Tuning In

’Isaak’ encore

Crooner Chris Isaak returns tonight for the third and final season of his eponymous Showtime program.

“The Chris Isaak Show,” airing at 10, follows the singer and his real-life band through a series of comical misadventures. Critics took a shine to the show early on, but the ratings never matched the praise.

This season, Mr. Isaak rubs elbows with such guest stars as Gloria Estefan, Michelle Branch, Brian McKnight and Oakland A’s ace Barry Zito.

The show will repeat at 11:30 Friday nights.

Tonight’s episode finds Chris and company performing at a nearby Indian casino after he learns he could lose his cabin getaway because Indian artifacts were found on it.

Ex-Poison frontman Bret Michaels drops by to supply some meager star power.

Bowled over

Pigskin play led the ratings charge this past week, as two bowl games earned almost identically high ratings.

Associated Press reports Sunday’s Sugar Bowl game and the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day both drew 23.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Winners of the two games — Louisiana State University and the University of Southern California — shared the national title.

Technically, the Sugar Bowl did slightly better: 23.94 million to 23.87 million. But that game had the advantage of being aired in prime time, which the Rose Bowl wasn’t. Both games were on ABC.

The bowls helped ABC to its first prime-time weekly ratings win since the Academy Awards last March.

For the week, ABC averaged 13.9 million viewers (8.6 rating, 14 share), CBS had 10.7 million (7.0, 12), NBC 9 million (5.8, 10), Fox 6.3 million (3.9, 6), the WB 3 million (2.1, 3), UPN 2.8 million (1.9, 3) and Pax TV 900,000 (0.6, 1).

A ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 108.4 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

The top five shows, their networks and viewerships for the week of Dec. 29 to Jan. 4: “AFC/NFC Showcase,” ABC, 25.1 million; NFL Playoff: Dallas at Carolina, ABC, 24.7 million; Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. LSU, ABC, 23.9 million; “AFC Postgame Show,” CBS, 19.1 million; “Rose Bowl Postgame Show,” ABC, 17.9 million.

For once, CBS’ juggernaut, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” failed to crack the top five — it came in seventh place.

That likely won’t happen again anytime soon.

Hope’s speedy ’Line’

Los Angeles’ horrific traffic snarls don’t bite into Leslie Hope’s commute anymore.

The former “24” actress is now working on “Line of Fire,” an ABC show shot “literally around the corner” from her L.A. home, she tells Reuters News Agency.

“It’s so fantastic — it sort of changes your life when you’re not negotiating two to three hours of traffic,” explains Miss Hope from her current headquarters at ABC Prospect in Los Feliz — home also to “The Shield” and “General Hospital.”

Now that she’s left the freeway behind, Miss Hope has more time to focus on her character, Lisa Cohen, a special agent in charge of the Richmond, Va., office of the FBI.

“I really admired the stuff that Joan Allen was able to do in [“The Contender”] and the issues she was able to tackle, and [“Line” creator Rod Lurie] is carrying over some of that stuff into this series,” Miss Hope says.

“And what really appeals to me is that the show not only deals with the FBI, but also the mob, and the stories run parallel. There are no black hats or white hats; everyone is complicated and layered. It’s clearly delineated on the surface who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, but everyone has a rich, complicated story.”

And coming off of her turn as Teri Bauer on Fox’s “24,” Miss Hope would have a hard time settling for much less.

“’24’ was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to step into a situation that would answer me in so many ways. And they’re giving it a good shot over here.”

’Around Town’ again

PBS’ “WETA Around Town” returns to the station’s Thursday lineup tonight at 10 on Channel 26.

The Emmy-winning local arts series takes a peek at new local arts venues, either under construction or new to the region.

The half-hour show is hosted by arts patron Robert Aubry Davis, who is joined by an expert panel that offers educated opinions about local theater, film, music and art.

Tonight, the team examines the new Landmark E Street Cinema, downtown, as well as the Shakespeare Theatre’s upcoming new complex.

The show also explores such new film openings as “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and “The Battle for Algiers,” Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo’s famed 1966 account of the bloody Algerian nationalist revolt against French colonial rule.

“WETA Around Town” debuted on the PBS station in 1984.

This just in…

CBS News anchor Dan Rather is off the air for a few days after a minor dermatological procedure on his face, the Associated Press reports.

The 72-year-old had some basal skin cells removed as a precautionary measure, the network said yesterday.

There’s no indication that the cells were cancerous, CBS said. Basal skin cancer is the most common form of skin cancer, often developing because of prolonged exposure to the sun.

Mr. Rather is expected back on the “CBS Evening News” sometime next week.

Compiled by Christian Toto from staff and wire reports.