TV Lookout: highlights (and lowlights) for the week

It's no mystery why Hallmark Channel has introduced its original mystery movie fixture every Friday.

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It's a comforting throwback to lighthearted whodunits such as "Matlock" and "Murder, She Wrote," as well as a revival of the mystery-movie rotation NBC pioneered in the 1970s, whose roster included "Columbo."

Indeed, Hallmark sought out Dean Hargrove, a "Columbo" veteran, to help create its new threesome of weekly movies - 18 mysteries in all.

This Friday at 9 p.m., John Larroquette plays the title character in "McBride" - a cop-turned-lawyer who provides as much sleuthing as jurisprudence for his clients. For instance, McBride's client on this installment, "The Chameleon Murder," is accused of offing a woman he had met only that night. But the victim had three identities, each of whom exposes a suspect with an excellent motive for killing her.

Next Friday (Jan. 21), Lea Thompson ("Caroline in the City") is on deck for "Jane Doe," playing a suburban wife and mom who leads a double life decoding crimes for the National Security Agency. Joe Penny and William R. Moses (from 25 "Perry Mason" movies) co-star.

Then on Jan. 28, see Kellie Martin ("Christy") in "Mystery Woman." As Samantha Kinsey, she runs a bookshop called Mystery Woman that specializes in whodunits, but - wouldn't you know it - Samantha keeps getting drawn into real-life mysteries herself. Clarence Williams III - yes, Linc from "The Mod Squad" long ago - co-stars.

This trio of crime-solvers will be taking turns every Friday through May. And after that, if the evidence makes a case for it, any of the three might become a weekly series.

Other shows to look out for:

- The behind-the-scenes plight of show-biz folk is well-plowed terrain for TV series, including HBO's classic "Larry Sanders Show" and recent "Entourage." Even so, HBO has a charmer in its new comedy series "Unscripted," which follows three young actors through dramatic story lines suggested by their actual experiences, with dialogue they improvise. The 10 episodes spotlight Krista Allen, Bryan Greenberg and Jennifer Hall as they portray their own lives as struggling actors. Veteran performer Frank Langella co-stars as Goddard Fulton, a noted thespian who leads them in an acting workshop. What makes the show appealing? The three characters are unexpectedly nice as they battle the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood. You not only laugh at their frequent missteps and setbacks, you also root for them to make it. Produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney, "Unscripted" premieres with back-to-back half-hours Sunday at 10 p.m.

- Giddyup for "American Dream Derby," an eight-episode competition set in the world of thoroughbred racing. Set at California's Santa Anita Park, it takes 12 rivals through numerous challenges as they immerse themselves in the horse-racing world - from caring for the horses to betting on them. Meanwhile, they compete for the grand prize: $250,000 and a stable of eight thoroughbred horses. Steve Santagati ("Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska") is the host. "Derby" premieres Monday at 9 p.m. on the GSN channel.

- Broadway's Kristin Chenoweth and Patti LuPone join forces with the opera world's Paul Groves and Sir Thomas Allen in the New York Philharmonic's concert reading of Leonard Bernstein's comic operetta "Candide." Taped last spring at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, this "Candide" is a highly acclaimed revival of Bernstein's adaptation of the 1759 Voltaire novella. A "Great Performances" production on PBS, "Candide" airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. (check local listings).