(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | TNT – 1ST SEASON FINALE
Franklin & Bash – The show’s already been renewed for a second season, but it sounds like producers saved the best for last this season, as Danny Trejo guest stars as a wrestler who takes legal action when he’s fired being too old, and Tricia Helfer pops in as a top attorney who teams with Franklin and Bash on a murder case.

9PM | TEENNICK
Degrassi – Clare wants to get closer to Jake, but he’s not looking for a committed thang.

9PM | DISCOVERY – SHARK WEEK PREMIERE
How Sharks Hunt – If you’re about to be chomped by a shark, you probably don’t care what their killing techniques are. But knowing their crafty little ways ahead of time might help prevent an attack from ever happening, so … just watch, m’kay?

9PM | USA
Royal Pains – Paige says yes to Evan, but tells him he needs the General’s official stamp of approval.

10PM | DIRECTV
Damages – Patty’s old mentor, Bill Herndon (guest star Judd Hirsch) helps her get some info on Erickson (John Goodman), while Boorman tries to track down Ellen’s new witness.

10PM | FX
Rescue Me – Lou takes his diet seriously: He begins reading a book called The Celery Bible. Meanwhile, Sean goes out with the bridal shop woman, and has a great evening … until a really bad smell makes it a big stinker.

10 and 10:30PM | TRAVEL – SERIES PREMIERE
Truck Stop, Missouri – In honor of my brother, who is a truck driver in Missouri, this reality show, which follows the “colorful characters” who pass through the Midway Auto Truck Plaza in Columbia, Mo., is worth a look. In the back-to-back premiere episodes, a diner at the stop launches “The Big 70” eating challenge and a grandma who’s sporting lots of tattoos visits.

10:30PM | COMEDY CENTRAL
Jon Benjamin Has a Van – Patton Oswalt guest stars as a successful Broadway producer interviewed by Jon, while David Cross is Jon’s friend, who takes a little tour of NYC with the Archer star.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– The Power of Veto competition unfolds on Big Brother (8PM, CBS);
– Christina Applegate guest judges So You Think You Can Dance (8PM, Fox);
– Roseanne invites celebrity pals to join her for Passover dinner on Roseanne’s Nuts (9PM, Lifetime);
– Patrick “David Puddy” Warburton has the barn on his property renovated into a concert hall on Hollywood Hi-Tech (9:30PM, DIY);
– A surprise twist changes the game and strategies on The Challenge: Rivals (10PM, MTV);
– Chef Robert has to insist upon a new chef and a big makeover to help save an English-style pub in Indianapolis on Restaurant: Impossible (10PM, Food Network);
– Dave Hester (yeeeep!) reunites with his estranged brother on tonight’s Storage Wars (10 and 10:30PM, A&E).

And the late-night line-up:
– Conan (11PM, TBS): Olivia Wilde;
– The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11PM, Comedy Central): Austan Goolsbee;
– The Colbert Report (11:30PM, Comedy Central): Robert Wittman;
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Emma Stone;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Jeremy Piven and Kelly Osbourne;
– Lopez Tonight (Midnight, TBS): Matt Nathanson and Adrian Grenier;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): James Franco and Coldplay;
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Jason Bateman;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Craig tours the Louvre;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Yelawolf (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Damages, Degrassi, Franklin & Bash season finale, Jon Benjamin Has a Van, Royal Pains, Shark Week, Truck Stop Missouri

(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM | NBC – 5TH SEASON PREMIERE
Friday Night Lights – Yeah, yeah, those fans with DirecTV have already seen the final – sniffle – season unfold, and, true, it’s already out on DVD, but there’s still nothing like tuning in to watch FNL, one of the all-time great TV dramas, unfold live on a Friday night. Enjoy.

8PM | FOX
Kitchen Nightmares – Can you get good Caribbean food at a cafe in Pasadena? Not the one Gordo makes a visit to tonight, apparently.

8PM | ABC
Shark Tank – Keychains, a lighted sticker and smelly (in a good way) lip gloss are among the projects pitched to the Sharks.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – The good news is that Papa Kent (John Schneider) is back, but it’s in al-universe, where Clark isn’t Clark Kent, but Clark Luthor.

9PM | TEENNICK
Degrassi – Any guesses as to what Eli’s issue is going to turn out to be when he starts getting all creepy and clingy with Clair?

9PM | FOX
Fringe – The episode: “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide.” The plot: The team has precious little time to get William Bell’s consciousness out of Olivia’s body before Olivia is no more.

9PM | THE CW
Supernatural – Fate is ticked off at everyone, namely Balthazar for saving the Titanic. She’s also pretty upset with Sam and Dean, and Castiel tells the bros they’re gonna have to kill her to get any peace.  

10PM | SYFY
Sanctuary – The team’s punishment for trespassing in Praxis: death!

10:30PM | IFC – 5TH SEASON PREMIERE
The Whitest Kids U’ Know – Season premiere skits include a sex phone operator’s obsession with baked beans and “Little Hitler,” which presents a funny hypothesis about the source of the villain’s villainy.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s Glee meets The Breakfast Club when five high schoolers in detention bond and form a band in the TV flick Lemonade Mouth (8PM, Disney);
– Doctors and scientists try to find, and stop, the source of deadly pathogens like anthrax in the new series Killer Outbreaks (9PM, Animal Planet);
– It’s the second season finale of The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO (9PM);
– Back-to-back episodes of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC (9PM);
– Doug E. Doug guests on Bar Karma (10PM, Current);
– On Outrageous Food (10PM, Food Network), Tom samples turducken burgers.

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Tina Fey and Chris Cornell;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): John Travolta;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Norm McDonald (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Robin Wright;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Bill Hader (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Degrassi, Friday Night Lights season 5, Fringe, Kitchen Nightmares, Sanctuary, Shark Tank, Smallville, Supernatural, The Whitest Kids U' Know

(ALL TIMES ET)

10PM | CBS
Blue Bloods – Someone’s staring down the business end of a beatdown when Frank is the target of an assassination attempt, and detective son Danny goes looking for the perp to a) administer the aforementioned beatdown and b) determine if Frank was a random target or if the baddie intended to kill the NYPD Commissioner.

8PM | FOX
Kitchen Nightmares – Chef Gordo visits the Grasshopper Also Irish pub in New Jersey.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – Still giddy about the news that Michael Rosenbaum will return for the May 13 series finale? Another fan-pleasing event: Tonight, Lois advises Clark to don a disguise to protect his identity.

8PM | ABC
Supernanny – Jo‘s help is desperately needed, as a military wife whose husband is deployed in Afghanistan is trying to raise four adopted children, all under the age of 7, on her own.

9PM | CBS
CSI: NY – The CSIs are torn when a violent serial rapist is found murdered. Do they really want to catch the vigilante who killed the creep?

9PM | TEENNICK
Degrassi – Bianca wants to be with Drew, but a popular couple they do not make.

9PM | FOX
Fringe – Peter and Olivia try to heal the rift between them, as the team visits the home of a woman mourning the death of her husband.

9PM | ID – SERIES PREMIERE
The Injustice Files – The series investigates cold cases from the Civil Rights era, beginning with the unsolved 1967 murder of Wharlest Jackson, a man who was killed by a bomb in his truck after he accepted a promotion at a local factory in Mississippi.

9PM | THE CW
Supernatural – Dean rushes to save Lisa from impending doom, while Sam digs into a cluster of murders that may have been the result of some cruel practical jokes the dead dudes were playing on a female co-worker.

10:30PM | IFC
Portlandia – The town is excited about a new music and film festival. Fans of the show, meanwhile, should be excited that IFC just ordered a second season of the Fred Armisen comedy.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Who Do You Think You Are? (8PM, NBC) helps Rosie O’Donnell dig into her late mother’s family history;
– It’s a “redneck carnival” affair on My Big Redneck Wedding (8:30PM, CMT), which includes a dunk tank filled with beer;
– Obi-Wan and Anakin try to spring a Jedi general from a Separatist prison on Star Wars: The Clone Wars (8:30PM, Cartoon Network);
– Primetime: What Would You Do? (9PM, ABC) finds out how many people will say yes when asked by teens to purchase alcohol for them in a liquor store;
– Karl doles out romantic advice and tales of his kidney stones on The Ricky Gervais Show (9PM, HBO);
– On Bar Karma (10PM, Current), a children’s author comes to the bar, where he finds out his latest book is going to inspire an act of terrorism;
– Gold Rush: Alaska (10PM, Discovery) wraps its first season;
– Kevin Smith is the interview guest on Real Time With Bill Maher (10PM, HBO).

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): David Spade, Andy Kindler and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Mark Harmon and 30 Seconds to Mars;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Adam Sandler and Bobby Flay (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Patrice O’Neal, Ann Curry and Raekwon featuring Ghostface Killah and Jim Jones;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Lily Tomlin and D.J. Qualls;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Patton Oswalt.

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• Filed in Blue Bloods, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Blue Bloods, CSI: NY, Degrassi, Fringe, Kitchen Nightmares, Portlandia, Smallville, Supernanny, Supernatural, The Injustice Files, Tom Selleck, Wharlest Jackson

(ALL TIMES ET)

8 and 8:30PM | ABC
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Valentine – Poor Blockhead. All Charlie Brown wants in these two specials, from 1975 and 2002, respectively, is a Valentine’s Day card and some attention from the little red-haired girl. Meanwhile, Lucy awaits her own romantic communiqué from Schroeder, Sally wants Linus to love her as much as he loves his blanket and Snoopy busts out his typewriter to compose the perfect love poem.

6:30PM | THE HUB – SERIES PREMIERE
Transformers Prime – Yep, it’s an all-new Transformers series, but the same old enemies duke it out for control of the earth. In the opener, “Masters & Students,” Optimus Prime and Bumblebee take on Skyquake.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – With just six episodes left until the series finale, tonight’s action revolves around the ‘rents, as Clark’s mama gets shot at a pro-vigilante rally on TV and Lionel Luthor takes back his company.

8PM | NBC
Who Do You Think You Are? – Tim McGraw researches his dad’s (late Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw) ancestry and finds a connection to George Washington.

9PM | NGC – SERIES PREMIERE
Auction Packed – Why are we all so fascinated by the accumulation and selling of other people’s junk? I dunno, but as shows like this and Storage Wars prove, we are.

9PM | CBS
CSI:NY – The hitmaker plays a hit man: Grammy winner Ne-Yo guest stars as a man who kidnaps a woman and gives the CSI gang something to investigate tonight.

9PM | TEENNICK
Degrassi – Anya starts a romance with Chris … Dr. Chris … the much older Dr. Chris, who doesn’t know that she’s only 17.

9PM | FOX
Fringe – A flesh-eating insect is running amuck! Looks like even the alt universe isn’t immune to the bedbug invasion.

9PM | THE CW
Supernatural – Sam and Dean head off to Anytown USA, where, it turns out, Sam previously lived and engaged in some not-so-great behavior.

10PM | CURRENT – SERIES PREMIERE
Bar Karma – A guy walks into a bar … and you decide what he does after that. If you loved those “choose your own ending” books as a kid, this cool new series, in which viewers get to help decide everything from what happens to the characters to what music is playing in the titular bar, is worth a look. As for the story, Internet mogul Doug Jones (Matthew Humphreys) wins Bar Karma in a poker game. The Bar is run by 20,000-year-old bartender James (Newhart and Deadwood star William Sanderson), who, during every Happy Hour, helps one patron who’s “at a karmic crossroads” decide which path to take. Via the show’s Website, the viewer actually helps make the decisions, and the producers of the new series promise to include the names of those who make significant contributions in the show’s credits.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Adam Sandler hangs out on Live with Regis and Kelly (Check local listings for time and channel);
– It’s a “where are they now” installment on Kitchen Nightmares (8PM, Fox), when chef Gordo revisits some of the restaurants he’s tried to help;
– A couple gets married in a mud pit on My Big Redneck Wedding (8:30PM, CMT);
– And 20/20 (10PM, ABC) tells the story of the Kims, a California family that took one wrong turn off the interstate in 2006 and ended up stranded in their car in a snowstorm for more than a week.

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Ed Helms and The Deers;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Kathy Griffin, Gayle King and The Black Keys;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): TBA (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Adam Sandler and Aziz Ansari;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Jason Biggs and Jennifer Ouellette;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Brooklyn Decker, Chuck Brown and singer Clare Burson.

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• Filed in Cartoons, Holiday Programming, TV Picks
• Tags: A Charlie Brown Valentine, Auction Packed, Bar Karma, Be My Valentine Charlie Brown, CSI:NY, Degrassi, Fringe, Smallville, Supernatural, Transformers Prime, Who Do You Think You Are