All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– This will be more must-see-TV from AMC, the home of Mad Men and Breaking Bad: The remake of The Prisoner, starring Jim Caviezel and Sir Ian McKellen. The remake premieres on Nov. 15, while AMCTV.com is showing all 17 episodes of the 1967 Patrick McGoohan original series online.

– That Friends movie may not be a sure thing, but series star Matt LeBlanc is headed back to the tube. LeBlanc will star in a Showtime comedy called Episodes, about British producers whose TV show is adapted into an American series, of which LeBlanc’s character will star. The actor has been MIA since his Friends spin-off Joey flopped in 2006.

– CBS is planning a spin-off of its crime drama Criminal Minds.

– The History Channel, meanwhile, is planning a spin-off of Ice Road Truckers, as well as a reality series that will be a companion to the addictive Pawn Stars.

– Bridget Fonda was almost Ally McBeal … Michael Richards could have been Monk … Paul Giamatti as The Office‘s Michael Scott?! A few of the entries on Mental Floss‘s list of 11 Famous Actors and the Big TV Roles They Turned Down.

– Robot Chicken producer Seth Green is creating a primetime animated comedy for Fox.

– Panasonic has unveiled a 50-inch TV capable of 3-D.

– The Logo network is developing a reality series that’s being called a gay version of the Real Housewives, focusing on NYC “party boys.”

– And tonight in primetime:

– Christine and Richard think they look old after running into old college friends on The New Adventures of Old Christine (8PM ET, CBS)
– New America’s Next Top Model on The CW (8PM)
– New ep of NBC’s nurse drama Mercy at 8PM
– Fifth round of auditions on So You Think You Can Dance (8PM, Fox)
– Extreme Races on the Travel Channel (8PM) includes a sprint to the top of the Empire State Building
– Funny guy Rob Huebel guests on Gary Unmarried (8:30PM, CBS)
– Sean Patrick Flanery guests on Criminal Minds (9PM, CBS)
– Jay and Manny try some father-son bonding on Modern Family (9PM, ABC)
– Kristin Chenoweth guest stars on Glee (9PM, Fox)
– The new TLC series King of the Crown (10PM) revolves around pro beauty pageant coach Cyrus Frakes
– A new Law & Order: SVU (9PM, NBC) features Will & Grace star Eric McCormack
– Jules has trouble hanging with the younger crowd on Cougar Town (9:30PM, ABC)
– A killer seems to know Mac’s dead dad on CSI: NY (10PM, CBS)
– Toddlers & Tiaras (10PM, TLC) goes to the Tiny Miss of America pageant
– Steve Carell is among the guests on The Jay Leno Show (10PM, NBC)
– Martin Mull and Cybill Shepherd guest star on Eastwick (10PM, ABC)
– Adam eats baseball stadium fare on Man vs. Food (10PM, Travel Channel)
– The 18th season of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge premieres (10PM, MTV), with the action taking place in Thailand
– New Black Gold on TruTV (10PM)
– The E! True Hollywood Story (10PM, E!) focuses on rock daughters, but anything they dish up is probably going to pale in comparison to Mackenzie Phillips‘ autobiography

NEW SERIES PREMIERE ALERTS:
– HANK (8PM, ABC) Kelsey Grammer stars in the Green Acres-ish comedy in which his downsized corporate exec packs up his family and moves them to a small town in Virginia.
VERDICT: It’s yet another post-Frasier Grammer resume entry that makes you wonder why he doesn’t just go off and enjoy that Frasier money untilsomething really great comes his way. This sitcom? Ain’t that really great thing.

– THE MIDDLE (8:30PM, ABC) Patricia Heaton and Scrubs‘ Neil Flynn star as a middle class couple (who also live in middle America – double duty for that title) and are parents to a trio of quirky kids, including the youngest, whose BFF is his backpack.
VERDICT: Despite the Malcolm in the Middle-ish quirks of the kids, the comedy is more in the vein of CBS’ broader sitcoms than any of Fox’s best comedies. Still, if I had to pick such a comedy to tune in to every week, this one might be it, in no small part due to the always awesome Flynn and kid star Atticus Shaffer, who plays backpack-bonding Brick.

– THE BANK OF MOM AND DAD (10PM, SoapNet) Adult kids with financial problems go to their parents for help, giving their ‘rents control over their money for a week.
VERDICT: Cool idea, and timely, obviously, with so many adult-aged “kids” moving back in with their parents with the economic downturn.