Ron Eldard needs support on ‘Blind’
A detective on a hit TV show can’t be too gifted these days.
“Monk” mines humor from a former cop with a maddening attention to detail. “Medium” shows how the police depend on a woman with a highly active intuition. But if “Medium” ‘s Allison has six senses to play with, “Blind Justice” (10 p.m., ABC) offers a detective with only four to rely on.
Ron Eldard (“ER”) plays Detective Jim Dunbar, a hero cop wounded in the line of duty. This being a Steven Bochco show, we’re shown Dunbar’s fateful gunfight in all its gruesome glory.
The shooting leaves Dunbar sightless, but he doesn’t just want to retire and collect disability. He sues the NYPD to get his job back. This doesn’t sit well with the brass, and his temerity instantly transforms him from hero to outcast.
The debut episode follows Dunbar as he attempts to break into the closed clique of his new precinct house. His gruff colleagues consider him a toxic combination of bad luck and bad press.
His first partner, Karen Bettancourt (Marisol Nichols) resents having to baby-sit the blind guy. But Dunbar wastes little time demonstrating how he has learned to compensate for his sightlessness with enhanced powers of smell and hearing as well as advanced deductive abilities.
As he puts it, “I’ll bring a new perspective” to things.
While Dunbar’s character offers Eldard a great opportunity to emote grit, defensiveness and determination, I’m not so sure he can carry this “NYPD Blue” replacement alone. His fellow characters seem less than three-dimensional.
Karen is a tough single woman. Dunbar denies he’s flirting with her, but we know he is.
Dunbar’s wife (Rena Sofer) may be gorgeous, but he’s shut her out since the shooting, and their two shared scenes seem icy and forced.
Rolanda Watts hosts “Lie Detector” (9:30 p.m., Pax), a new reality show that puts long-forgotten and seminotorious newsmakers to the test.
Tonight’s guests include Paula Jones, whose accusations against President Bill Clinton began a well-financed legal brushfire that eventually resulted in impeachment. Why settle for news from the mid-1990s?
Multitalented funnyman Martin Short guest-stars as a shady psychic on “Law & Order: SVU” (10 p.m., NBC).
Short can also be seen in the third season of the brilliant comedy series “SCTV,” now available on DVD. Other TV-related DVD’s now available include the ninth season of “Friends” (the one in which Rachel has a baby) and the second season of “Columbo.”
Other highlights
The competition continues on “American Idol” (8 p.m., Fox).
Lorelai and Emily hash it out on “Gilmore Girls” (8 p.m., WB).
Longitudes and attitudes on “The Amazing Race” (9 p.m., CBS).
A randy teen shows symptoms of two different deadly diseases on “House” (9 p.m., Fox).
A former client stands accused of murder on “Judging Amy” (10 p.m., CBS).
Smokers are hoodwinked into quitting in the second-season premiere of the surly “Surreal Life” knockoff “Cold Turkey” (10 p.m., Pax).
Cult choice
Shirley Temple plays a sharp tyke who helps clear her convict father of false charges in the 1934 feature “Baby Take a Bow” (1:30 p.m., Fox Movie Channel). This is Temple’s first starring role.
Series notes
An abandoned firing range becomes a mob graveyard on “Navy NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS) … A waist is a terrible thing to mind on “My Wife and Kids” (8 p.m., ABC) … Lost and found on “All of Us” (8 p.m., UPN).
On back-to-back episodes of “Will & Grace” (NBC), birthday blues (8:30 p.m.), and Leo’s voice (9 p.m.) … Hilary Duff guest-stars on “George Lopez” (8:30 p.m., ABC) … Retaliation on “Eve” (8:30 p.m., UPN).
On back-to-back episodes of “According to Jim” (ABC), fashion advice from perfect strangers (9 p.m.), and dance lessons (9:30 p.m.) … A perilous piñata on “Veronica Mars” (9 p.m., UPN) … A sapphic screen test on “The Starlet” (9 p.m., WB).
An awkward dinner on “Committed” (9:30 p.m., NBC).