Chi Mcbride

Modern Family 9 p.m., Channel 5 There are a few very touching relationships tucked into all the character comedy on this show. My favorite is the bond between Ed O’Neill’s Jay and Rico Rodriguez’s Manny, stepfather and stepson. The moment when Jay called Manny his kid a few weeks ago was so sweet — sweet but not sappy, as the writers and O’Neill moved forward from it quickly. The two guys are so different, with Jay as the brusque manly man and Manny as the bold romantic, but they blend together beautifully.

Modern Family 9 p.m., Channel 5 There are a few very touching relationships tucked into all the character comedy on this show. My favorite is the bond between Ed O’Neill’s Jay and Rico Rodriguez’s Manny, stepfather and stepson. The moment when Jay called Manny his kid a few weeks ago was so sweet — sweet but not sappy, as the writers and O’Neill moved forward from it quickly. The two guys are so different, with Jay as the brusque manly man and Manny as the bold romantic, but they blend together beautifully.

How deviant do you like it? Because "Killer Instinct" has heavy-duty deviance for you, if you think "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is just too vanilla. The Fox crime drama, which premieres tonight at 9 on Channel 25, is a gruesome show about detectives who track down the most twisted criminals ever. Against the foggy backdrop of San Francisco, they scare the Hannibal Lecters of the world out of their lairs. "Killer Instinct" is relentlessly grim, one more TV series that borrows from the tone of "Silence of the Lambs.

If someone is out to destroy you, and Jack Bauer is busy rescuing Superman, Fox wants to provide you with another security option. His name is Christopher Chance, but you can call him Human Target, and he’s pretty shrewd, not to mention agile, charming, and good with a gun. Thing is, you’ll probably have to pay; unlike Jack Bauer, Chance is saving the world during a recession and his adorably craggy haircuts aren’t exactly free. “Human Target,’’ which premieres tomorrow night at 8 on Channel 25, before the two-hour premiere of “24,’’ is perfectly adequate action fluff.

The title of "Let's Go to Prison" aptly sums up the experience of watching it: 84 minutes of hard time. Directed by comedian Bob Odenkirk (of "The Ben Stiller Show" and the beloved cult HBO series "Mr. Show"), it's a remarkably laugh-free comedy that takes on a dark subject and skitters along its surface. Comic Dax Shepard ("Employee of the Month") plays John Lyshitsky (are you laughing yet?), a three-time loser who gets out of prison burning to avenge himself on the judge who sent him up. The judge has passed on, but his son lives: Nelson Biederman IV (Will Arnett...

If someone is out to destroy you, and Jack Bauer is busy rescuing Superman, Fox wants to provide you with another security option. His name is Christopher Chance, but you can call him Human Target, and he’s pretty shrewd, not to mention agile, charming, and good with a gun. Thing is, you’ll probably have to pay; unlike Jack Bauer, Chance is saving the world during a recession and his adorably craggy haircuts aren’t exactly free. “Human Target,’’ which premieres tomorrow night at 8 on Channel 25, before the two-hour premiere of “24,’’ is perfectly adequate action...

OK, let's see if we've got the movie comedy timeline straight: Not quite a decade ago, the Farrelly brothers really break out. Over the last couple of years, audiences finally find a new anything-goes brand in Judd Apatow, director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up. " (Heck, even the Farrellys had grown restless with the same old, same old, and moved on to "Fever Pitch. ") So now the next logical development is to knock off Apatow . . . pod-shuffling his humor with the Farrellys' ?

Anyone who carries the psychological scars of restaurant work knows there's a great, brutal comedy to be made about the food service industry. After seeing "Waiting. . . " you'll still be waiting. To his credit, first-time writer-director Rob McKittrick knows his surf 'n' turf: psychotic short-order chefs, dorky managers, busboys incapacitated from sucking nitrous oxide out of whipped cream cans, the unspeakable things done to food in the name of revenge on obnoxious customers.

"First Sunday" is a sorry excuse for a ghetto SOS. Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan play Durell and LeeJohn, two Baltimore buddies who rob a shabby church. They do it for sentimental reasons. Durell is about to lose his son to Atlanta unless he raises the $17,342 needed to keep his ex's beauty shop open. Durell is a bright guy who once had sterling SAT scores. He's a whiz with an air-cooling system, too. But his life has been nothing but baby-momma drama and petty crime. This asinine church scam is LeeJohn's idea, but Durell seizes upon it like a true gangsta, pistols and all. They...

In the opening shot of "Roll Bounce," a big disco ball shines its shimmering light on a young black man who dreams bold dreams of polyester greatness. Foolhardy? Hollywood doesn't think so. We may live in a time of inline skates and Xtreme Games, but this nostalgic licorice whip of a movie assumes there's still an audience for a straight-faced, family-friendly salute to the 1970s heyday of competitive roller disco. "Roll Bounce" basically bets that today's kids are willing and able to be transported by an extended episode of "What's...

"First Sunday" is a sorry excuse for a ghetto SOS. Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan play Durell and LeeJohn, two Baltimore buddies who rob a shabby church. They do it for sentimental reasons. Durell is about to lose his son to Atlanta unless he raises the $17,342 needed to keep his ex's beauty shop open. Durell is a bright guy who once had sterling SAT scores. He's a whiz with an air-cooling system, too. But his life has been nothing but baby-momma drama and petty crime. This asinine church scam is LeeJohn's idea, but Durell seizes upon it like a true gangsta, pistols and all. They hold hostage...

OK, let's see if we've got the movie comedy timeline straight: Not quite a decade ago, the Farrelly brothers really break out. Over the last couple of years, audiences finally find a new anything-goes brand in Judd Apatow, director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up. " (Heck, even the Farrellys had grown restless with the same old, same old, and moved on to "Fever Pitch. ") So now the next logical development is to knock off Apatow . . . pod-shuffling his humor with the Farrellys' ?

The title of "Let's Go to Prison" aptly sums up the experience of watching it: 84 minutes of hard time. Directed by comedian Bob Odenkirk (of "The Ben Stiller Show" and the beloved cult HBO series "Mr. Show"), it's a remarkably laugh-free comedy that takes on a dark subject and skitters along its surface. Comic Dax Shepard ("Employee of the Month") plays John Lyshitsky (are you laughing yet?), a three-time loser who gets out of prison burning to avenge himself on the judge who sent him up. The judge has passed on, but his son lives:...

Anyone who carries the psychological scars of restaurant work knows there's a great, brutal comedy to be made about the food service industry. After seeing "Waiting. . . " you'll still be waiting. To his credit, first-time writer-director Rob McKittrick knows his surf 'n' turf: psychotic short-order chefs, dorky managers, busboys incapacitated from sucking nitrous oxide out of whipped cream cans, the unspeakable things done to food in the name of revenge on obnoxious customers.

How deviant do you like it? Because "Killer Instinct" has heavy-duty deviance for you, if you think "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is just too vanilla. The Fox crime drama, which premieres tonight at 9 on Channel 25, is a gruesome show about detectives who track down the most twisted criminals ever. Against the foggy backdrop of San Francisco, they scare the Hannibal Lecters of the world out of their lairs. "Killer Instinct" is relentlessly grim, one more TV series that borrows from the tone of "Silence of the Lambs.

Two James Franco movies in a month? First, "Tristan & Isolde," which you can be forgiven for having missed -- it looked grimy and he was a sourpuss the whole time. And now "Annapolis," which is more entertaining than any Navy recruitment ad ought to be. Nothing Franco has done in movies has been as astounding as the James Dean he played on TNT, but at least here he's cheered up for the occasion. He plays Jake Huard, an amateur boxer toiling for his father at a Maryland shipyard but with dreams bigger than dock work.

► Today is Friday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2011. There are 99 days left in the year. Autumn arrives at 5:04 a.m. ► Today's birthdays: Actor Mickey Rooney is 91. Actress Margaret Pellegrini ("The Wizard of Oz") is 88. Singer Julio Iglesias is 68. Actor Paul Petersen ("The Donna Reed Show") is 66. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 64. Rock star Bruce Springsteen is 62. Rock musician Leon Taylor (The Ventures) is 56. Actress Rosalind Chao is 54. Golfer Larry Mize is 53. Actor Jason Alexander is 52. Actress Elizabeth Pena is 52. Actor Chi McBride is 50. Country musician Don Herron...