00 – 9:00PM

Nature – "Prince of the Alps”. I've always wanted to be a prince. I've always thought I would be quite good at it. Actually, the Alps seems like the perfect place for me to start my little reign. They have chocolate there, and skiing, and other wonderful, wonderful things like a baby deer birthed by a red deer (the baby would be the prince the episode title is referring to).

9:00 – 10:00PM

Masterpiece – "Cranford – Episode 2". This is part two of a three-part series and based on the writing of Elizabeth Gaskell. Better than that though, it's about a small, little, tiny, miniature, if you will, English village which, for some reason, "comes to life with gossip, parties, romances, sudden death, bankruptcy, and the railroad."

10:00 – 11:00PM

America at a Crossroads – "Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age". I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a Muslim comic living in this country. But, apparently there has been an emergence of such comics in our post-9/11 country. This episode looks at five such performers.

 
Monday, May 12:

8:00 – 9:00PM

Antiques Roadshow – "Las Vegas (Hour One)". I've been to Vegas… several times. It's always new and different (not necessarily better, but possibly). I am shocked to think that the series could find much that is old there, at least unless they redefine "old" to mean pre-Sinatra.

9:00 – 11:00PM

American Experience – "FDR 'The Center of the World'/'Fear Itself'". From boy to President, FDR's life was not an easy one. We all have our hardships, but FDR's get chronicled in this two hour American Experience. He did some incredible things in his time, but what kind of person was he?

 
Tuesday, May 13:

8:00 – 9:00PM

Nova – “A Walk to Beautiful”. Addis Ababa is home to a hospital that three Ethiopian women head to following injuries they received during childbirth. The injuries caused their husbands to shun them and they hope that the hospital can help them gain a Quantum of Solace (FYI, the Nova description uses the word 'solace,' I didn't just throw it in there).

9:00 – 11:00PM

Frontline – "Storm Over Everest". On May 10, 2006 a massive storm trapped eleven climbers on Mount Everest. The description I have states that this was "the worst climbing tragedy in Everest's history" and that this story deals with "their astonishing survival in the world's most unforgiving environment." I'm terribly curious how the show reconciles these two statements.

 
Wednesday, May 14:

8:00 – 9:00PM

Secrets of the Dead – "Sinking Atlantis". Is it possible that source of the legendary Atlantis, the basis for so many myths, legends, and shenanigans, is none other than the Minoan civilization on Crete? Some people think so. Some people will try terribly hard to prove it during this episode. Or, maybe, they'll just suggest it and leave the viewer to ponder. Watch and see, watch and see.

9:00 – 11:00PM

The Adirondacks. The Adirondacks are, simply put, fantastic. They are unbelievably gorgeous, terribly cold in winter, and the source of some truly fantastic deck chairs. No lie, an Adirondack chair, a good one, is something which I aspire to own (plus the deck that goes with it and the house that goes behind the deck). Learn all about the wonder that is the Adirondacks, and hopefully the chair, too.

 
Thursday, May 15:

8:00 – 9:00PM

The This Old House Hour – Episode TBA. It’s This Old House and Ask This Old House. It’s like maintenance… for your home. Wait, no, that’s exactly what it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not awesome though. Seriously, The This Old House Hour is one of the finest home improvement hours on PBS. No joke.

9:00 – 10:00PM

Antiques Roadshow – "Las Vegas (Hour One)". I've been to Vegas… several times. It's always new and different (not necessarily better, but possibly). I am shocked to think that the series could find much that is old there, at least unless they redefine "old" to mean pre-Sinatra.

10:00 – 11:00PM

Sandwiches That You Will Like. My favorites are the turkey club, the patty melt, or something with corned beef, or pastrami, or tongue, or chopped liver, or perhaps all of them. I'm a fan of roast beef, too. Actually, before I saw my Giants defeat the much hated (and cheating) Patriots I ordered some delicious corned beef and pastrami from Zabar's (along with lox and bagels) so that I could watch the game and eat foods from my native NY. This show features Rick Sebak traveling around the country looking for sandwiches.

 
Friday, May 16:

8:00 – 8:30PM

Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal #4746. Another whole week has gone by and good old Gwen Ifill and National Journal are here to fill us in. For the record, I like to pretend the National Journal is a sidekick, like Robin to Batman, Starsky to Hutch, or chocolate sauce to chocolate ice cream.

8:30 – 9:00PM

NOW on PBS #420. It’s the Emmy award-winning weekly newsmagazine. It looks at issues facing our democracy. The show is hosted by David Brancaccio. And, even better, they still send me e-mails (I think that makes me cool and them nice). Thanks, Now, you guys are awesome!

9:00 – 10:00PM

Bill Moyers Journal #1206. It’s Bill Moyers. It’s his 1,206th journal (not really, but I’m not going to explain to you the way in which TV shows are numbered at this point in time, maybe later if you’re nice). He’s a good journalist so I assume this will be good journalism (at least the odds are it will).

10:00 – 11:00PM

Secrets of the Dead – "Sinking Atlantis". Is it possible that source of the legendary Atlantis, the basis for so many myths, legends, and shenanigans is none other than the Minoan civilization on Crete? Some people think so. Some people will try terribly hard to prove it during this episode. Or, maybe, they'll just suggest it and leave the viewer to ponder. Watch and see, watch and see.

 
Saturday, May 17:

9:00 – 10:00PM

Austin City Limits – “Damian Marley”. Damian is the son of Bob. We all know Bob, don’t we? Damian is also a multiple Grammy winner and performs here with his brothers Stephen and Julian.

 

Seriously, imagine it for a moment, me as one of the hosts of a US version of Top Gear. I'm genial. I'm jovial. I can drive a stick shift. I have experience working behind the scenes in television. I've been on camera a few times. And I love Top Gear. Oh, I'll watch the show whether or not I'm chosen to be a part of it, but I'm, here and now, offering up my services as one of the hosts (and I work for scale).

About Josh Lasser

Josh has deftly segued from a life of being pre-med to film school to television production to writing about the media in general. And by 'deftly' he means with agonizing second thoughts and the formation of an ulcer.

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