‘Mystery Movie’ has its day

By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it

The time for the “Mystery Movie” has come again.

In the 1970s, the idea worked so well for NBC, the network used it twice weekly for a while ... on rotating components including Peter Falk’s “Columbo,”Dennis Weaver’s “McCloud” and Rock Hudson’s “McMillan and Wife.” At the end of the 1980s, ABC gave the concept a whirl, bringing back “Columbo” and introducing such elements as Burt Reynolds’“B.L. Stryker” and a revival of Telly Savalas’“Kojak.”

Now TNT is adding a “Mystery Movie Night” to its lineup.That night usually will be Tuesday, but for its first two weeks, the franchise will have additional Wednesday telecasts. All the films are based on books by wellknown writers.

First up, on Tuesday, Nov. 29: “Scott Turow’s Innocent,” the bestselling novelist’s sequel to “Presumed Innocent,” with Bill Pullman assuming Harrison Ford’s earlier big-screen role as former prosecutor and now judge Rusty Sabich. Acquitted years earlier after being charged with murdering a co-worker, Sabich goes on trial again, this time for the slaying of his wife (Marcia Gay Harden).

Then on Wednesday, Nov. 30, “Ricochet” — adapted from a Sandra Brown book and set in Savannah, Ga. — casts John Corbett (“Sex and the City,” “Northern Exposure”) as a police detective probing an allegedly corrupt judge (Gary Cole) and falling for the magistrate’s wife (Julie Benz) in the process.

“The screenwriter and director, Mike Robe, made miniseries out of two of my prior novels,”Turow says of “Innocent” being handled by the same talent who brought his “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors” to television.

“Knowing in whose hands I was being put, I was very enthusiastic about this.The cast that was attracted, which was kind of mind-blowing for me to see, is really a tribute to Mike.” Alfred

“Scott Turow’s Innocent” premieres Tuesday on TNT.

Molina and Richard Schiff also star in “Innocent.”

Having published the sequel 20 years after the movie version of “Presumed Innocent” was released, Turow admits, “Harrison was so deeply identified with Rusty, even I tended to see his face at times when I started writing ‘Innocent.’That did disappear, though, and he became ‘my Rusty’ again by the time I was 10 percent into the project.That’s no slight to Harrison; it’s just that I was back to where I was 25 years before.”

“Ricochet” co-star Benz is pleased to help launch the “TNT Mystery Movie Night” for her own reasons.“I grew up watching TV movies, and unfortunately, they have kind of disappeared,” she reflects.“It was the tradition of what our TV viewing was as a family, so I feel like this is extending that experience.”

Benz admits she likes “the longevity of working on the same character” in a series, as she also has on “Angel” and last season’s “No Ordinary Family.”

Now a recurring cast member on CBS’“A Gifted Man,” she says she would have“loved” more time with her “Ricochet” alter ego.“I had to work very hard on my accent, and I had to change how I moved. It’s just so much fun to do that.”

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Web Links

On Sunday,TNT’s action drama “Leverage” returns with new episodes, featuring a crew running cons for good causes.To learn more, click on www.tnt.tv/series/leverage/

ABC airs a movie version of the book “Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith” on Sunday.To learn more about the book, the author and his other works, click on mitchalbom.com/node/5515

BY KARL PALOUCEK

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Bill: I actually had made some kebabs, and they were left over from the weekend. Paul: I had summer sausage, cheese and crackers. I was on our boat; we were pulling an engine out of it.

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Bill: Just hoping this show takes off and people love it and we get to go out and hit the road again. In the meantime, I am 100 percent in my shop.

Paul: Hopefully they’ll want a second season from us. ... I think they might take us out to Vegas to meet up with (the) Rick’s Restorations crew. It’s possible. But other

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