Cable: New Shows and Recap of a Returning Favorite • • • • • • • Cartoon Network ‘The Starter Wife: The Series’ Returns: 10 p.m. Oct. 10T he original six-part 2007 USA Network minis- eries ended on an upbeat note as dumped Hollywood wife Molly Kagan found the strength to embrace her new single existence . This new series extens ion of the story find s Molly , accomp anied by best pals Joan McAllister and Rodney Evans, embarking on a confident course as she stumbles onto a new love with her writing class instructor. Look for Moll y’s ex-husband, Kenny , to play a larg- er role as he shares custod y of their daugh ter , while Joan encounters some interesting new char- acters during a stint in rehab. The miniseries was kind of summe r , and no w sch ool b egins, and i t’s about how Molly feels with her new love life. I Cast: Debra Messing , Jud y Da vis, Chris Diamantopo ulos, Da vid Alan Basche, Hart Bochner USA Network ‘Coolio Rules’ Premieres: OctoberT he popular rapper tries to juggle the demand s of being th e single fa ther offour with his professional music career , a new clothing line and his love life. I Cast : Coo lio Oxygen ‘Whale Wars’ Premieres: 10 p.m.Oct. 29T his seven-part series chronicles a two- month campaign by Capt. Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to battle Japanese ships that claim to be takin g whale s in the name o f scienti fic resear ch in the water s off Antar ctica. I Cast: Capt. Paul Wa tson, first mate Pete r Brown, second mate Peter Mammarstedtl, chief cook Benjamin P otts , medica l offi cer Dr . Scott Bell , quarterma ster Ambe r Paarman Animal Planet ‘Rita Rocks’ Premier es: 8:30 p .m. Oct. 20R ita, a stresse d-out wife and mothe r , forms a garage band with two friends as a way to reclaim some “me time” apart from her unfulfill- ing job and caring for her husband, Jay , and their two high-mainte- nance kids. I Cas t: Nic ole Sullivan, Richard Rucco lo, Tisha Campb ell-Ma rtin, Ian Gomez, Kell y Gould TNT Lifetime ‘Chocolate News’ Premieres: 10:30 p.m. Oct. 15. T his sketch magazine show takes an African-American perspective on a varie ty of contemporary subject s, with David Alan Grier as the in-studio host and also portraying multiple characters within investigati ve reports. I Cast: Da vid Alan Grier Comedy Central ‘Leverage’ Premieres: DecemberE xecutive producer Dean Devlin (“The Librar ian,” “Independ ence Da y”) makes his directorial debut with the pilot for this action-drama about a disillusioned former insurance investigator who had sav ed millio ns of dollar s for his company but left after it denied coverage to his ailing son, who lat er di ed. Out o f wo rk a nd descend ing into alcoholism, he assembles a team of thiev es, hacke rs and grifters that takes revenge on those who use power and wealth to victimize others. I Cas t: Chr istian Kane, Gina Bellman, Timot hy Hut ton, Beth Ri esgraf, Aldis Hodge Debra Messing ‘Clone W ars’ Premieres: FallT he computer-generated animated series is set between “Star Wars Epi sod e 2 : Att ack of the Clo nes” and “St ar Wa rs Episode 3: Re venge of the Sit h.” Anakin is impulsive , so Y oda pairs him with Ah soka, an appr entice , to mak e Ana kin a lea der. I V oice cast: Matt Lanter , Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor , Tom Kane and Anthony Daniels Nicole Sullivan
