December 10 Premieres and Notables

AAAAAARGH!!! I typed the Sunday notables and then gave a longer-than-usual heads up for Sleeper Cell-- and then hit "publish post" and lost everything because there was a burp in my connection.

Well, here's the brief finale to this afternoon's Premieres:

Sunday, Dec 10.

The Amazing Race 10 ends (CBS 7 pm), as does what most critics consider the best show on television: The Wire (HBO, 9 pm).

House of Tiny Terrors, TLC. 7 & 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Families with problem kids move into a house to be studied and counseled by clinical psychologist Tanya Byron.

Alpha Company: Iraq Diary; Military Channel. 7 & 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Profiles of Marines in Iraq.

TV's Best 2006; TV Guide Channel. 7 pm.
This two-parter (part 2 is the next night, same time) looks at the best TV had to offer in 2006 (early). I hope to make a few lists of my own for this blog, so I'll be taking notes.

And the highlight of the night:
Sleeper Cell: American Terror; Showtime. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Man, I wish I still had Showtime... The network is airing this eight-episode season over the next eight nights (or Showtime On-Demand is offering all the eps at once when it premieres).

Michael Ealy's undercover agent infiltrates another cell, but this time, he's leading it. Last year's cell mastermind Farik (the fantastic Oded Fehr, who gave one of my favorite performances of last year) also is returning as the now-jailed leader, who is still running things.

If this season is anything like last year's, it gets my highest recommendation. Much like I noted about BBC America shows, though, it can't be judged until all episodes are shown. Season One was a little uneven, but as a whole it was great. Check it out on DVD. Unlike the snobbish HBO DVDs, Shwotime DVD season sets can usually be found at a decent price (I've seen Sleeper Cell for as low as $20).