Tuning in: On TV this week.
Friday July 16
Stargate Atlantis (Sci-Fi Channel, 9-11 p.m.): This spinoff of the popular series "Stargate SG-1" will delight action-adventure and sci-fi fans. It seems Atlantis isn't a myth after all, but a city in another galaxy far, far away that's accessible via a "stargate" that allows an earth crew to skip through space like Alice down the rabbit hole.
Mystery! Foyle's War; Series Two (PBS, 9-10:30 p.m.): Invigorating, thoughtful, and witty, this excellent series returns us to England during World War II with all its dangers - and the occasional murder. Deputy Inspector Foyle's charming, loquacious driver, Samantha, narrowly escapes when the house she lives in is bombed in an air raid. Worse, someone steals the landlady's treasured coin collection. Foyle looks for the looters and discovers a murder or two.
The Days (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): This show about a family is gracefully written, if a bit far-fetched. Simply, too much happens to these folks in a single day: An arrogant boy counts the days till he will flee his home for a New York loft and a writing career; a soccer-playing daughter finds herself with child; and the likable mom and dad face numerous other trials.
The Grid (TNT, Mondays at 9 p.m.): Tapping into terrorism-paranoia, this series is as smart as "24" and feels more realistic. In this first two-hour episode, a sarin gas bomb leaks, killing the assassins constructing it - along with innocent bystanders - in a London hotel. British and American counterterrorism units collaborate to investigate but the result is a clash of egos. Julianna Margulies stars as the National Security Council director, and Dylan McDermott plays an FBI agent enlisted to help her.
