TV Guy: Adding razzle-dazzle to neuroscience – recordonline.com – Times Herald-Record

Kal Penn returns to host a second season of "Superhuman" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).

Though the title may make some think of incredible feats of strength, the game show-like spectacle showcases people with remarkable gifts.

While most talent shows feature singers and dancers who have practiced on their abilities for years, the folks on "Superhuman" appear to have brains and bodies that have been wired a little differently, giving them unique skills that few of us could ever possess.

This season opener features a woman who perceives sounds and, more particularly, musical notes, as color. You have to see it!

A goofy guy from Brooklyn has the uncanny ability to tell the differences in nearly identical objects, allowing him to find the one brush stroke (out of 10,000 or so) that distinguishes one Monet reproduction from another.

There's a gymnast with a terrifyingly precise muscle memory and a man who can identify the sounds of thousands of species of frogs.

And there's also someone with a case of run-of-the-mill photographic memory.

It seems odd to call these folks "contestants." While they are vying for a $50,000 prize, you can't really call this a competition.

They have to appeal to Penn and celebrity judges Mike Tyson and Christina Milian to move forward.

Camera-ready neuroscientist Dr. Rahul Jandial is also on hand to explain how the players' brains and bodies allow them to perform their peculiar "acts."

Despite the presence of this scientific expert, "Superhuman" has the feel of a Las Vegas show.

There's even an appearance by the Blue Man Group in the first episode. Did I mention Mike Tyson?

Since there's really no objective way to determine a "winner," the prize in tonight's episode goes to the most "entertaining" ability. Even I could see that coming a mile away.

- Showtime dedicates four nights to "The Putin Interviews" (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-PG), a series of sit-downs between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and filmmaker Oliver Stone.

The event will reflect more than a dozen conversations conducted over a two-year period. The most recent took place in February.

As Megyn Kelly's recent interview showed us, speaking with Putin may be a casting coup, but it does not necessarily make for compelling television.

For starters, the presence of translators stifles the flow of conversation. Secondly, Putin is a poker-faced former spymaster whose emotions seem to run the gamut from chilly disdain to contemptuous anger.

Showtime has compared this to the David Frost-Richard Nixon conversations from 1977, but compared to Putin, Nixon now seems like Mr. Warmth.

Tonight's other highlights

- "American Ninja Warrior" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) enters its ninth season in Los Angeles.

- Cat Deeley, Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy return for the 14th season of "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14). Vanessa Hudgens joins as a guest judge.

- If required, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet in Game 5 of the NBA Finals (9 p.m., ABC).

- Trouble over Ireland on "Scorpion" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

- Apolo Ohno and Kelvin Washington host "Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG), entering its second season.

- During a reunion with a pal, Jimmy resumes old ways on "Better Call Saul" (10 p.m., AMC, TV-14).

Series notes

Problems solved on "Kevin Can Wait" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) ... The president (Lynda Carter) visits town on "Supergirl" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... Thanksgiving plans unravel on "Man With a Plan" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) ... Cold comfort on "Mom" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... On two episodes of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (CW, TV-14), Candace Patton (9 p.m.), Brett Dier (9:30 p.m., r) ... Reality bites on "Life in Pieces" (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

Late night

Roxane Gay is booked on "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Will Arnett, Rory Scovel and Luis Fonsi appear on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS) ... Jimmy Fallon welcomes Demi Moore, Demetrius Shipp Jr., Nathaniel Rateliff, Charles Berry Jr. and Charles Berry III on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Elisabeth Moss, John Mulaney, Brett Eldredge and Eric Moore visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Salma Hayek and Sofia Coppola appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

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TV Guy: Adding razzle-dazzle to neuroscience - recordonline.com - Times Herald-Record

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