(ALL TIMES ET)

8-11PM | DISCOVERY – SERIES PREMIERE
Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero – Ground Zero will ultimately be a 16-acre complex that includes four skyscrapers, a transportation hub, a museum and a 9/11 memorial with the largest man-made waterfall in history. This miniseries, produced by Steven Spielberg, documents the construction, including the remembrances of those who were in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2011 and those who are involved now in this massive, emotional rebuilding effort.

9PM | USA
Burn Notice – Michael worms his way inside a group of hijackers as a way to help Jesse with a security job, but he’s caught by surprise when the hijackers take hostages at an airport. And the person trying to help the hostages escape? Maddie, of course.

9PM | LIFETIME
Project Runway – Survivor meets PR? The designers not only have to conceive a new frock based on sneakers and sportswear, but they actually have to participate in a running event.

10PM | MTV
Jersey Shore – They’ve been teasing it for months, and tonight we finally see the big throwdown between Ronnie and The Situation. Oh, I feel just a little bit more ridiculous every time I type that name.

10PM | FX
Wilfred – Dwight Yoakam guest stars as a guy who may confirm Ryan’s suspicions that his friendship with Wilfred may not be totally healthy.

11:59PM | ADULT SWIM
Childrens Hospital – Glenn (Ken Marino), finally, gets a bar mitzvah.

12:15AM FRIDAY | ADULT SWIM
NTSF: SD: SUV – Gabrielle Union guest stars in “Tijuana, We’ve Got a Problem,” as plans for the space shuttle are stolen and sold to Mexico, and Trent (Paul Scheer) and the gang must retrieve them.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s family team night on Wipeout (8PM, ABC);
– It’s eviction night on Big Brother (8PM, CBS);
– Katie and Marisol continue to trash their friendship for a dude on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick);
– Fry sneezes and reintroduces the common cold into the future on Futurama (10PM, Comedy Central);
– Mike questions why Harvey fired a certain executive on Suits (10PM, USA);
– On Louie (10:30PM, FX), Louie … Afghanistan … comedy ensues.

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Jim Parsons (REPEAT);
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Michael Wallis (REPEAT);
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Robert Wittman (REPEAT);
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Paul Rudd;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Dolly Parton and Ben Bailey (REPEAT);
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Howie Mandel (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Ryan Reynolds and Fountains of Wayne (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Kal Penn;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Adam Pally (REPEAT).

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• Tags: Burn Notice, Childrens Hospital, Jersey Shore, NTSF: SD: SUV, Project Runway, Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero, Wilfred

(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

(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | USA
Burn Notice – Michael teams up with Jesse (aren’t you kinda missing him with his significantly less screen time this season?) for an extraction mission in the Caribbean, but when they get trapped there by mercenaries, Fiona has to ask a favor of her ex-boyfriend to secure their release. And her ex? He looks like Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale. Because he is.

8PM | FOX – 8TH SEASON FINALE
So You Think You Can Dance – Marko, Melanie, Sasha or Tadd? A winner is chosen in tonight’s season finale.

9PM | LIFETIME
Project Runway – Kim Kardashian is the guest judge as the designers have to whip up frocks for models walking on stilts. With all that extra fabric, you know who the real winner is? Mood!

10PM | MTV
Jersey Shore – Prepare for the Jerseyites to outskank even their skankiest moments when Ronnie and Sammi try to become friends again, but give in to old habits instead, while The Situation tries to become more than friends with Snooki and Deena tries hard to make the same happen with Pauly D.

10PM | FX
Wilfred – Nestor Carbonell – who uttered one of my all-time favorite TV quotes (“Batmanuel is mired in litigation”) on The Tick – guest stars as Ryan’s sister’s boss, but the best moment in tonight’s episode comes when Wilfred confronts Ryan with his discovery that Ryan had another dog in his life before Wilfred.

10:30PM | LIFETIME – SERIES PREMIERE
Russian Dolls – Or, The Real Housewives of Brighton Beach. Either way, this latest RH wannabe is neither so juicy it’s entertaining, or so over-the-top bad that it’s worthy of a guilty-pleasure season pass. Still, you should see it, at least once, for yourself.

11:59PM | ADULT SWIM
Children’s Hospital – Nick Kroll is Dr. Velam Geza, who teaches the staff what it’s like to work the night shift.

12:15AM FRIDAY | ADULT SWIM
NTSF: SD: SUV – Adam Scott, Party Down and Parks and Recreation cool dude, guest stars as Trent is suspended and forced to spend time at home, where he’s the target of a planned terrorist attack.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s eviction night on Big Brother (8PM, CBS);
– New Wipeout on ABC (8PM);
– Jenna and KC have to deal with a visit from Child Services after the baby’s accident on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick);
– Fry has daddy issues when an alien egg he’s caring for hatches into a big bad monster on Futurama (10PM, Comedy Central);
– Anxious Louis makes a mistake while working with Harvey on Suits (10PM, USA);
– Back-to-back episodes of Louie on FX (10:30 and 11PM).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Aziz Ansari;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Michael Wallis;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Gloria Steinem;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Jim Parsons (REPEAT);
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Sam Worthington;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): SERIES FINALE;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Olivia Wilde;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Emma Stone;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Geoffrey Rush (REPEAT);
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Gale Anne Hurd (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Burn Notice, Late Night, Project Runway, TV Picks, Wilfred
• Tags: Burn Notice, Childrens Hospital, Jersey Shore, NTSF: SD: SUV, Project Runway, Russian Dolls premiere, So You Think You Can Dance season finale, Wilfred

(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM | FOX
American Idol – Adam Lambert returns to perform, as the first of the 13 finalists gets the boot in the results show. A few thoughts on last night’s performance episode: It’s great to see Randy finally stepping up and giving real critiques; while Steven Tyler was entertaining in the audition rounds, so far, he’s proven himself to be almost as useless as an incoherent Paula Abdul when it comes to constructive comments in the performance shows; and, though Jennifer Lopez has been my favorite of the judges this season, it was off-putting that she didn’t know who Ryan Adams is. Overall, I’m finding the season to be more pleasant than seasons past, but I’m also less compelled by any one contestant. They’re still, on the whole, picking bad songs, the females aren’t distinguishing themselves at all (except for the fact that they’re apparently raiding the old Dynasty wardrobe – those dated dresses!) and while lots of people seem to be impressed with Cowboy Scotty, am I the only one who thinks he’s just been doing an okay impersonation of Garth Brooks, in both his behavior and his performances?

8PM | CBS
The Big Bang Theory – All of a sudden, Leonard has too many women in his life: Priya, and Penny, who Priya wants out of his life.

9PM | FOX
Bones – Booth calls on his military training to help him track Jacob Broadsky, the guy who killed the Grave Digger and has now moved on to new targets. Elsewhere, ZZ Top-er Billy F. Gibbons returns as Angela’s daddy, who thinks it should be up to him to name her baby.

9PM | CBS
CSI – The CSIs investigate the murder of a former cop, who was convicted of killing his wife and was killed while serving his prison sentence. He also left behind a list of people he suspected in his wife’s murder, leading the team to reconsider his conviction in the process.

10PM | FX
Archer – Malory orders Lana to help actress Rona Thorne prepare to play a spy in her new movie, and takes the opportunity to pen a little role for herself in the thriller.

10PM | FOOD NETWORK
Ice Brigade – On the heels of last week’s working ice pool table, tonight the team builds an icy DJ booth, with working ice turntable, speakers and headphones.

10PM | MTV
Jersey Shore – The Situation, whose role on the show this season has been greatly diminished, tries to stir up trouble by poking Ronnie to find out who Sammi‘s been texting. Meanwhile, Vinny and Pauly road trip to Staten Island.

10PM | NGC
Ultimate Factories – This week’s episode goes inside the Jack Daniel’s factory in Tennessee, while next week’s installment revolves around a visit to a Coca-Cola factory in Baton Rouge. Clever scheduling.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– CNBC has a new installment of How I Made My Millions (9PM);
– On Man vs. Wild (9PM, Discovery), snakes, leeches and a torrential downpour greet Bear in Borneo;
– My Big Redneck Intervention (9PM, CMT) finds a country girl who got used to life in the big city returning home;
– Kate is hired by a singer who wants to convince his bandmates to allow their song to be used in a commercial on Fairly Legal (10PM, USA);
– A doctor is found murdered on a golf course on The Mentalist (10PM, CBS);
– Twins from his past visit Chris on Eagleheart (11:59PM, Adult Swim).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Seth Rogen;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Trey Parker and Matt Stone;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Jeff Greenfield;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Adam Sandler and Chris Colfer (REPEAT);
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Aubrey Plaza and Ashton Kutcher (REPEAT);
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Pee-wee Herman and the cast of Sister Wives;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Henry Winkler and Cameron Diaz (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Snooki and Martin Bashir (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Kevin McKidd and Wanda Sykes;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Brooklyn Decker (REPEAT).

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• Tags: American Idol, Archer, Bones, CSI, Ice Brigade, Jersey Shore, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, Ultimate Factories NGC

(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM | FOX
American Idol – It’s a two-hour results show. Painful, yes, but that’s what we have to sit through to go from 24 finalists to the top 10 contenders.

9PM | CNBC
How I Made My Millions – Another new installment of the series that unfolds the backstories of entrepreneurs like the inventors of Pillow Pets, Tate’s Cookies and the HeadBlade.

9PM | CNN
Piers Morgan Tonight – Piers chats with the cast of the new movie Adjustment Bureau, including Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Slattery.

9PM | TLC – 5TH SEASON FINALE
Police Women of Cincinnati – Colleen buys crack from an informant, but the rest of the sting doesn’t go so smoothly.

10PM | FX
Archer – Cyril wants to be a hero, so he injects a virus into the ISIS computer system, planning to spot it and reap accolades from his co-workers. That, of course, is not how his plan unfolds.

10PM | A&E – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Beyond Scared Straight – Five teen girls visit a Maryland women’s prison to get a peek at their futures if they continue their wicked ways.

10PM | FOOD NETWORK – SERIES PREMIERE
Ice Brigade – The show follows a team of Michigan event ice sculptors, who, in the opener, build a whole ice lounge, with a fully operational ice bar and a playable ice pool table.

10PM | SCIENCE CHANNEL
Ingenious Minds – Back-to-back new episodes profile Alonzo Clemons, a sculptor who can look at an animal once and, within minutes, create an accurate replica sculpture of the animal, and Temple Grandin, the HBO biopic darling and autistic professor who revolutionized the beef industry with her cattle feedlot system invention.

10PM | MTV
Jersey Shore – The Ronnie and Sammi saga continues when she returns to the Shore, while Snooki lays it out, um, so to speak, for Vinny regarding her feelings for him.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s a three-hour block of repeats of The Office on NBC (8PM);
– Timmy and Russell go on a double date on Rules of Engagement (8:30PM, CBS);
– Madison wigs when he finds out his assistant had a date with Josh on Million Dollar Listing (9PM, Bravo).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Martha Stewart and Emily Blunt;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Diane Ravitch;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Mark W. Moffett;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Robin Williams and Judy Greer;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Jerry Seinfeld and Darlene Love;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Topher Grace;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Howard Stern;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Michael Stipe and Miley Cyrus;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Neil Patrick Harris;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Emmy Rossum.

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• Filed in American Idol, Late Night, The Office, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Archer, Beyond Scared Straight, How I Made My Millions, Ice Brigade, Ingenious Minds, Jersey Shore, Piers Morgan Tonight, Police Women of Cincinnati