Appointment Viewing: Jeff Lewis Goes"Flipping Out" Once More, and the 40th Anniversary of "An American Family"

If it's Friday, it's time to take another look at the Appointment Viewing coming up in the week ahead, from the return of Jeff Lewis in a new season of Flipping Out to the 40th anniversary of reality television with An American Family: Anniversary Edition. We may be heading into a holiday weekend, but there's plenty to watch in the week ahead, especially when you consider the many holiday TV marathons.

Friday brings a new installment of one of the sharpest commentaries on the state of media with a new episode of infoMania. This week promises an interview with Michael Rappaport, who isn't visiting as an actor but as the director of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. Rappaport has had a rocky relationship with the band he profiled (sorry, I can't resist — did he leave Q-Tip's wallet in El Segundo?) so I imagine that will be a part of the discussion. We'll also get new editions of Viral Video Film School and Sergio's White Hot Top Five.

IFC has a new episode of what just might be my new favorite reality series, Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings. The concept of the series is pretty simple: Two friends visit quirky small businesses and help them make a TV commercial, and if last week's premiere is any indication, this show is going to reliably deliver plenty of laughs, thanks to the oddball business owners that Rhett and Link help.

Most of the laughs in Commercial Kings may come from the businesses, but the humor ends up feeling quite affectionate. We may be laughing at their eccentricities or their clueless moments (like when the owner of a cat hotel said of her business "If you like to climb things and get high, this is the place"), but I left the first episode hoping these businesses succeed, thanks largely to the way Rhett and Link deal with them.

This week should be a lot of fun as they assist a Presidential car wash and a hot dog vendor. They previewed the ad they create for the car wash on last week's infoMania and it ends up being pretty hilarious. I can't wait to see the journey they take in making that ad.

Meanwhile, if you've just started getting interested in Warehouse 13 now that a gay man is joining the team, the Syfy Channel has a 12-hour marathon starting at 8AM. That covers most of the second season, where they do battle with inventor H.G. Wells (in a rather brilliant turn). 

Finally, NBC has a new Friday Night Lights as Coach Taylor tries to deal with the possibility of budget cuts.

BBC America starts Saturday with a 14-hour marathon of Battlestar Galactica at 7AM that includes the original mini-series (which was an amazing artistic reaction to 9/11) and the first few episodes of the first season.

Normally, I'd consider watching for the hunkiness of Jamie Bamber or Tahmoh Penikett. However, considering how recent political news has been dominated by an intellectually-slothful woman, I think it'll do my sanity some good to watch the brainy wisdom of Laura Roslin. Somehow, I suspect I'll find 14-hours of post-apocalyptic space drama much less depressing than the discussion on Sunday's talk shows.

After the cylons, there's a new Outcasts, as the colonists deal with a whiteout that could destroy the colony.

BBC America also has a new Ministry of Laughs with a new Come Fly with Me that sees FlyLow battle a scandal and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint making a stopover he'll definitely regret. After that, EastEnders' Jessie Wallace, comedian Lee Mack and Kim Cattrall visit The Graham Norton Show. Cattrall has a new movie coming out, Meet Monica Velour, and I'm sure Graham will get some interesting discussion out of that.

Meanwhile, OWN has a new Carson Nation that sees Carson head to Odessa, Texas where he helps a man find a new look for his wife's birthday, a woman battling cancer, and a 911 dispatcher who refuses to go outside because of scars.