‘Martin’ Will Slip Into Oblivion
“Martin” (FOX at 8) comes to an end in a finale that shows all the signs of a series that has crashed and burned.
Problems on and off the set for star Martin Lawrence suggest that more than a few people are relieved that the raucous comedy will rest in peace. If you need further convincing, tune in to this ragged and unaffecting hour.
Rarely has a long-running series - this one lasted five years - gone out with so little distinction. You can cut the indifference with a knife.
Martin is approached by television executives who want him to host a national talk show. But it would mean moving from Detroit to Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Gina (Tisha Campbell) is promoted to head of her firm’s L.A. office. Unaware of the other’s opportunities, each worries that the other will refuse to relocate.
(Campbell returned to the series for the finale after dropping a sexual-harassment suit against Lawrence.)
A farewell roast for Martin features painfully pointless cameos by George Clinton, Lou Rawls, boxer Tommy Hearns and basketball star Lisa Leslie.
Don’t hang around waiting for an emotional end-of-series curtain call. You get the feeling the stars got off the set as fast as they could.
Highlights
“Friends,” NBC at 8: Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) dates two men - a firefighter (Matt Battaglia, “Days of Our Lives”) and a sensitive schoolteacher (Robert Gant). Just as she chooses sensitive over macho, the fireman shows his tender side.
Ross (David Schwimmer) seeks alternative treatment for a strange growth, and Monica (Courteney Cox) fears Pete (Jon Favreau) is going to ask her to marry him.
“Stephen King’s ‘The Shining”’ (1997), ABC at 9: Concluding Part 3 builds in intensity as the ghosts and demons overwhelm Jack (Steven Weber), who gets drunk in the Overlook ballroom. This is also where the TV version of the King novel falls short in comparison to Stanley Kubrick’s film starring Jack Nicholson.
The finale is shockingly malevolent, but it lacks the original’s shadowy depth and pulsating suspense.
“Seinfeld,” NBC at 9: The Mets try to lure George (Jason Alexander) from the Yankees, and Kramer and Newman (Michael Richards, Wayne Knight) fuss over their respective millennium New Year’s Eve parties.
“New York Undercover,” FOX at 9: Stevie Wonder has a cameo in this touching episode that revolves around the death of a child. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers are musical guests.
“48 Hours,” CBS at 10: Correspondent Erin Moriarty follows the search for a missing 12-year-old Texas girl.
“ER,” NBC at 10: NBC has been promoting this as the “unforgettable” episode of the May ratings sweeps, and the series rarely disappoints. Benton and Carter (Eriq La Salle, Noah Wyle) assist on a kidney transplant. Greene (Anthony Edwards) is confronted by the father of an injured girl and by the brother of a dead patient.
Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) agrees to ask Fischer (Harry J. Lennix) to approve Al for an experimental AIDS drug.
Cable Calls
“Black Widow” (1987), LIFE at 9: Debra Winger plays a federal agent trying to get the goods on a clever seductress (Theresa Russell) who marries and kills for profit. It’s an intriguing game of cat-and-mouse with an unpredictable ending.
Winger and Russell rise to the occasion with strong performances.
“American Gigolo” (1980), USA at 9: Richard Gere as a male prostitute seemed like a good idea at the time, but the film was a bomb.
Gere muddles along with co-stars Lauren Hutton and Hector Elizondo in this poorly scripted film.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Actor Mike Myers.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Garry Shandling (“The Larry Sanders Show”), actor Luke Perry and comedian Wendy Liebman.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:35 a.m.: Cathy Moriarty and writer-director Harold Ramis.
“The Late Late Show With Tom Snyder,” CBS at 12:35 p.m.: Actor-singer Mandy Patinkin and Aren Almon, mother of a baby killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Musical guest Silverchair.