(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM, SUN | DISCOVERY CHANNEL – 24TH ANNUAL
Shark Week 2011 – It began in 1987, and last year’s Shark Week was the highest-rated Shark Week ever, with more than 30 million viewers. This year’s Shark Week, which kicks off tonight with the new special Great White Invasion, promises to be just as sharktastic, with Saturday Night Live funny guy Andy Samberg as the official Chief Shark Officer/host.

Among the other new Shark Week specials:
– Jaws Comes Home (July 31, 10PM) – Follows the adventures of shark expert Greg Skomal, who spent months chasing five great whites he’s given names like Curly and Ruthless;
– Rogue Sharks (Aug. 1, 9PM) – Do sharks ever just go rogue? This rundown of some of the worst shark attacks in history suggests, yes;
– Killer Sharks (Aug. 2, 9PM) – December, 1957, South Africa … bloody beaches provide still more proof that, yes, rogue sharks are a real possibility;
– Shark City (Aug. 4, 9PM) – Samberg steps in to help us get to know a few sharks “as individuals,” their fears, hopes, dreams, likes and dislikes. Wonder if they prefer “Lazy Sunday” or “Dick in a Box”?

9PM, SAT | TLC
Nick & Vanessa’s Dream Wedding – Nope, he apparently did not learn his lesson about reality TV. But hey, at least this wife knows Chicken of the Sea is not chicken.

10PM, SAT | NAT GEO WILD
The Lady With 700 Cats – The title says it all: it’s life with a woman who lives on a no-cage cat sanctuary – her and 700 (actually, almost 800) cats. Lynea Lattanzio is the titular cat lady, and Glee star Jane Lynch narrates the show, which details Lynea’s ongoing efforts to save homeless kitties … she’s saved more than 19,000 in the last two decades.

NOON, SUN | IFC
Wilfred Marathon – Do you love FX’s Wilfred as much as I do? Then you may want to check out the original, Australian Wilfred, which IFC unspools here (the whole 2007 first season) in marathon form. And no worries, Jason Gunn is the original Wilfred.

10PM, SUN | AMC
Breaking Bad – Jesse, and events at his house, begin to spiral out of control, while Skyler needs help and decides, of course, that she “better call Saul.”

10PM, SUN | HBO
Curb Your Enthusiasm – I know, I know, the season just keeps getting better. Tonight’s ep, “The Smiley Face,” keeps it rolling, as Larry decides society’s rules of dating are not the boss of him.

10PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New Jersey – It’s still Christmas on RH of NJ, and Caroline and Melissa are having happy holidays, but Teresa … not so much.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– On Cupcake Girls (Sat., 9PM, WE), Lori and Heather aren’t happy to find out that their franchisees are making their own cupcake flavors;
– Gail helps a 23-year-old nanny who’s still living in her parents’ luxury home on Princess (Sat., 10PM, CNBC);
– Potential evictees are announced on Big Brother (Sun., 8PM, CBS);
– Failed spin-off series and live events gone askew are among the 25 Biggest TV Blunders 2 special (Sun., 8PM, TV Guide Channel);
– One bride’s bad dye job leaves her with spotted hair on Bridezillas (Sun., 9PM, WE);
– Michael Lohan‘s ex shows up for family weekend and unloads on the famous father on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (Sun., 9PM, VH1);
– On Drop Dead Diva (Sun., 9PM, Lifetime), when Jane works on a pro bono case for the DA’s office, she finds out that old Jane had an affair with the DA;
– Lisa drives through a blizzard on Ice Road Truckers (Sun., 9PM, History);
– Frank Oz directed tonight’s Leverage (Sun., 9PM, TNT), which finds Nate and the gang plotting to swipe a computer chip from a very secure home;
– On The Next Food Network Star (Sun., 9PM, Food Network), the remaining cheftestants get roasted by comedians Louie Anderson, Aubrey Plaza and Gilbert Gottfried;
– The famous Kathy Griffin and a Kathy Griffin of the non-famous variety swap lives on Same Name (Sun., 9PM, CBS);
– Sookie goes off under a full moon to search for Jason on True Blood (Sun., 9PM, HBO);
– Treat Williams stars in the new drama Against the Wall (Sun., 10PM, Lifetime), about a family of cops who are not unhappy when the youngest sister becomes an Internal Affairs detective;
– On Falling Skies (Sun., 10PM, TNT), Anne makes a disturbing discovery while performing an autopsy;
– A man is found dead, in a box of poisonous snakes, inside a church, on The Glades (Sun., 10PM, A&E);
– On In Plain Sight (Sun., 10PM, USA), Mary has to protect a woman from a gangster who also happens to be the woman’s babydaddy;
– The Marriage Ref (Sun., 10PM, NBC): Again, terrible show, but tonight’s features JB Smoove, a.k.a. Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s hilarious Leon;
– Vince asks Billy Walsh to consider his miner movie idea as a starring vehicle for Drama on Entourage (Sun., 10:30PM, HBO).

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• Filed in Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Real Housewives, TV Marathon, TV Picks, Wilfred
• Tags: Andy Samberg, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nick & Vanessa's Dream Wedding, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Shark Week 2011, The Lady With 700 Cats, Wilfred, Wilfred marathon IFC

(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | HBO
There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane – Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated documentarian Liz Garbus directed this documentary about the headlines-grabbing July 2009 tragic car crash in which a woman named Diane Schuler drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway in New York, colliding with an oncoming vehicle and killing her daughter, three nieces, everyone in the other car and herself. The crushing case continues to be a nightmare for the survivors and family members left behind, including the loves ones of the victims in the other car, as well as Schuler’s son, who is still dealing with the injuries he received in the crash, and Schuler’s husband, who has to live with the fact that an autopsy revealed his late wife has a blood-alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit.

The film is the latest entry in HBO’s fantastic Documentary Films Summer Series, which has unspooled a fascinating new documentary each Monday night this summer, and continues through August 15.

9PM | TNT
The Closer – Flynn and Provenza try to make some extra cash serving court papers for an attorney … but moments after they deliver the documents, the recipient is murdered.

9PM | SYFY
Warehouse 13 – Pete and Myka end up in bed thanks to a mystery, while Dr. Vanessa Calder (guest star Lindsay Wagner, who will cross over to an episode of Alphas next month) returns to work on a case with Artie.

10PM | NETWORK – 2ND SEASON PREMIERE
The A-List: New York – The boys are back! Season one was the ultimate in guilty pleasure viewing, and considering that the premiere includes more gossip about Reichen and Rodiney and Reichen’s new Internet business, there’s no reason to think season two will be any different.

10PM | SYFY
Alphas – The team moves to new offices after the attack on Rosen (David Strathairn), while riots break out on the east coast, apparently linked to a teen who has run away from home.

10PM | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New York City Reunion, Part 1 – Andy Cohen has hinted that the reunion gets very heated, with Ramona (no surprise) being at the center of several blowouts amongst the women. Jill apparently gets into with both Ramona and Alex, and, given her behavior all season, I’m betting there are going to be even fewer Team Jill members after this one.

10PM | SHOWTIME
Weeds – Shane decides to take Nancy’s advice and enroll in college course, while Nancy’s attorney helps her make her way to California, where she tries to get ahead of her sister (guest star Jennifer Jason Leigh) in the custody battle for her son.

10:30PM | SHOWTIME
The Big C – Cathy considers pawning her jewelry because of Paul’s layoff, while bro Sean tests his baby sling for the moms in his ‘hood.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Ashley gets a surprise visitor before she hands out roses to her final two dudes on The Bachelorette (8PM, ABC);
– One of the women gets so fed up with the fighting in Italy that she heads some early on Basketball Wives (8PM, VH1);
– Will Wheaton and Stan Lee guest star on Eureka (8PM, Syfy);
– The top 15 compete on Hell’s Kitchen (8PM, Fox);
– Amy tries to help Ricky get into college on Secret Life of the American Teenager (8PM, ABC Family);
– On Cake Boss (9PM, TLC), Buddy builds a camping-themed cake that includes real fire to roast marshmallows;
– Competition turns ugly when Dave and Adam both go after a position on the school’s airwaves on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick);
– How I Made My Millions (9PM, CNBC) tells the stories of a woman who makes and sells jewelry boxes on QVC and the founders of Firehouse Subs;
– The weekly four-episode It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia marathon on Comedy Central (9PM) includes “The Gang Gets Whacked” and “The Gang Dances Their Asses Off”;
– Charo guest stars on RuPaul’s Drag U (9PM, Logo);
– On Behind Mansion Walls (10PM, ID), an ongoing family feud ends badly;
– On the 1st season finale of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (10, ABC), a mom who weighs 445 pounds tries to lose weight to be there for her sick daughter;
– A Civil War musket and a cool 1950s pedal car toy are among the items brought to Rick and company on Pawn Star$ (10 and 10:30PM, History);
– Boston Fleet Week brings murder and Frosts dad (guest star Ernie Hudson) on Rizzoli & Isles (10PM, TNT).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): H. Jon Benjamin, Emma Stone and K.T. Tunstall;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Neil Patrick Harris;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Brian Cox;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Brian Williams and Tim Robbins & the Rogues Gallery Band;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Jessica Alba;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Mark-Paul Gosselaar;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Jon Favreau;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Don Cheadle and Zach Braff;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Don Rickles and Matt Smith;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Rob Riggle (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Documentary, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Late Night, Real Housewives, TV Picks, Weeds
• Tags: Alphas, Real Housewives of New York City reunion, The A-List New York season 2, The Big C, The Closer, There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane, Warehouse 13, Weeds

(ALL TIMES ET)

10:30PM, SUN | HBO – 8TH SEASON PREMIERE
Entourage – It’s the end of the road for Entourage (on TV anyway; a big-screen movie is still likely), and the season is not starting off well for Vince and company. Fresh out of rehab, Vince is clean, but when he gets excited about doing a movie the guys consider pretty cheesy, they worry about whether or not they can be honest with him, lest they trigger a relapse with their fragile friend. Elsewhere, Eric struggles to find new clients for his management company, and Ari’s marriage is in serious trouble when Mrs. Ari refuses to consider a reconciliation.

10PM, SAT | BBC AMERICA
Graham Norton Show – Adele in the house!

8PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK
Challenge: The Smurfs Movie Cakes – Four chefs compete to win $10,000 by whipping up the best homage to Smurfs cake. Hope there’s enough blue icing.

9PM, SUN | TNT
Leverage – It’s all about the tuber: the team tries to recover a hot potato (yes, really, a stolen potato) worth millions of dollars.

9PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK
The Next Food Network Star – Ina Garten judges a cupcake bake-off, and then the remaining contestants have to perform a live segment on Rachael Ray‘s show.

9PM, SUN | CBS
Same Name – The promos that proclaim this is a chance for celebrities to find out how real people live are cheesy and insulting … if celebs claim not to know how “real people” live, it isn’t because they don’t know; it’s because they choose not to care or even think about it. Nonetheless, the celebs who are participating in this new reality show, in which they swap lives with “real people” of the same name, have fun with the idea. Kathy Griffin and Mike Tyson star in future eps, and tonight’s premiere finds David Hasselhoff, actor and deity in Germany, swapping lives with Texas landscaper David Hasselhoff.

10PM, SUN | VH1
Behind the Music – A profile of soul/hip-hop diva, with one of the most amazing voices ever, Mary J. Blige.

10PM, SUN | AMC
Breaking Bad – Walt is very surprised to find out that Skyler has not only accepted their situation and the source of Walt’s cash, but she’s seemingly embracing it to the point of scoping out a new venture that will help them launder Walt’s ill-gotten gains.

10PM, SUN | HBO
Curb Your Enthusiasm – The episode is called “Palestinian Chicken,” and it is one of the best Larry misadventures in years, as he offends his friends with his love of some politically incorrect food, prompting Jeff to call him a “social assassin.”

10PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New Jersey – The Christmas party continues, as Caroline and her son Chris put the pot-stirring Kim G. in her place (and out of Joe and Melissa‘s house).

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Shorty heads to Denver, which has just passed a law banning pit bulls on Pit Boss (Sat., 10PM, Animal Planet);
– Eviction nominees are revealed on Big Brother (Sun., 8PM, CBS);
– Alexa comes to Olivia asking for a favor on Jerseylicious (Sun., 8PM, Style);
– Tonight’s badly-behaving brides include one who overspends on her fiancé’s dime and another who demands her bridesmaids lose weight on Bridezillas (Sun., 9PM, WE);
– Michael Lohan‘s former fiancé, former Star reporter Kate Major, causes problems on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (Sun., 9PM, VH1);
– Jane finds out her relationship with the good doctor is not exclusive on Drop Dead Diva (Sun., 9PM, Lifetime);
– It’s the halfway point of the season on Ice Road Truckers (Sun., 9PM, History),and Lisa‘s dealing with her drive into a ditch;
– Bill gets involved with the necromancy problem on True Blood (Sun., 9PM, HBO);
– On Falling Skies (Sun., 10PM, TNT), Mike accidentally uncovers an enemy no one suspected;
– When a respected doctor is murdered on The Glades (Sun., 10PM, TNT), Jim thinks it’s because he was mixed up in illegal drug sales;
– Mary’s ex visits on In Plain Sight (Sun., 10PM, USA);
– The Marriage Ref (Sun., 10PM, NBC) is usually on my must-not-see TV list, but tonight’s panel includes Gilmore Girl mama (and Parenthood sister) Lauren Graham, so it’s worth a look. Next week: it’s back on the list;
– On the season two premiere of Top Gear (Sun., 10PM, History), the guys head to Texas in search of an alternative to the pickup truck.

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• Filed in Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Real Housewives, TV Picks
• Tags: Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage season 8, Leverage, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Same Name CBS

(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | USA
Burn Notice – Okay, I’ll ‘fess up: The first two episodes of the new season left me worried that the show was on a fast decline. Silly me; last week’s episode was a nice reboot (though it was a bummer that Grant Show‘s best role in years came to such an abrupt, harsh end), and tonight’s episode finds Burn Notice back in tiptop shape. Michael, wanting to clear his own name and find the baddie who killed his pal Max (Show), volunteers to help on the CIA investigation into the murder, while he, Sam, Fiona, Jesse and Maddie also help an Army sniper who’s on the hunt for the grafter who nearly beat his sister to death. It’s far and away the best episode of the season so far, full of the drama, humor, personalities and Michael-in-sharp suits moments we Burn fans have come to expect and love. And there’s a twist at the end that will suggest Michael is in even more trouble than he initially surmised …

10PM | COMEDY CENTRAL
Futurama – Leela becomes an instant celeb when she creates a popular children’s TV show.

10PM | BRAVO – 4TH SEASON FINALE
Real Housewives of New York City – Good news: Natalie Cole is singing at LuAnn‘s one-year anniversary party for she and Jacques. Bad news: Natalie (apparently never having heard LuAnn sing) wants LuAnn to sing with her. Elsewhere: Ramona thinks she might be preggers.

10PM | FX
Wilfred – When Ryan (Elijah Wood) decides that he and Wilfred (Jason Gunn) need to become do-gooders, he volunteers them to work at a hospice, but it turns out that Wilfred has a very special gift … and therefore some hand to make demands of his buddy.

11:59PM | ADULT SWIM
Children’s Hospital – Brock Stryker’s (Rob Riggle) death leads to counseling for the hospital staffers.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– A second houseguest is evicted on Big Brother (8PM, CBS);
– Two of the top 10 are eliminated on So You Think You Can Dance (8PM, Fox);
– The “Wipeout Kitchen” is the challenge on tonight’s Wipeout (8PM, ABC);
– Drew considers breaking up with Bianca when he tires of relationship drama on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick);
– Mike’s friend shows up looking for help on Suits (10PM, USA);
– Louie (10:30PM, FX) takes the girls on a road trip to visit his aunt.

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Lisa Kudrow;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Scott Miller;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): David Eagleman;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Harrison Ford;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Emma Stone and Adam Carolla;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): 3 Doors Down;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Stephen Moyer and Bush;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Brooke Shields;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Bryan Cranston;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Neil Strauss (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Burn Notice, Late Night, Real Housewives, TV Picks, Wilfred

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM, SUN | AMC – 4TH SEASON PREMIERE
Breaking Bad – Remember the final scene of season three, when Jesse (Aaron Paul) was holding a gun on Gale and we heard the sound of a gunshot? The season four premiere, titled “Box Cutter,” only gets more intense, as we quickly find out the outcome of that gunshot. And then we find out that Jesse and Walt (Bryan Cranston) are in even deeper trouble, involving Mike (Jonathan Banks) and Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) and a scene that, even as it unfolds, you will not believe. In other words, yes, season four is going to be just as good as the Emmy-winning show’s first three seasons.

PS – Don’t forget that the Breaking Bad season premiere will also include a trailer for the second season of The Walking Dead, which premieres in October.

10PM, SAT | CNBC
Princess – This show has the cheesiest and most ill-matched theme song ever, but I still love watching the financial advice shows, because a) they always make you feel like your own finances are in order (relatively at least), and b) because the over-the-top, out-of-control “princesses” – in this episode, it’s an admitted shopaholic whose spending habits have caused three separations throughout her marriage – will definitely make you rethink your own spending habits.

10PM, SUN | SPIKE – SERIES PREMIERE
Bar Rescue – Gordon Ramsay and Robert Irvine like to make over troubled restaurants, but restaurant consultant Jon Taffer performs makeover magic on troubled nightlife locales in this new series.

8PM, SUN | TCM
TCM Essentials Jr. – Saturday Night Live all-star Bill Hader hosts this summer series of movie classics the junior set will appreciate, and tonight’s selection: Horse Feathers, the 1932 Marx Brothers movie in which Groucho plays Huxley College president Quincy Adams Wagstaff, and Harpo and Chico are his football “stars,” Pinky and Baravelli.

9PM, SUN | WE
Bridezillas – What is going on with Bridezillas this season? It’s like they kicked up the craziness and the nastiness 10 notches. Like with tonight’s brides, including one who freaks out when she can’t find her fiancé’s best man and another who runs over her cake topper with her car because she’s ticked off at her husband-to-be. Run, dude. Seriously.

10PM, SUN | HBO
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Larry becomes the unlikely champion of women in abusive relationships, while Leon (J.B. Smoove) tries to survive a case of mistaken identity.

10PM, SUN | FOOD NETWORK – SERIES PREMIERE
Heat Seekers – Chef Aaron Sanchez, one of my Food Network faves, co-hosts this new series in which he travels across the country in search of the spiciest treats. The series kicks off in New Orleans, where Sanchez once worked as a chef.

10PM, SUN | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New Jersey – Melissa hosts a Christmas party, but, of course, even the threat of ending up on Santa’s naughty list doesn’t make the Jersey girls behave in an episode called “Twas the Fight Before Christmas.”

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s a 10-hour Storage Wars marathon on A&E (Sat., 6PM);
– HBO has the cable premiere of Oscar-nominated drama The Kids Are Alright (Sat., 8PM) … never miss a chance to see the always-awesome Mark Ruffalo;
– Tom Hanks stops by the Graham Norton Show (Sat., 10PM, BBCA);
– The third season of Pit Boss premieres on Animal Planet (Sat., 10PM);
– Evictee nominations are revealed on Big Brother (Sun., 8PM, CBS);
– Big Rich Texas (Sun., 9PM, Style) is yet another reality series that could be described as “Real Housewives of Texas”;
– On Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (Sun., 9PM, VH1), Steven Adler‘s so ticked off about Amy Fisher‘s refusal to admit she’s an addict that he threatens to leave;
– Jane gets mugged while picking up Grayson’s wedding rings on Drop Dead Diva (Sun., 9PM, Lifetime);
– Alex rescues a family stranded in the wilderness on Ice Road Truckers (Sun., 9PM, History);
– On Leverage (Sun., 9PM, TNT), while tracking down an MIA Van Gogh painting, the team learns it played a role in a World War II love story;
– The contestants have to cook dinner for Wolfgang Puck on Next Food Network Star (Sun., 9PM, Food Network);
– Alcide helps Sookie look for Eric on True Blood (Sun., 9PM, HBO);
– On Falling Skies (Sun., 10PM, TNT), a resistance leaders comes to camp warning of another alien attack and offering to take the children to safety, and Tom and the others consider the proposal;
– The celebs look for an interior designer for the restaurant on Famous Food (Sun., 10PM, VH1);
– Huh? A murdered woman is found in a baby stroller in a part of town inhabited by the relatives of sideshow people on The Glades (Sun., 10PM, A&E);
– With Mary off on a WITSEC road trip, Marshall and Stan have to deal with a rock star witness and her mother on In Plain Sight (Sun., 10PM, USA).

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• Filed in Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Real Housewives, TV Picks
• Tags: Aaron Sanchez, Bar Rescue, Bill Hader, Breaking bad season 4, Breaking Bad season premiere, Bridezillas, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Marx Brothers, Real Housewives of New Jersey