don’t miss

“BARBERSHOP” – They’ve retained many of the characters from the popular film franchise for this TV series remake, including shop owner Calvin, played by Omar Gooding rather than Ice Cube (who is a producer on the project), and veteran hair-cutter Eddie, played by Barry Shabaka Henley, stepping in for Cedric the Entertainer. The premise, too, is the same, with a Chicago barbershop serving as a communal outpost for African-American life, where people of various backgrounds gather and wide-ranging opinions are freely expressed. Unfortunately, the humor in the pilot is anything but razor-sharp: The writers too often confuse coarse language for jokes, and a subplot in which Calvin coaches a Nigerian co-worker on the finer points of the booty call sputters badly. Still, there is promise here, thanks mainly to a collection of intriguing characters. Toni Trucks as a bold and brassy shop employee stands out, as does Anna Brown as Calvin’s sweetly manipulative wife. They and their fellow cast members may be enough to hold our interest while we wait for the writing to improve. 10 p.m., Showtime.

don’t miss

MONDAY: CBS is preparing a miniseries on the life of the late Pope John Paul II, but the Hallmark Channel weighs in first with “A Man Who Became Pope.” It’s an Italian production with an international cast that has Piotr Adamcyzk portraying the young Karol Wojtyla as he begins a life journey that will deliver him to the Vatican. 8 p.m., Hallmark.

TUESDAY: Hillary Duff and Rob Schneider would seem to be an odd pairing, but they’re teaming up to host the 2005 Teen Choice Awards. The seventh annual event honors celebrities chosen in online polling. Scheduled performers include Gwen Stefani, Simple Plan and Jessica Simpson. 8 p.m., Fox.

WEDNESDAY: If you haven’t already overdosed on reality TV, “Battle of the Network Reality Stars” is sure to do the trick. It’s a six-episode “tournament” that takes its inspiration from the 1970s “Battle of the Network Stars” as it pits 32 reality-TV personalities from 16 shows in a no-holds-barred athletic competition. Some of the familiar names include Richard Hatch and Susan Hawk from “Survivor” and Evan Marriott from “Joe Millionaire.” 9 p.m., Bravo.

FRIDAY: In “Gene Simmons’ Rock School,” the KISS frontman attempts to whip a group of young wannabes into a high-voltage, face-melting rock “n’ roll band. Yeah, but can he be as funny as Jack Black? 11 p.m., VH1.

SATURDAY: James Stewart is the featured performer in this installment of TCM’s monthlong “Summer Under the Stars” film festival. One of the highlights is the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Vertigo,” in which Stewart plays a retired cop who becomes obsessed with a woman who bears a resemblance to a former love (Kim Novak). It’s a masterpiece of filmmaking. 10 p.m., TCM.

– Chuck Barney

KRT

don’t miss

“INSIDE 9/11” This is a show you may not want to see. It is hard to spend four hours with a documentary that exhaustively chronicles our nation’s mistakes leading up to one terrible day … then recaptures that day, moment by moment.

But however daunting, “Inside 9/11” is an invaluable record. And no matter how much you may think you know about 9/11 (maybe even m ore than you want to) you will come away from this two-night miniseries sadder, yes – yet almost certainly wiser.

Airing 9 to 11 p.m. EDT Sunday and Monday on the National Geographic Channel, the film unfolds with awful inevitability. But it is in no rush to arrive at the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

It’s a tough day to relive. But “Inside 9/11” makes it worth your while.

other bets

Tickle U, Cartoon Network’s new programming block for preschool children, begins Monday with a lineup of original animated series, computer-image hosts and the “Mommy Bar,” a graphic feature that gives parents and caregivers information on this programming. Tickle U promises programs “designed specifically to help preschoolers learn to have a sense of humor about life.” They include “Gordon the Garden Gnome,” “Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs” and a revival of long-ago favorite “Gerald McBoing Boing,” based on the Dr. Seuss character. Tickle U airs weekdays 9 to 11 a.m.

After seeing so many kids abused and neglected when their parents are jailed, Marilyn Gambrell quits her job as a Texas parole officer and, with her colleague Perry Beasley, creates a groundbreaking program at one of Houston’s toughest high schools. Her goal: To break the vicious cycle that finds these kids – some with parents and even grandparents imprisoned – almost inevitably following in their footsteps. Jami Gertz (“Still Standing”) and Ernie Hudson (“Miss Congeniality”) star in “Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story,” premiering 9 p.m. Monday on Lifetime. Adapted from real life, this inspiring drama includes a cameo appearance by the actual Gambrell, as well as five students from the No More Victims program she founded.

G4, the cable network dedicated to video games, takes a hard look at the issue of sex in video games. The program explores how sexuality is used in games, and cites both early examples from the first Atari console as well as the current “Hot Coffee” content on “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” Industry experts include game developer Joe Minton and Chuck Osborn of PC Gamer magazine. Then, in a specially convened forum, political pundits, retailers, game developers and concerned parents sound off on the subject. “Sex in Games: A G4 Special Report” airs 11 p.m. Tuesday.