(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | FX – 2ND SEASON FINALE
Archer – Guess who’s in love? Archer. Yes, playboy Sterling Archer has fallen hard for a KGB agent named Katya, and he even brings her home to meet mom. Mallory, and Archer’s ex, Lana, are less than happy to meet his new beloved though, and that – along with the reappearance of the vengeance-minded Barry – leads to an ending that’s even more surprising, and hilarious, than the idea of Archer settling down.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – Yet again, I’ll say it should be Stefano who gets the boot, but that cheesy Chachi knock-off seems to have staying power, so don’t be too surprised if someone else is sent packing.

8PM | FOX
Bones – Booth calls on his old soldier pal Walter Sherman (7th Heaven star Geoff Stults) to help him with a case, in an episode that sets up a potential Bones spin-off that would star Stults.

8PM | NBC
Community – It’s flashback time, as the group strolls down memory lane, while Troy’s monkey returns and then disappears again, prompting Senor Chang to chase after him. The twist with the flashbacks: We’ve never actually seen them before.

8PM | THE CW
The Vampire Diaries – More flashback fun: We go back to 1941, where we find out the origins of the moonstone curse and see Katherine being introduced to Klaus and Elijah.

9PM | NBC
The Office – Just one week until Steve Carell‘s final episode, and tonight, Michael Scott hosts his finale Dundies. Elsewhere, Erin begins to realize that she really doesn’t like her boyfriend, Gabe. Join the club, sister.

9:30PM | NBC
Parks & Recreation – When Leslie joins an online dating site, she gets paired up with someone she already knows.

10PM | FOOD NETWORK – 2ND SEASON PREMIERE
24-Hour Restaurant Battle – I’m missing Scott Conant on Chopped this season, so it’ll be good to see him back on the tube every week on Battle. In tonight’s season two opener, he welcomes two former couples who duke it out with each other, armed with clam chowder and BBQ octopus.

10PM | NBC
30 Rock – It’s a one-hour episode to mark the show’s 100th episode, but all is not well in the halls of 30 Rock, because TGS has been marked for cancellation, sending Liz Lemon and company into fast and furious action to try to save their jobs.

10PM | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New York City – While Alex tries to make up with the increasingly unlikable Sonja, Ramona and crazy Kelly begin their feud anew. And speaking of Ramona, and crazy, she hits the catwalk again, crazy eyes and all.

11:35PM | NBC – SNEAK PREVIEW
The Voice – American Idol has, yet again, become tiresome, and though the thought of another singing competition series also sounds tiresome, preview clips of The Voice have introduced some interesting concepts, namely that the judges/mentors – Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton – can’t see the contestants perform until they’ve committed to working with them. Tonight, NBC gives viewers a 12-minute preview of the show, which premieres on April 26. Are you gonna watch?

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- The 12,000 Bottle Boat (8PM, NGC) follows the adventures of environmentalist David de Rothschild as he builds, and sets sail in, a boat made of 12,000 recycled plastic bottles;
- Henry Rollins guest stars on The Paul Reiser Show (8:30PM, NBC), which is the only reason I can think of to watch this disappointingly lame, wannabe Curb Your Enthusiasm comedy;
- Three episodes of Royal Wedding of a Lifetime (8PM, Lifetime) focus on Kate Middleton‘s dress, the menu for next week’s royal wedding and the similarities between Middleton and Princess Diana;
- For those of you with DirecTV, Beverly Hills 90210 god Jason Priestley makes a great comeback in the Canadian comedy Call Me Fitz (9PM, DirecTV Channel 101), in which he plays a sex-addicted car salesman;
- Nikita (9PM, The CW) comes up with a plan to pull Alex out of Division, but Alex is sent on a mission before Nikita can put her plot into action;
- Sarah Palin is the subject of tonight’s E! True Hollywood Story (10PM, E!);
- Bad news: It’s the second one finale for Chris Elliott‘s cheeky comedy Eagleheart (11:59PM, Adult Swim). The good news: It’s been renewed for a second season.

And the late-night line-up:
- Conan (11PM, TBS): Reese Witherspoon;
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Tracy Morgan (REPEAT);
- The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Ray Kurzweil (REPEAT);
- The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Steve Martin (REPEAT);
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Bradley Cooper and Duran Duran (REPEAT);
- Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Tyler Perry;
- Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Christoph Waltz;
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Howard Stern (REPEAT);
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Alfred Molina;
- Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Tom Shadyac (REPEAT).

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• Filed in 30 Rock, American Idol, Late Night, Real Housewives, The Office
• Tags: 24-Hour Restaurant Battle, 30 Rock, American Idol, Archer, Bones, Community, Parks & Recreation, Real Housewives of New York City, The Office Dundies, The Vampire Diaries, The Voice

(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | NBC
The Office – Rumors persist that Will Ferrell might be considered as Steve Carell‘s permanent replacement on The Office, and as the funny guy begins his guest stint tonight, fans will get the chance to evaluate whether or not he’s a good fit. Ferrell’s character? Deangelo Vickers, the new office manager who is subject to Michael’s training, and the staff’s attempts to kiss up.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – I wanna say it’s definitely Stefano who will get the boot tonight, but it’s not like there weren’t equally bad (Haley) performances (Lauren) last night (Casey).

8PM | NBC
Community – Abed takes a TV course, studying the classic sitcom … Who’s the Boss????

8:30PM | NBC – SERIES PREMIERE
The Paul Reiser Show – The Mad About You star tries to pull a Larry David by playing himself (or rather, a somewhat fictionalized version of himself) as he tries to restart his career years after his hit sitcom left the airwaves.

9PM | FOX
Bones – Jo Anne Worley guest stars as a pet psychic. Hello, welcome to 1975, Bones staff, and thanks for one of the most random guest stars ever.

9:30PM | NBC
Parks & Recreation – April and Andy host a dinner party for their friends. Can’t wait to see what’s on that menu.

10PM | NBC
30 Rock – TGS is on the chopping block, which prompts Liz to team up with the only she knows who can possibly located Tracy: Kenneth.

10PM | FX
Archer – Archer heads off to Russia to try and confirm who’s his daddy, but a lot of broken glass and his old nemesis Barry stand in his way.

10PM | FOOD NETWORK – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Ice Brigade – The team fashions a giant chessboard out of ice.

10PM | BRAVO
Real Housewives of New York City – I think we’re going to get the backstory on that “thug in a cocktail dress” comment that’s inspired a line of t-shirts when Alex and Sonja tussle tonight, though, unsurprisingly, Ramona gets into  a little war of her own when she makes a comment about Cindy, to someone else, who relates it back to Cindy.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
- When Elena and Stefan attend a school dance, Klaus plots to nab Elena and sacrifice her to end the vampire curse on Vampire Diaries (8PM, The CW);
- A new Bowled Over obstacle is described as “full body bowling” on Wipeout (8PM, ABC);
- Percy sends Michael off to London with orders to kill Nikita, while Amanda forces Alex to submit to a lie detector test on Nikita (9PM, The CW);
- In the sixth season premiere of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew (10PM, MTV), the first five crews dance Ke$ha-inspired numbers;
- NYC bike messengers are the subject of the new reality series Triple Rush (10PM, Travel);
- “Dating Game Killer” Rodney Alcala is the topic on True Crime with Aphrodite Jones (10PM, ID);
- Chris looks for an old friend and uncovers a secret along the way on Eagleheart (11:59PM, Cartoon Network).

And the late-night line-up:
- Conan (11PM, TBS): Matthew Morrison, Alexis Bledel and Queens of the Stone Age;
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Ricky Gervais;
- The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Caroline Kennedy;
- The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Seth Myers and Carmelo Anthony;
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Tyler Perry and Bright Eyes;
- Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Anne Hathaway, Anthony Anderson and Sum 41;
- Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Tom Arnold and Alison Brie;
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Chris Pratt and Kathy Bates (REPEAT);
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Kristen Bell and Jason Aldean;
- Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Florence & the Machine (REPEAT).

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• Filed in 30 Rock, American Idol, Late Night, Real Housewives, The Office, TV Picks
• Tags: 30 Rock, American Idol, Archer, Bones, Community, Ice Brigade, Parks & Recreation, Real Housewives of New York City, The Office Will Ferrell, The Paul Reiser Show

Who’s still reeling from that Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion (part one) on Monday? The Teresa blow-up topped her table-flipping tantrum from season one, but my favorite part was host Andy Cohen telling her how strong she was when she pushed him (!) into a chair. Teresa was laughing as he said it, but his light tone turned serious when he told her, “Don’t cross me.” Best quote of the night, followed by Caroline‘s comparison of Danielle‘s thuggy friend Danny to a Sweathog. Classic.

The first part of the reunion (part two airs on Sept. 6, 9PM ET) was the highest-rated episode in the Real Housewives franchise with 3.9 million viewers, and that’s not the only Housewives news the network has shared this week:

- Not surprisingly, The Real Housewives of NJ has been renewed for a third season.

- The Real Housewives of New York City is also returning – for a fourth season – but Bethenny Frankel, arguably the most popular cast member, will not be returning. She is expected to return for a second season of her spin-off series, Bethenny’s Getting Married?, though presumably with a name change, since she did get married.

- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the sixth entry in the franchise, premieres on Oct. 14, and the cast includes sisters Kim and Kyle Richards, who are aunts to Paris Hilton. They’re both also former child stars, with Kim having starred in Escape From Witch Mountain, James at 15, Nanny and the Professor and Hello, Larry, and Kyle on Little House on the Prairie and ER. But the real reason a lot of viewers may tune in: The cast also includes Camille Grammer, a.k.a. the soon-to-be ex-wife of Kelsey Grammer, who’s already moved on to another woman (who is already reportedly pregnant with Grammer’s baby). That little scandal is sure to factor into the new show …

- The Real Housewives of Atlanta, season three, premieres on Oct. 4, and it promises to be that show’s most dramatic season yet, especially since scene stealer NeNe Leakes 1) has had so much work done that she almost looks like a different person, 2) she’ll be fighting with her one-time BFF Dwight and 3) she and husband Greg are on the outs.

- The Real Housewives of Orange County will also return for a sixth season (no premiere date yet), and Lynne Curtin will be replaced by newbie Peggy Tanous, a friend of last season’s newbie, Alexis Bellino.

- Bravo is rumored to have The Real Housewives of New Orleans in the works for next summer.

- And, even though it’s not a Bravo show, the series unofficially known as the gay version of Real Housewives of New York, The A-List: New York, premieres on Logo on Oct. 4. Among the so-called A-List is Reichen Lehmkuhl, famous for winning the fourth season of The Amazing Race and dating ‘N Syncer Lance Bass.

Which, if any, of the Real Housewives shows will you be/are you watching?

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• Filed in Real Housewives
• Tags: Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of New Orleans, Real Housewives of New York City, The A-List: New York

Don’t miss tonight’s new Real Housewives of Orange County (10PM ET, Bravo), not only for the OC cast’s own drama, but for a sneak peek at the new season of The Real Housewives of NYC, which premieres on March 4.

On RH: OC, the women have a sleepover and Lynne confronts Gretchen about her chat with Lynne’s daughter, which Lynne took as Gretchen suggesting Lynne is a bad mom. As if having mother-daughter plastic surgery didn’t speak volumes on her parental fitness …

Meanwhile, the RH: NYC clip hints that not only are old rivalries still going strong – i.e. Ramona calling The Countess out on her fakeness – but it looks like one-time BFFs Bethenny and Jill may still be verbally girl-slapping each other, too. Bethenny, by the way, will also star in a RH: NYC spin-off series, Bethenny’s Getting Married?, which follows the preggers chef as she prepares for the arrival of her first child and a wedding to babydaddy Jason Hoppy.

And in one more potentially delicious bit of Real Housewives news, SoapCentral.com reports that Victoria Rowell, the former The Young and the Restless‘ Dru Winters, may join The Real Housewives of Atlanta next season.

Rowell is notoriously outspoken, about her life and the showbiz industry, so just the possibility of a NeNe Leakes/Rowell meet-up … one reality show might not be able to contain two divas of that magnitude. And oh, just imagine the possibility of an Andy Cohen Watch What Happens Live episode with NeNe and Rowell …

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• Filed in Real Housewives, Reality
• Tags: Bethenny Frankel spin-off, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of New York City, Real Housewives of NYC, Real Housewives of Orange County, Victoria Rowell Real Housewives of Atlanta

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

- Bravo has made it official, by confirming that the long-rumored Real Housewives of D.C. will premiere next year, along with a second season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

- More Housewives news: The Real Housewives of New York City is getting a new cast member.

- Fox is bringing back the Idol Gives Back charity event during next spring’s American Idol run.

- Fox has bought an hour-long drama series called Broken, about a journalist in New Orleans who becomes so discouraged about post-Katrina life in the city that he decides to become a vigilante working against corrupt social and government agencies. Sounds like an interesting idea, though it also sounds like a show that is going to need a major, name actor to attract viewers. Remember Fox’s doomed post-Katrina-themed drama K’Ville with Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser? Exactly.

- Craig Ferguson‘s take on the hubbub surrounding David Letterman‘s confession about having slept with his female staffers: “If we are now holding late-night talk show hosts to the same moral accountability as we hold politicians or clergyman, I’m out, I’m gone,” he joked. “I quite like my entertainers to be dangerous. I like my musicians to be kind of drug-fueled. Cause if you want entertainers to be squeaky clean, then who are you going to be watching? Jonas Brothers.” Good points all, though, as Ferguson himself pointed out, Letterman is his boss.

- According to a TiVo viewer demographics study, Republicans like to watch America’s Got Talent, Deadliest Catch and Wipeout, while Democrats like to watch Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Top Chef Masters and Saving Grace. As an informal follow-up, let’s test those findings … do they match up with your viewing habits/political affiliation?

- And tonight in primetime:

- A blogger who accused the NCIS (8PM ET, CBS) of covering up a murder is murdered
- On Nova: Darwin’s Darkest Hour (Check local listings for time and channel, PBS), a dramatization of Charles Darwin‘s decision to unveil his studies about evolution
- The contestants take a calorie quiz on The Biggest Loser (8PM, NBC)
- Silver and her mom butt heads again on 90210 (8PM, The CW)
- It’s down to the final four on Hell’s Kitchen (8PM, Fox)
- The Shark Tank (8PM, ABC) gang is pitched a line of celebrity fashion accessories
- New NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9PM
- Dancing With the Stars results show (9PM, ABC), week three
- Jane gives the police a tip that leads to Ella being questioned on Melrose Place (9PM, The CW)
- Mike crushes old boats in Miami on Dirty Jobs (9PM, Discovery)
- On Man Caves (9PM, DIY), a firefighter who loves baseball creates a locker room hangout in his home
- It’s the final round of auditions on So You Think You Can Dance (9PM, Fox)
- Alicia defends an old friend’s son when he’s accused of murder on The Good Wife (10PM, CBS)
- Cindy McCain takes the Green Car Challenge on The Jay Leno Show (10PM, NBC)
- The Forgotten (10PM, ABC) investigate the case of a murdered pro football player
- Jeff ‘fesses up about who his favorite employee is on Flipping Out (10PM, Bravo)
- Kristin stirs up even more trouble when she decides to go for it with Justin Bobby on The Hills (10PM, MTV)
- The third season of Parking Wars kicks off with back-to-back new episodes on A&E at 10PM
- New ep of Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World on the Travel Channel at 10PM
- Zobelle kicks his thirst to ruin SAMCRO up a notch, and one of the Sons is a victim on a new Sons of Anarchy (10PM, FX)
- Roxy dares to talk back to Kelly Cutrone on The City (10:30PM, MTV)

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• Filed in American Idol, TV News
• Tags: Idol Gives Back, Real Housewives of D.C., Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of New York City