(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM | ABC
The Middle – Axl texts a girl to ask her to the prom, and she accepts. The problem: His text went to the wrong girl, and his parents insist that he either take the girl who accepted, or tell her – in person – that he doesn’t want to be her date. Meanwhile, Frankie and Mike find Brick’s new one-man show entertaining … the first time they see it. Not so much after that.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – Lady Gaga serves as a mentor as the top four sing the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who penned Elvis Presley hits like “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Don’t,” as well as other classics like “Kansas City,” “Yakety Yak” and “Stand By Me.” In other words, great music, but yet another not-so-contemporary theme that makes Idol seem out of touch. Meanwhile, it’s a very Gaga night in primetime (see below) …

8PM | CBS
Survivor – Andrea participates in her first Redemption Island duel, while another Survivor plots a major, and risky, move.

9PM | CBS
Criminal Minds – Tonight’s case becomes personal for Morgan (Shemar Moore) when a Florida serial killer begins burying his victims in the ocean, and Morgan’s aunt is petrified that her missing daughter may be among them.

9PM | ABC
Modern Family – Cam has the flu, but it’s Mitchell who’s just sick about the possibility that Cameron’s illness may jeopardize his chance to see Lady Gaga in concert.

9:30PM | ABC
Cougar Town – Is Grayson finally tired of Jules telling him what to do? Yup.

9:30PM | TLC
Extreme Couponing – One of tonight’s couponers shows how her coupon savings provide her with funds for travel, while another busy mom has to take her kids along on an otherwise meticulously-planned shopping trip.

10PM | NBC
Law & Order: SVU – All is not what it initially appears to be (i.e., twists ahead), when a woman finds a naked teenage boy sleeping in her bedroom, and the kid’s mom (Rita Wilson, a.k.a. Mrs. Tom Hanks) strenuously defends her son.

10PM | MTV
The Real World: Las Vegas – Nany‘s got some secrets, but Cooke doesn’t, as Heather finds out that Dustin and Cooke hooked up, and she’s none too happy about it.

10PM | COMEDY CENTRAL
South Park – The royal wedding and our neighbors to the north are the spoofees tonight, as Ike becomes obsessed aboot the impending nuptials of the prince, and princess-to-be, of Canada.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– The two finalists are revealed on America’s Next Top Model (9PM, The CW);
– The MythBusters dudes test Hollywood sound effects (9PM, Discovery);
– Oz locks the team in the office when they fail to protect a fast food chicken chain’s secret recipe on Breaking In (9:30PM, Fox);
– Fickler asks the team to help find the missing daughter of his good friend, a judge, on Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (10PM, CBS);
– The chefs prepare a meal for Maroon 5 on Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Jon Hamm and Ke$ha;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Albert Brooks;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): James B. Stewart;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Ray LaMontagne, Chaz Bono and Keith Olbermann;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Dick Van Dyke and Steve Earle;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Nick Cannon and Bruno Tonioli;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Chris O’Donnell;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Jakob Dylan, Keith Richards and Jennifer Hudson;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Tim Meadows;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Grouplove.

• 1 Comment
• Filed in American Idol, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Cougar Town, Criminal Minds, Extreme Couponing, Law & Order: SVU, Modern Family, South Park, Survivor, The Middle, The Real World Las Vegas

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | FX – 2ND SEASON FINALE
Justified – The finale of what has been a fantastic, Emmy-worthy sophomore season is called “Bloody Harlan,” and if you think that refers to battle, right you are. Tensions between Boyd (Walt Goggins) and the Bennetts reach a boiling point, and pretty much everyone in town has a weapon in his or her hand. And, though Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Winona (Natalie Zea) were planning to skip town and leave the craziness behind, a missing person case drags the lawman back into the thick of the war, which is going to end with more than one major character taking a bullet.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – It’s “Now and Then” week, meaning the final five will sing one current song and one song from the 1960s and that we will see what a baby James Durbin looked like.

8PM | ABC
The Middle – A day to herself sounds like the perfect Mother’s Day present to Frankie, but, of course, that doesn’t go as planned.

8PM | CBS
Survivor – Boston Rob’s team has to vote out one of its own, while a four-person battle unfolds at Redemption Island.

9PM | ABC
Modern Family – Phil and Jay make for one of the best, most awkwardly funny, pairings on the show, and that’s certainly the case when they decide to work together to prepare Mother’s Day dinner tonight.

9:30PM | TLC
Extreme Couponing – A super couponer tries to gather 700 items to donate, without spending a dime.

9:30PM | ABC
Cougar Town – Grayson tries to bond with Travis, just as Jules decides to finally let her son start making some decisions on his own.

10PM | NAT GEO WILD – SERIES PREMIERE
Animal Fugitives – In the opener of the series that features footage of animals on the loose, a chimp escapes in suburban neighborhood.

10PM | NBC
Law & Order: SVU – You may like him better as a good guy, but John Stamos makes a fine baddie, too, as in this SVU installment, where he plays a creepy dude taking advantage of women and their babies.

10PM | MTV
The Real World – Heather‘s plan for getting over Dustin? Making out with Nany. Meanwhile, Naomi takes a pregnancy test.

10PM | COMEDY CENTRAL
South Park – Just like Comedy Central, the Special Ed department at the elementary school decides to launch a comedy awards show, with Jimmy as host. But things turn serious when someone makes a joke about the Germans not having a sense of humor.

10PM | TLC – SERIES PREMIERE
Spouse vs. House – Couples who are feeling a little skint get everything they need to perform some nifty renovations in this new home makeover series. The catch? One half of the couple has to move out temporarily and trust the other half to do all the work.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– The final four are in Morocco, where they have to balance tea trays on their heads while dancing on America’s Next Top Model (9PM, The CW);
– There may be a serial killer on the loose in a North Carolina mountain town on Criminal Minds (9PM, CBS);
– A torpedo and a truck full of wine are among the experiments on MythBusters (9PM, Discovery);
– The team is hired to protect a copy, the only copy, of The Goonies movie sequel on Breaking In (9:30PM, Fox);
– Cooper and Fickler are caught up in the case of a death row inmate who’s demanding a retrial based on Fickler’s evidence on Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (10PM, CBS);
– Sure, they can whip up fancy food, but how will the Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo) do when they have to work the drive-thru of a fast food joint?;
– The Electric Barbarellas (11PM, MTV) is yet another “making the band” reality series.

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Eva Mendes;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): David Barton;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Amy Farrell;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Betty White and Rick Harrison;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Chris Hemsworth and Kate Hudson;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Paul Walker and Mike Rowe;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Kenneth Branagh and Ellie Kemper;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Alec Baldwin;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): John Water and Pauley Perrette;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Sarah Vowell.

• 1 Comment
• Filed in American Idol, Betty White, Justified, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Cougar Town, Extreme Couponing, Justified season 2 finale, Law & Order: SVU, Modern Family, South Park, Survivor, The Middle, The Real World

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | COMEDY CENTRAL – 15TH SEASON PREMIERE
South Park – Apple  and Steve Jobs are among the skewerees in tonight’s season premiere, titled “The HumancentiPad.”

8PM | FOX
American Idol – Week six, and the contestants are performing tunes by Carole King.

8PM | NBC
Inside the Royal Wedding – Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera host this preview of Friday’s royal wedding, including deets on Kate Middleton‘s dress, the wedding cake and the guest list. For even more info on the big day, check out my “50 Things You Should Know About the Royal Wedding” feature at AOL TV.

8PM | CBS
Survivor – A log-rolling competition and the arrival of a mystery package shake up the contestants tonight.

9PM | NBC
The Voice – If you missed last night’s premiere, NBC is repeating it tonight, and it’s soooo worth checking out. I would say it’s easily the biggest (pleasant) surprise of the TV season.

9:30PM | FOX
Breaking In – Is Melanie’s ex-con papa visiting her because he missed her, or because the team is testing out a new security measure that would allow him to get the scoop on how to break into a museum where a pricey collectible is being held? That is the question.

9:30PM | CBS
Cougar Town – Ellie and Grayson are shocked to find that they have a trivia ringer in their midst: Laurie.

9:30PM | TLC
Extreme Couponing – The thrifty clippers in tonight’s episode include a woman who’s willing to Dumpster dive for coupons, and another who tries to teach her son how to extreme coupon (What? It’s a verb now) as he heads off to college.

10PM | TLC
Extreme Royal Collections – Like the title says, it’s about people obsessed with collecting all things royal.

10PM | FX
Justified – Oh, Aunt Helen. That was a shocker, and it’s one that sends Raylan reeling in this penultimate episode of the season, which also is the best episode so far of a fantastic sophomore season. Raylan has it out with Dickie Bennett and Arlo, and, though it’s all too brief, we finally get to see a moment between Givens paterfamilias Arlo and big bad Bennett mama Mags. There’s also increasing tension between Raylan and Boyd, and it’s all going to lead to next week’s season finale, appropriately called “Bloody Harlan.”

10PM | MTV
The Real World – Is the Vegas crew about to lose another housemate? Could be, as Heather freaks out when she learns about Dustin‘s past as a gay porn actor. For reals.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– The editor of Italian Vogue is the guest judge on America’s Next Top Model (9PM, The CW);
– An arrow + explosives = good fun on MythBusters (9PM, Discovery);
– Get the scoop on the soon-to-be princess in Biography: Kate Middleton (10PM, BIO);
– Corporate synergy! The chefs prepare a day’s worth of health, low-cal meals for the contestants on The Biggest Loser on Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Martha Stewart and Emily Blunt (REPEAT);
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Sen. Bernie Sanders;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Ice-T;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Emmylou Harris and Kate Hudson;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Buddy Guy and Rene Russo;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Mike Tyson (REPEAT);
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Larry King;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Seth Meyers;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Matthew McConaughey and Amy Smart (REPEAT);
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): John Lehr.

• No Comments
• Filed in American Idol, Justified, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Breaking In, Cougar Town, Extreme Couponing, Justified, Royal Wedding, South Park season 15 premiere, Survivor, The Real World, The Voice

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | FX
Justified – While Raylan is busily trying to figure out who wants to kill him, Boyd throws in with Raylan’s papa, Arlo, as he takes on Dickie for control of the Harlan County pot biz (and continues to heat up his new romance with Ava). But, be warned about the closing minutes of tonight’s episode: You will be yelling “Noooooooooooooo!” at your TV screen.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – The top 7 sing songs from the 21st century. Wow, what an exciting and specific theme, AI producers.

8PM | ABC
The Middle – The Hecks are worried about how obsessed Frankie is with the royal wedding, especially after she buys a very pricey HDTV on which to watch it.

8PM | CBS
Survivor – An ugly argument ensues when one team’s rice becomes contaminated, while the first member of the jury is established.

9PM | ABC
Modern Family – Cam and Mitchell wig about who will be Lily’s legal guardian if anything should ever happen to them, and when they evaluate the Prichett clan, no one holds up well to the scrutiny.

9:30PM | FOX
Breaking In – Oz helps his childhood pal, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, with a security issue.

9:30PM | ABC
Cougar Town – Jules and Grayson babysit Stan, while Andy tries to help Laurie get her dating groove back on.

9:30PM | TLC
Extreme Couponing – A woman in Missouri plans to score $400 worth of groceries for less than a ten spot, while super couponer Missy, in Florida, plans a shopping spree in which her coupons will actually net her $50.

10PM | MTV
The Real World – Adam‘s ouster means the RWers get a new roommie, and when the newbie goes after Dustin, an all-out roommate war ensues .

10:30PM | A&E – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Storage Wars – First of all, A&E, please make more episodes soon. As for tonight’s installment, word is that one of the treasure hunters drops $5,500 on one storage unit.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Adam and Jamie try to walk on water for tonight’s MythBusters experiment (9PM, Discovery);
– A new Cold Blood installment looks at the Amanda Knox trial (10PM, ID);
– ABC has back-to-back new eps of Happy Endings (10PM);
– Yes, it is interesting that Hoarding (10PM, TLC) follows Extreme Couponing on TLC;
– The chefs have to whip up some tasty using something icky, namely crickets and beetles, on Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo);
– It’s the end of the third season for Being Erica (11PM, SoapNet).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Tyler Perry, Morgan Spurlock and The Strokes;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Ricky Gervais (REPEAT);
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage (REPEAT);
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): James Franco (REPEAT);
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Kirstie Alley (REPEAT);
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Dwayne Johnson;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Robert Pattinson;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Amy Poehler and Tiger Woods (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Michael Clarke Duncan;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Jason Sudekis (REPEAT).

• No Comments
• Filed in American Idol, Justified, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Breaking In, Cougar Town, Extreme Couponing, Justified, Modern Family, Storage Wars, Survivor, The Middle, The Real World

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | FX
Justified – Bummed about son Coover’s death (despite what she did to his hand), Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) decides to get her affairs in order, which means a pile of cash and the promise of peace for one Givens family member, and a nice hunk of humiliation and trouble for one of Mags’ own. Meanwhile, when Winona lets Raylan know that she’s finally divorcing the hapless Gary, Raylan starts contemplating his own future, and Boyd … well, let’s just say Boyd starts to thoroughly embrace his inevitable role as the new king of Harlan County.

8PM | FOX
American Idol – It’s down to the final eight, who perform songs from movies tonight. Will this week lead to another “shocking” ouster? Not for me … the only thing shocking at this point is how overrated this group of contestants is, especially when it comes to the judges’ criticisms (or lack thereof). The season started off with much promise, but, as Idol expert and author Richard Rushfield points out today at The Daily Beast, what we’ve ended up with is another lackluster season, and one that definitely has us all missing Simon Cowell very, very much.

8PM | ABC
The Middle – Brick is humiliated (humiliated) when Frankie makes him wear his cousin’s old clothes.

8PM | CBS
Survivor – What does a double tribal council mean? Two players are headed to Redemption Island, of course..

9PM | ABC
Modern Family – Everyone has fame on their minds, as Phil tries to convince his fam to appear in his realty business commercial and, in what’s sure to be one of the season’s most fun storylines, Cameron becomes the music director at Luke and Manny’s school.

9PM | DISCOVERY – 8TH SEASON PREMIERE
MythBusters – A magazine + a toaster = an explosive device? Adam and Jamie test that movie myth.

9:30PM | FOX
Breaking In – Alyssa Milano guest stars as a dentist who’s impressed by Cameron’s (Bret Harrison) job.

9:30PM | TLC
Extreme Couponing – Remember Nathan, from the original Extreme Couponing special, the guy who donated all that cereal to a food bank? The philanthropic coupon clipper is at it again tonight, as he tries to put his money-saving skills to work to assemble enough goodies to send 1,000 care packages to American military men and women. Awesome.

9:30PM | ABC – SERIES PREMIERE
Happy Endings – 24 daughter Elisha Cuthbert (yeah, I always wished that mountain lion would have eaten her, too) stars in back-to-back episodes of this new comedy about a woman who throws her group of friends into chaos when she leaves her fiancé at the altar.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Bobby tries to make the best Baked Alaska on Throwdown with Bobby Flay (8:30PM, Food Network);
– The Criminal Minds team travels to San Diego to investigate a series of killings involving college students (9PM, CBS);
– A couple wins their dream wedding on the season one finale of Shedding for the Wedding (9PM, The CW);
– The BAU team digs into the kidnappings of new mothers on Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (10PM, CBS);
– Benson’s still looking after her young charge, while also searching for his druggie mom on Law & Order: SVU (10PM, NBC);
– Will Adam become the latest Real World roommate to get the boot? (10PM, MTV);
– Back-to-back Storage Wars episodes (10PM, A&E);
– Mad Men star Christina Hendricks challenges the contestants to perform a retro-themed challenge on Top Chef Masters (10PM, Bravo);
– Eyewitness video, from news crews and amateur videographers, of the tsunami and earthquake disaster in Japan make up NGC’s Witness: Disaster in Japan special (10PM).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Anthony Anderson and Dax Shepard;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Tracy Morgan;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Morgan Spurlock;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Aziz Ansari and Courteney Cox;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Diane Lane and Chris Jericho;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Prince;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Eva Longoria, Patrick Warburton and Robyn;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Mike Tyson (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Ashley Judd;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Producer Gale Anne Hurd (REPEAT).

• No Comments
• Filed in American Idol, Justified, Late Night, Mad Men, TV Picks
• Tags: American Idol, Breaking In, Extreme Couponing, Justified, Modern Family, MythBusters, Survivor, The Middle