Case closed The world's most famous neurotic detective finally tracks down his wife's killer -- and just in time. "Monk" (8 p.m. Friday, USA) leaves the air after eight seasons and two Emmy wins for star Tony Shalhoub, left, who no longer has to worry about "Wings" being in the first paragraph of his obituary. Producers promise that the dastardly villain is played by a familiar face. Speaking of surprise endings, "Monk"'s companion piece, "White Collar" (9 p.m. Friday, USA) has a doozy before heading into its winter break.
Critic's picks: Friday
December 3, 2009 at 11:39PM
The mad matter Executive producer Robert Halmi Sr. manages to butcher another classic tale with "Alice" (8 p.m. Sunday and Monday, SyFy), an oversaturated retelling of Lewis Carroll's wonderful original. In this outing, the "girl" is a twentysomething action star who must outwit the assassin White Rabbit and keep the evil Queen (a slumming Kathy Bates) from taking over Wonderland. In other words, no time for tea.
Rockin' Robin "Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction" (8 p.m. Sunday, HBO) isn't just the comic's fifth stand-up special for HBO. It's also the climax of a comeback he launched after having heart surgery in March. Expect lots of jokes about his road to recovery.
Oh, captain! "William Shatner's Raw Nerve" (9 p.m. Sunday, BIO) boldly goes where few interviewers have gone before: standing toe to toe with Rush Limbaugh. Our determined host does a brilliant job of both coddling and confronting the first guest of the season and the results are more revealing than a week's worth of "Larry King Live." Maybe Mr. Spock is whispering in his earpiece. The episode is followed by a less lively, but still entertaining, chat with Regis Philbin.
NEAL JUSTIN
