'ER,' `TRACE' BATTLE FOR THURSDAY VIEWERS.Byline: - David Kronke ONLY THREE PROGRAMS have regularly aired in NBC's Thursdays-at-10 p.m. hour for nearly the past quarter-century: ``Hill Street Blues,'' ``L.A. Law'' and now, of course, ``ER,'' which has dominated the time slot Continuously repeating interval of time or a time period in which two devices are able to interconnect. more thoroughly than even its considerable predecessors. Until, possibly, this season. Over the summer, viewers caught up with CBS' missing-persons crime procedural, ``Without a Trace,'' and given the immense popularity of that genre these days, it's unlikely they're going to just forget the show. Yet a lot of folks are still reluctant to abandon ``ER.'' This is why God invented TiVo. Tonight, both shows open with nightmarish scenarios for any parent: In ``Without a Trace,'' the FBI team led by Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) search for a hijacked school bus, while on ``ER,'' a mother with her child and two others blanks out while driving and begins the chain reaction leading to a spectacularly grisly crash. Both shows boast their usual sense of urgency. ``Without a Trace'' is evolving, giving the series' talented supporting cast (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Poppy Montgomery, Enrique Murciano and Eric Close) a little more to do than just feed LaPaglia information: There are even halting - and welcome - attempts at characterization tonight. ``ER'' concluded last season with an excellent episode in which Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) went to Africa as part of the Doctors Without Borders program and met up with Dr. Kovac (Goran Visnjic). Tonight, Carter's still trying to make sense of his experience - as is his girlfriend Abby (Maura Tierney), who resents his globe-trotting - and that story line will be resolved (sort of) in yet another gripping, agonizing episode next week. Here's hoping the producers continue to explore the Doctors Without Borders Doctors Without Borders, Fr. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), international organization that provides emergency medical assistance to people suffering from a natural or societal disaster, such as an earthquake or war. MSF was founded (1971) by a group of French doctors who felt that much international aid was often medically inadequate and too easily obstructed by legal obstacles. story line. Tonight's episode is about introducing a new character, a bright medical student played by ``Bend It Like Beckham's'' Parminder Nagra, who discerns a low rumble of racism from some of her new colleagues. Tonight's episode follows the convention of having the new character both get into a mess and save the day, but the (mild) narrative twist here is she's heroic first and goofs later. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com ER - Three stars What: 10th-season premiere of the hit medical drama. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: 10 tonight. In a nutshell: Still compelling, particularly next week. WITHOUT A TRACE - Three stars What: Second-season premiere of the missing-persons crime procedural. Where: CBS (Channel 2). When: 10 tonight. In a nutshell: Made noise in the time slot dominated by ``ER'' last year. As it improves, it figures only to get more competitive. |
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