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TURN ON, TUNE IN OR MISS OUT : The life and loves of Humphrey Bogart on TNT; ‘Sunset Beach’ lands on NBC days; Maher hits ABC

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Sunday

“Bogart: The Untold Story” / 5, 8:30 p.m. and midnight TNT

Not particularly fresh or insightful, this biography of Humphrey Bogart is hosted by his son Stephen. “As a father, he was a distant figure,” says Stephen, who was 8 years old when the Hollywood legend died of cancer in 1957. The hour, which includes the expected collection of clips and interviews, recounts Bogie’s on-screen triumphs and off-screen relationships, including his 1945 marriage to the younger Lauren Bacall (Stephen’s mother). On Tuesday at 5 p.m., Turner Classic Movies presents “Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart.”

****

“Claude’s Crib” / 7 p.m. USA

You may not recognize the name, but Claude Brooks is the African American star, creator and co-producer of this stale sitcom about a hip landlord who has inherited a house from his grandmother. When Claude isn’t womanizing or working as a deejay, he relies on rent checks from his diverse tenants: a square white guy (Matt Champagne); an Asian slacker (James Wong); a naive blond (Jennifer Aspen) and an African American aerobics instructor (Tembi Locke).

****

“Keeping the Promise” / 9 p.m. CBS

Keith Carradine plays a conflicted homesteader whose 13-year-old son (Brendan Fletcher) must fend for himself against Indians and trappers in the wilderness of 18th-century Maine. Carradine’s promise to return in seven weeks is delayed when his wife (Annette O’Toole) is stricken by typhoid in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, the youngster in this new TV movie gets survival tips from an Indian (Gordon Tootoosis) in exchange for teaching his grandson (William Lightning) to read English.

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Monday

“Sunset Beach” / 2 p.m. NBC

“Baywatch” meets “The Young and the Restless” as prime time’s prolific Aaron Spelling (“Melrose Place,” “Savannah”) invades daytime with his latest soap. It’s a steamy weekday serial set in a Southern California coastal community populated by the trophy wife of a high-powered attorney, a mysterious entrepreneur, a wild socialite and a “king of the beach,” among other characters. Lesley-Anne Down, Kathleen Noone, Peter Barton and Leigh Taylor-Young are the familiar faces in the cast.

****

“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher” / 12:05 a.m. ABC

Outrageous opinions fly fast and freely in this nightly talk show, which moves to a post-”Nightline” slot after four seasons on Comedy Central. Will the ABC version differ in a substantial way? With tongue in cheek, Maher says content will remain the same, “except for the cooking segments.” Roseanne, Coolio, Arianna Huffington and G. Gordon Liddy are guests on Monday’s installment.

Tuesday

“Hollywood and the News” / 6:30 and 10:15 p.m. AMC

Journalist-turned-movie host Nick Clooney gathers five of the top anchors in the business to explore big-screen depictions of the media. As host of this half-hour special, Clooney talks with Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Bernard Shaw and Barbara Walters, who comment on the portrayal of journalists in “The Front Page,” “All the President’s Men,” “Broadcast News,” “Nixon” and “Up Close and Personal.”

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Wednesday

“Chicago Sons” / 8:30 p.m. NBC

Jason Bateman, D.W. Moffett and David Krumholtz star in this conventional sitcom as the Kulchak brothers, a trio of Windy City siblings aptly described as “three bodies sharing one brain.” Mike (Moffett), the oldest, can’t communicate with his spouse. Harry (Bateman) is an architect who’s smitten with a co-worker (Paula Marshall). And unemployed Billy (Krumholtz) hatches get-rich-quick schemes. In the premiere, Mike moves into Harry’s bachelor pad, which overlooks Wrigley Field, after his wife throws him out.

****

“Orleans” / 9 p.m. CBS

Larry Hagman returns to series TV as Luther Charbonnet, an unorthodox judge and patriarch of a prominent family in the Big Easy. Unlike J.R. Ewing, the ethical Charbonnet walks on the right side of the law. Charbonnet’s offspring in this new drama (which opens with a two-hour episode) are an honest cop (Brett Cullen), a rebellious daughter (Colleen Flynn) and a deputy D.A. (Michael Reilly Burke). If the ratings don’t measure up to expectations, we’ll probably be seeing a “Who Shot Luther?” episode.

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