(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM, SUN | HBO – SERIES PREMIERE
Luck – David Milch (Deadwood) + Dustin Hoffman + Dennis Farina + Nick Nolte + Michael Mann = a slowly developing, horse-racing track-set drama about Chester “Ace” Bernstein (Hoffman), who did a prison stint – in the name of protecting some friends of his? – and is now out and looking to get payback for those actions. Hoffman in a regular TV role should be enough to prove the show is at least worth checking out, and the other impressive names should be enough to make you give it at least a few episodes to pull you in, even if it doesn’t grab you – pun intended – right out of the gate.

8PM, SAT | LIFETIME
The Pregnancy Project – Based on a true tale (and book), the movie unfolds the story of a top student who pretends to be pregnant to test how teen moms are really treated.

9PM, SAT | HBO
Namath – The documentary follows the career of “Broadway Joe” Namath as NFL superstar and celebrity, including his Super Bowl III upset win and his 1985 induction into the NFL Hall of Fame … and that drunken 2003 incident with ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, who talks about the Namath come-on in the doc.

10PM, SAT | COMEDY CENTRAL
John Mulaney: New in Town – The Saturday Night Live writer and producer (and co-creator of Stefon) talks about his days as a big drinker, his new girlfriend and his ongoing love of all things Law & Order.

8PM, SUN | TBS and TNT
18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Mary Tyler Moore gets the Lifetime Achievement Award from her old TV hubby Dick Van Dyke, and the usual TV and movie suspects are up for top honors from their peers. Wish list of winners: Melissa McCarthy (for anything she’s ever nominated for, by the way), Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston and Betty White.

8PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK
Cupcake Wars – What does an I Love Lucy cupcake look like? We will find out with tonight’s installment, in which the competitors try to win the chance to supply goodies for an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the classic TV comedy.

8PM, SUN | VH1
Mob Wives – While Drita continues to pursue her divorce, her BFF Carla continues to make a major enemy of Ramona. Meanwhile, VH1 follows the episode with the premiere of Mob Wives: The Sit Down, a new aftershow series, at 9.

8PM, SUN | FOX
The Simpsons – Bart is one sorry Simpson when he and Milhouse get into a fight and he has to beg his BFF for forgiveness.

9PM, SUN | PBS
Downton Abbey – Vera wreaks havoc on Bates and Anna, while Matthew and William are in a dangerous battle on the war front.

9PM, SUN | CBS
The Good Wife – Will and Alicia’s relationship is a mystery no more.

9PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of Atlanta – The women arrive in Cape Town and, of course, the trip of a lifetime takes a back seat to the petty drama they could have (and will again) address back in the ATL.

9:30PM, SUN | VH1
The TRL Decade – Carson Daly, of course, is among those interviewed for this look back at the decade-long reign of TRL, the daily MTV series that was hugely influential not just in the music biz, but in its general pop culture impact. Remember Mariah Carey‘s crazy ice cream cart meltdown, for instance?

9 and 10PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off – The two finalists in this cook-off series, one of the pleasant surprises among the network’s recent offerings, have to open their own restaurants to see who’ll win cash for charity.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- A 24-hour marathon of the classic detective series Mannix (Sat., 6AM, Cloo) includes an early-career guest appearance by Diane Keaton;
- Cesar helps former gang members rehab their doggies’ bad behaviors on Dog Whisperer (Sat., 8PM, Nat Geo Wild);
- The U.S. Figure Skating Championships (Sat., 9PM, NBC) air live from San Jose;
- On Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry (Sat., 9 and 9:30PM, ID), back-to-back episodes of one of the best-titled shows ever;
- On Til Debt Do Us Part (Sat., 10PM, CNBC), a woman who has taught her kids to lie about her spending is confronted by her partner;
- Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart guest on The Graham Norton Show (Sat., 10:15PM, BBCA);
- King Leopold is granted three wishes on Once Upon a Time (Sun., 8PM, ABC);
- Napoleon gets a job on a liger farm on the ‘toon series version of Napoleon Dynamite (Sun., 8:30PM, Fox);
- On Family Guy (Sun., 9PM, Fox), Stewie’s new pal has cancer, but his parents object to medical treatment because of their religious beliefs;
- A man is murdered and the investigation reveals that 1) he has 100 kids and 2) all of them are suspects, on CSI: Miami (Sun., 10PM, CBS);
- Marty takes Roscoe on a business trip to San Francisco on House of Lies (Sun., 10PM, Showtime).

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• Filed in Award shows, Betty White, Sports, TV Picks
• Tags: Luck HBO

(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM, SUN | NBC
69th Annual Golden Globes Awards – Lots of celebs, drinking during the awards show, blah, blah, blah … All any of us really care about is seeing just what host Ricky Gervais will say, and whether or not he’ll go further than he did last year, when he ticked off a lot of A-listers. Here’s hoping there are twice as many ticked off celebs as in 2011 …

11:29PM, SAT | NBC
Saturday Night Live – Harry Potter, er Daniel Radcliffe, makes his first appearance as SNL host, with Lana Del Rey as the musical guest.

8PM, SUN | VH1
Mob Wives – Renee lets the women have it for the ruckus they caused at her Look at Me!, er, birthday, party.

8PM, SUN | FOX
The Simpsons – In “The D’oh-cial Network,” Lisa regrets creating a new social network – SpringFace – while Patty and Selma compete against the Winklevoss twins (voiced by The Social Network star Armie Hammer) at the Olympics.

8PM, SUN | CBS – 3RD SEASON PREMIERE
Undercover Boss – Diamond Resorts International CEO Stephen J. Cloobeck goes undercover as an employee at his company and – surprise – is surprised by what he finds out.

8:30 and 9:30PM, SUN | FOX – SERIES PREMIERE
Napoleon Dynamite – The movie cast members provide the voices for their characters in this animated take on Napoleon’s adventures, which, in the opener, include using an acne cream that makes him feel no pain, leading to his involvement in an underground fight club. Meanwhile, brother Kip dates a bad girl (guest star Amy Poehler).

9PM, SUN | PBS
Downton Abbey – Anna locates Bates, and the estate is turned into a recovery center for wounded soldiers.

9PM, SUN | FOX
Family Guy – Brian starts dating a blind woman who hates dogs, which isn’t a problem … until he meets her sighted ‘rents.

9PM, SUN | CBS
The Good Wife – Alicia defends a fellow attorney who refuses to reveal a client’s identity during a government investigation. The client’s crime: creating a new currency.

9PM, SUN | COMEDY CENTRAL
Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain – Featuring a performance by the comedian who broke Eddie Murphy‘s tour ticket sales record, so, yeah, he’s pretty funny, even if the Comedy Central promos for the special make it look like an uncomfortably large portion of the show revolves around Mr. Hart humping a stool.

9PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK
Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off – The six remaining celebs duke it out Chopped-style, with Scott Conant as one of the judges. Remember people, no red onions!

9PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of Atlanta – Kandi hosts a dinner party for all the women, while Cynthia, Phaedra and their dudes go on a double date … awwwkward.

10PM, SUN | AMC – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Hell on Wheels – Cullen’s life with the railroad takes a turn when his past and future meet head on. Like a runaway train. Nice.

10PM, SUN | SHOWTIME
House of Lies – Marty (Don Cheadle) and the team head to Phoenix to deal with the impending divorce between owners of a pro sports team in a ripped-from-today’s-headlines-y story.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- On Dog Whisperer (Sat., 8PM, Nat Geo Wild), Cesar tries to help a café owner with a hyperactive bulldog;
- Online bullying factors into a teen’s suicide in the made-for-TV movie Sexting in Subrurbia (Sat., 8PM, Lifetime);
- 2012 Miss America Pageant (Sat., 9PM, ABC): Chris Harrison and Brooke Burke-Charvet host the 91st annual pageant, live from Las Vegas;
- Arcade Fire performs on Austin City Limits (Sat., Check local listings for time and channel, PBS);
- Madonna‘s the guest on The Graham Norton Show (Sat., 10:45PM, BBC America);
- Four past champions return to batter battle each other on Cupcake Wars (Sun., 8PM, Food Network);
- On Once Upon a Time (Sun., 8PM, ABC), the Evil Queen makes Hansel and Gretel steal;
- Renee talks Bree into going to a pick-up joint with her on Desperate Housewives (Sun., 9PM, ABC);
- It’s the fourth season finale of Leverage (Sun., 9PM, TNT);
- The Big O travels to Joisey to interview Gov. Chris Christie on Oprah’s Next Chapter (Sun., 9PM, OWN);
- Nene Leakes visits Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens: Live (Sun., 11PM, Bravo).

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• Filed in Award shows, Movies, Real Housewives, Saturday Night Live, TV Picks
• Tags: Golden Globes Ricky Gervais

(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | ABC
Modern Family – Mitchell and Cameron “audition” for potential birth mothers, while Phil gets Haley and Gloria to pretend to be regular audience members during his big real estate presentation. And when Manny and Luke have to concoct the best capsule to protect an egg in a two-story drop for a school project, we see exactly where Claire’s hyper-competitive side came from.

8PM | ABC
The Middle – Sue finds out a member of the wrestling team is crushing on her, while Brick makes a map project for school … and Axl eats it.

8PM | THE CW – 9TH SEASON PREMIERE
One Tree Hill – Past citizens return, as Brooke and Julian settle into family life and the show kicks off its final season.

8:30PM | NBC – SERIES PREMIERE
Are You There, Chelsea? – This is not a recommendation that you watch this show, based on Chelsea Handler‘s book, and starring That ’70s Show‘s Laura Prepon as the Handler character and Handler herself, well, not as Handler … it is only a reminder that it premieres tonight should you want to watch it. Again, not recommending it as something you should watch/will derive any entertainment value from. Not.

9PM | CBS
People’s Choice Awards – You picked ‘em. Now see how your votes played out as Kaley Cuoco hosts the live show, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Among the stars scheduled to present/attend: Faith Hill, Demi Lovato, Robert Pattinson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cory Monteith, David Boreanaz, Angus T. Jones, Don Cheadle, Julianne Hough, Busy Phillips, Rob Schneider, Sharon Osbourne, Liam Hemsworth, Alyson Hannigan, Zachary Levi, Matt Bomer, Elisha Cuthbert, Pauley Perrette and Vanessa Hudgens.

9:30PM | ABC
Happy Endings – Dave’s dad (guest star Michael McKean) comes to town with his new girlfriend: Penny’s mom (guest star Megan Mullally). Penny is happy about the new duo, Dave, not so much.

10PM | NBC
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Creepy: Kevin Pollack and Fisher Stevens guest star as an actress is sexually assaulted during a theater performance, and the audience thinks it’s all a part of the act.

10PM | MTV
Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Battle of the Exes Launch Special – Challenge vet Kenny Santucci hosts this preview of the Jan. 25 Challenge season, in which former BFs and GFs are reunited, whether they like it or not, to try to win the $300,000 grand prize.

10PM | FOOD NETWORK
Restaurant: Impossible – Chef Robert performs his makeover magic on a California bistro whose owners are more than $2 million in debt.

10PM | ABC
Revenge – From ABC’s official description of tonight’s episode: “a stunning revelation is unveiled and becomes a game changer for Emily and the Graysons.” This may be the best primetime soap since the Allison/Billy/Amanda and Brenda/Dylan/Kelly days of Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- On Suburgatory (8:30PM, ABC), Tessa thinks the new boy at school is gay, but he’s really an undercover cop (yes, just like Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street);
- Adam Richman kicks off Amazing Eats (9 and 9:30PM, Travel), in which he travels the country to track down favorites like the best pork dishes and the best burgers;
- It’s the 8th season premiere of Ghost Hunters (9PM, Syfy);
- It’s the season two premiere of Face Off (10PM, Syfy), the reality competition series for aspiring makeup/special effects movie artists;
- Joel McHale and the gang serve up another bowl of The Soup (10PM, E!);
- On Toddlers & Tiaras (10PM, TLC), the contestants include feuding sisters and a little girl coached by a drag queen;
- And on Top Chef: Texas (10PM, Bravo), it’s restaurant wars week!

And the late-night line-up:
- Conan (11PM, TBS): Jack McBrayer;
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Senator Jim DeMint;
- The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): George Stephanopoulas;
- The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Dolly Parton;
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Liam Neeson;
- Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Woody Harrelson and Yvonne Strahovski;
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Robin Thicke, Donnie Wahlberg and Rosie O’Donnell;
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Adam Goldberg;
- Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): The Airborne Toxic Event.

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• Filed in Award shows, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Modern Family, People's Choice Awards, Revenge ABC, The Middle

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM, SUN | NGC
George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview – Previously unseen video footage and other exclusive materials from the George W. Bush Presidential Library are included in this rare chat with the former President – in fact, the only interview he granted to mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 – as he talks about his personal experiences on 9/11 and the days immediately following the terrorist attacks.

11:30AM, SAT | FOOD NETWORK – SERIES PREMIERE
The Pioneer Woman – Ree Drummond, the city girl-turned-country wife and Pioneer Woman blogger, comes to TV. In the first ep, she whips up some hearty comfort food, including country fried steak and mashed potatoes.

9PM, SAT | BBCA
Doctor Who – The show’s back with new episodes, starting with “Let’s Kill Hitler,” in which The Doctor meets up with Adolf Hitler in 1930s Berlin.

9PM, SUN | MTV
MTV Video Music Awards – Lady Gaga opens the 28th annual VMAs, where Britney Spears is getting a special honor and Adele, Beyonce and Bruno Mars are scheduled to perform. There’s also no host this year, which could be fun, or could be a disaster. Either way, the VMAs feel underwhelming as a pop culture event this year, no? Here’s hoping Gaga does something entertaining, meaning more interesting than a meat dress and more compelling than yet another copycat of something Madonna did in the ’80s.

10PM, SUN | AMC
Breaking Bad – In the final scene of Sunday’s fantastic episode (yeah, I know, they’re always fantastic), you’ll see why Dean Norris, as Walt’s bro-in-law Hank, MUST be a contender for the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Emmy next year. Must. Be.

10PM, SUN | HBO
Curb Your Enthusiasm – In “Car Periscope,” Larry and Jeff consider a new investment opportunity. Yep … this was a Kramer idea.

10PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New Jersey – The opening of Lauren‘s cosmetic shop brings Jacqueline and the ever-bratty Ashley together, while Teresa gets a surprise when her brother comes to her book signing.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- Gail counsels Laura, an 18-year-old who’s already racked up credit card debt on Princess (Sat., 10PM, CNBC);
- The Ronnie/Situation throwdown continues on Jersey Shore (Sun., 7PM, MTV);
- Eviction nominees are revealed on Big Brother (Sun., 8PM, CBS);
- The bakers whip up surfing-themed goodies on Cupcake Wars (Sun., 8PM, Food Network);
- On Bridezillas (Sun., 9PM, WE), one ‘zilla thinks her bridesmaid is trying to steal the groom, while another fights with her fam and then smashes her groom’s video game system;
- Patti Stanger guest stars as Teri’s high school enemy on Drop Dead Diva (Sun., 9PM, Lifetime);
- Tony and Lisa spread the ashes of a deceased fellow driver along the Dalton on Ice Road Truckers (Sun., 9PM, History);
- Sterling asks Nate and the gang to swipe a nuclear reactor from a skyscraper in Dubai on Leverage (Sun., 9PM, TNT);
- On True Blood (Sun., 9PM, HBO), Sookie has to rescue Bill, leading Marnie to rethink her big plan;
- An ex of Callie’s arrives with a big surprise on The Glades (Sun., 10PM, A&E);
- Ari gets some unsettling news from his divorce attorney on Entourage (Sun., 10:30PM, HBO).

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• Filed in Award shows, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Real Housewives
• Tags: Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Doctor Who, George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, MTV Video Music Awards, Real Housewives of New Jersey, The Pioneer Woman

(ALL TIMES ET)

10 and 10:30PM | FX
Wilfred – Back-to-back new episodes of Wilfred kick off with Ryan’s mom (guest star Mary Steenburgen) checking out of the “wellness center” where she’s lived for 20 years and moving in with her son. Ryan already has a contentious relationship with his wacky mama, and the fact that Wilfred bonds with her just gives him another reason to resent her. And in the second ep, Wilfred picks on Ryan and tells him that people are starting to call him weird because he spends so much time alone, but Wilfie’s motives, of course, are not all about what’s best for Ryan.

9PM | USA
Burn Notice – While Fiona and Jesse do some sleuthing on behalf of a drug company mogul (who’s hiding secrets from them), Sam helps Michael track down a bomb maker who has some scoop related to Max’s murder.

9PM | VH1
Do Something Awards – Jane Lynch hosts (few TV promos have been as entertaining as the ones she’s done leading up to the Do Something show) and Foster the People and OneRepublic perform in this nod to social do-gooding. Among the presenters doling out awards: Adam Lambert, Nick Cannon and Kristen Bell.

9PM | LIFETIME
Project Runway – I think Michael Kors himself would be at least a little nervous about working with the client the contestants have to design for tonight: Judge Nina Garcia.

10PM | A&E – 2ND SEASON PREMIERE
Beyond Scared Straight – It’s tough to tell sometimes how effective the show’s prisoners are in persuading teens that crime doesn’t pay, but I find their schtick so scary as to make me reconsider taking a cent from the Take a Penny dish at the local bodega.

10PM | MTV
Jersey Shore – It hits the fan when Mike tells the whole house he and Snooki hooked up, and Deena proves that, yes, she can get even sloppier when she hooks up with twins Vinny and Mike had their eyes on.

11:59PM | ADULT SWIM
Childrens Hospital – In “The Chet Episode,” we experience a day in the life of the creepy paramedic.

12:15AM FRIDAY | ADULT SWIM
NTSF: SD: SUV – Trent’s (Paul Scheer) on the trail of a serial killer (a dolphin serial killer), and looks to a another murderer, who’s locked up, for help. Tonight’s guest star: Tony “Buster Bluth” Hale.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- Contestants drop like flies when they’re swatted like flies on Wipeout (8PM, ABC);
- It’s eviction night on Big Brother (9PM, CBS);
- This won’t end well: on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick), Eli won’t give up on Clare, and Imogen won’t give up on Eli;
- The crew discovers one of Dr. Zoidberg’s lost adventures on Futurama (10PM, Comedy Central);
- On Suits (10PM, USA), it’s Harvey vs. an undefeated Boston attorney in a class-action lawsuit;
- Louie (11PM, FX) takes the girls trickor-treating and finds himself having to explain Lilly’s costume.

And the late-night line-up:
- Conan (11PM, TBS): Louis C.K.;
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Anne Hathaway;
- The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Kevin Mitnick;
- The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Ryan Gosling (and his cool dog) (REPEAT);
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb (REPEAT);
- Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Anton Yelchin and Zoe Saldana;
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Brian Williams (REPEAT);
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Dick Van Dyke (REPEAT);
- Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Neil Strauss (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Award shows, Burn Notice, Late Night, TV Picks, Wilfred
• Tags: Beyond Scared Straight, Burn Notice, Childrens Hospital, Do Something Awards, Jersey Shore, NTSF: SD: SUV, Project Runway, Wilfred