Oh, how did Walter White get into this mess? Four seasons back, he was just a meek chemistry teacher diagnosed with cancer, who wanted to provide for his family by making more money than a career in education could give him.
Who'd be better qualified to make the best crystal meth in town than a guy who knows their atomic numbers? Well things didn't go all that well. And now, as season four starts for "Breaking Bad"(AMC, today, 10 p.m.), there's still a mess to be cleaned up following the murder of a lab technician. It may be the longest cliffhanger in TV; it's been 13 months after season three ended By now Walt, played by Bryan Cranstonin a career role, is roiling and seething in his risky situation. And his youthful sidekick, Jesse — another terrific performance from Aaron Paul — seems on the verge of another bender. Both have reason for worry: they are under the iron control of Albuquerque's most chilling criminal, a meth kingpin who hides his identity as a guy who runs a chain of fast-food restaurants and keeps the former teacher and student nearly imprisoned in a state-of-the-art drug factory. Giancarlo Esposito, who plays the scary Gus Fring, does more this season by saying even less.
Also this season, Walt has to figure out how to deal with his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), who seems willing to help out in the nefarious business by laundering the money. Here is a series that has characters to spare. Skyler's sister Marie Schrader (Betsy Brandt) is being tried by the difficulty of having to care for her husband, a narcotics officer (played by the terrific Dean Norris) who is still recovering from a brutal parking lot attack last season.
Show creator Vince Gilligan has created a world where something may go wrong any minute; he keeps the tension taut as it's obvious something is going to break very soon.
Skies are sunny in Albuquerque, but it looks like another dark season on the long overdue "Breaking Bad."
Also Today
A detective who likes to keep his cool, Rufus Sewell plays "Zen," drawn from the thrillers by Michael Dibdin. It's not easy being a clean cop in a dirty British system and Aurelio Zen spends half his time fighting bad bureaucracy. The first of three episodes of "Zen" tonight on "Masterpiece Mystery" (CPTV, 9 p.m.) about a killer seeking vengeance on the cops who put him away. It's done with the kind of style that makes you wish it were a regular series.
Get excited: It's U.S. vs. Japan in the Women's World CupChampionship (ESPN, 2 p.m.).
A familiar tragedy is played out from the meaner corners online in the TV movie "Cyberbully" (ABC Family, 8 p.m.) starring Emily Osment.
There are lots of unsavory people to watch tonight, from "Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals" (OWN, 10 p.m.) or the motlier-than-most cast of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" (VH1, 9 p.m.). But do we blame the people or their addictions?
We don't know who to blame for "Big Rich Texas" (Style, 9 p.m.), a new show about five sets of mothers and daughters, social climbers in the world of country clubs. One pair is a holdover from the previous series "Dallas Divas & Daughters."
On the new "Bar Rescue" (Spike, 10 p.m.), consultant Jon Taffer does what he can to save taverns nationwide.
Richard Lewis dates an exotic dancer and Larry is helping battered women on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 10 p.m.).
Red Sox at Rays (ESPN, 8 p.m.) gets a national audience. And NASCAR (TNT, 1 p.m.) comes to New England in the annual Sprint Cup in Loudon, N.H.
Seth Meyers and Denise Richards are on the panel on "The Marriage Ref" (NBC, 10 p.m.).
It's the second-to-last episode of "Finding Sarah" (OWN, 9 p.m.) in which the former Duchess of York is almost cured by an Oprah documentary series. But first there's the matter of a 26-mile hike in the Arctic.
On This Week
With the final film from her blockbuster series of books a hit at the box office, the creator of "Harry Potter" is depicted in a new TV movie, "Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story" (Lifetime, Monday, 8 p.m.). It traces her struggles as a writer before the boy wizard caught on; its biggest compliment is that Poppy Montgomery ("Without A Trace") plays the starring role.
By the time Crystal Harris came to her senses and decided not to marry a guy three times her age, Hugh Hefnerwas not the only one let down. Lifetime had rights to film the event. Moving quickly, the network kept the cameras running and got the editors to look at all the planning video they shot in a new light, working overtime to make the special "Hef's Runaway Bride" (Lifetime, Tuesday, 10 p.m.). The would-be bride and groom both talk about the slightly embarrassing event. And now Harris has what she wanted from the thing in the first place: the attendant fame.
Another group of chefs gets yelled at as a new season starts for "Hell's Kitchen" (Fox, 8 p.m.).
Ashley Rickards plays a 15-year-old for whom an accident is misconstrued as a suicide attempt in a new comedy series "Awkward" (MTV, Tuesday, 11 p.m.).
In documentaries this week, an elementary school teacher in Colombia takes the initiative in trying to bring library books to rural children using a donkey. Carlos Rendon Zipagauta's "Biblioburro: The Donkey Library" premieres on "P.O.V."(WGBY, Tuesday, 10 p.m.).
A report on "Vanguard" (Current TV, Tuesday, 9 p.m.) looks into Brazil's aggressive campaign to rid the city of its famous slums in time for the approaching World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016.
Who'd be better qualified to make the best crystal meth in town than a guy who knows their atomic numbers? Well things didn't go all that well. And now, as season four starts for "Breaking Bad"(AMC, today, 10 p.m.), there's still a mess to be cleaned up following the murder of a lab technician. It may be the longest cliffhanger in TV; it's been 13 months after season three ended By now Walt, played by Bryan Cranstonin a career role, is roiling and seething in his risky situation. And his youthful sidekick, Jesse — another terrific performance from Aaron Paul — seems on the verge of another bender. Both have reason for worry: they are under the iron control of Albuquerque's most chilling criminal, a meth kingpin who hides his identity as a guy who runs a chain of fast-food restaurants and keeps the former teacher and student nearly imprisoned in a state-of-the-art drug factory. Giancarlo Esposito, who plays the scary Gus Fring, does more this season by saying even less.
Show creator Vince Gilligan has created a world where something may go wrong any minute; he keeps the tension taut as it's obvious something is going to break very soon.
Skies are sunny in Albuquerque, but it looks like another dark season on the long overdue "Breaking Bad."
Also Today
A detective who likes to keep his cool, Rufus Sewell plays "Zen," drawn from the thrillers by Michael Dibdin. It's not easy being a clean cop in a dirty British system and Aurelio Zen spends half his time fighting bad bureaucracy. The first of three episodes of "Zen" tonight on "Masterpiece Mystery" (CPTV, 9 p.m.) about a killer seeking vengeance on the cops who put him away. It's done with the kind of style that makes you wish it were a regular series.
Get excited: It's U.S. vs. Japan in the Women's World CupChampionship (ESPN, 2 p.m.).
A familiar tragedy is played out from the meaner corners online in the TV movie "Cyberbully" (ABC Family, 8 p.m.) starring Emily Osment.
There are lots of unsavory people to watch tonight, from "Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals" (OWN, 10 p.m.) or the motlier-than-most cast of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" (VH1, 9 p.m.). But do we blame the people or their addictions?
We don't know who to blame for "Big Rich Texas" (Style, 9 p.m.), a new show about five sets of mothers and daughters, social climbers in the world of country clubs. One pair is a holdover from the previous series "Dallas Divas & Daughters."
On the new "Bar Rescue" (Spike, 10 p.m.), consultant Jon Taffer does what he can to save taverns nationwide.
Richard Lewis dates an exotic dancer and Larry is helping battered women on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 10 p.m.).
Red Sox at Rays (ESPN, 8 p.m.) gets a national audience. And NASCAR (TNT, 1 p.m.) comes to New England in the annual Sprint Cup in Loudon, N.H.
Seth Meyers and Denise Richards are on the panel on "The Marriage Ref" (NBC, 10 p.m.).
It's the second-to-last episode of "Finding Sarah" (OWN, 9 p.m.) in which the former Duchess of York is almost cured by an Oprah documentary series. But first there's the matter of a 26-mile hike in the Arctic.
On This Week
With the final film from her blockbuster series of books a hit at the box office, the creator of "Harry Potter" is depicted in a new TV movie, "Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story" (Lifetime, Monday, 8 p.m.). It traces her struggles as a writer before the boy wizard caught on; its biggest compliment is that Poppy Montgomery ("Without A Trace") plays the starring role.
By the time Crystal Harris came to her senses and decided not to marry a guy three times her age, Hugh Hefnerwas not the only one let down. Lifetime had rights to film the event. Moving quickly, the network kept the cameras running and got the editors to look at all the planning video they shot in a new light, working overtime to make the special "Hef's Runaway Bride" (Lifetime, Tuesday, 10 p.m.). The would-be bride and groom both talk about the slightly embarrassing event. And now Harris has what she wanted from the thing in the first place: the attendant fame.
Another group of chefs gets yelled at as a new season starts for "Hell's Kitchen" (Fox, 8 p.m.).
Ashley Rickards plays a 15-year-old for whom an accident is misconstrued as a suicide attempt in a new comedy series "Awkward" (MTV, Tuesday, 11 p.m.).
In documentaries this week, an elementary school teacher in Colombia takes the initiative in trying to bring library books to rural children using a donkey. Carlos Rendon Zipagauta's "Biblioburro: The Donkey Library" premieres on "P.O.V."(WGBY, Tuesday, 10 p.m.).
A report on "Vanguard" (Current TV, Tuesday, 9 p.m.) looks into Brazil's aggressive campaign to rid the city of its famous slums in time for the approaching World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016.
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