(ALL TIMES ET)

9PM | FOX – 3RD SEASON FINALE
Fringe – Real world and the alt world collide in this game-changing season ender, which includes the death of a team member and, according to producers, several scenes fans are going to be rewatching again and again while anxiously awaiting season four (and yes, the show has already been renewed for a fourth season).

8PM | NBC
Friday Night Lights – Buddy finds out just how much work Buddy Jr. is going to require, and Luke gets an offer from TMU.

8PM | FOX
Kitchen Nightmares – Gordo tries to work his makeover magic on Capri, an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.

8PM | DIY
Man Caves – An extreme sports fan’s garage is turned into an adventure cave.

8PM | ABC
Shark Tank – Things get extra crazy in the Shark Tank tonight, as Mark Cuban tells all the entrepreneurs – including the maker of a male-aimed candle and someone claiming to have an innovative wedding product – that they shouldn’t negotiate with the other Sharks if they want to have any hope of wheeling and dealing with him.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – Only one week ’til the series finale. In this penultimate episode, Jor-el gives Lois Clark’s superpowers as a wedding present, so she’ll understand what it’s like to be Clark for one day.

9PM | CBS
CSI: NY – Peter Fonda guest stars as Mac’s former partner, who, along with Mac, is on the receiving end of gunfire sparked by a grudge that’s been stewing for decades.

9PM | THE CW
Supernatural – Castiel tells Sam, Dean and Bobby about the war in heaven, and how he and Raphael became enemies, but Bobby believes his story is missing a lot of important details.

10PM | CBS
Blue Bloods – When friends of the Reagans are murdered, the family’s drug addict son is the main suspect. Meanwhile, Jamie’s gun is stolen, leading him to worry that he’s being set up for investigating the Blue Templars.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– It’s the fourth season premiere of Flashpoint (8PM, CBS);
– Everyone graduates and the ship is sold on the series finale of Suite Life on Deck (8PM, Disney);
– Back-to-back new eps of Say Yes to the Dress (9PM, TLC);
– A retro candy machine and a safe without a combination are on tap on American Restoration (10PM, History);
– National security journalist Peter Bergen is the guest on Real Time With Bill Maher (10PM, HBO);
– IFC has a new Whitest Kids U’Know (10:30PM).

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Bill Murray;
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Steven Tyler and the Civil Wars;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Edie Falco and Carmelo Anthony;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Will Ferrell;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Paul Feig.

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• Filed in Blue Bloods, Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Blue Bloods, CSI: NY, Friday Night Lights, Fringe season 3 finale, Kitchen Nightmares, Man Caves, Shark Tank, Smallville, Supernatural

(ALL TIMES ET)

8PM | ABC
Shark Tank – My favorite Friday night show has a packed line-up of entrepreneurs tonight, including the creator of Hot Mama Gowns, a line of chic maternity dresses, and the guy behind the cleverly named Caddyswag, a beverage cooler that fits inside a golf bag. The Sharks – tonight’s panel includes Barbara Corcoran, Kevin Harrington, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary – get particularly excited, and competitive, over the SweepEasy, a cleaning product invented by a stay-at-home dad.

8PM | NBC
Friday Night Lights – Coach Eric and his team are forced to face the fact that, despite an impressive win last week, they still can’t get any respect in high school football land.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – With just three episodes left before the series finale, Lois is advising Clark how to distinguish himself from the Blur. But when Booster Gold (Eric Martsolf, Days of Our Lives and Passions), a superhero from the future, comes to town and starts stealing the spotlight for himself, Lois decides her best bet is to support The Blur. The devil you know, and all that.

9PM | TEENNICK – 10TH SEASON FINALE
Degrassi – Season 11 will premiere this summer, but for now, the season 10 finale is making me have Craig meltdown flashbacks, as Eli promises to give Clare a little room to breathe, but finds it very difficult to keep his promise.

9PM | FOX
Fringe – Walternate has vengeance on his mind, which causes problems in alt-world.

9PM | CBS
Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country – Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Martina McBride are among the performers honored in this salute to the women of country music, though Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts also perform.

9PM | THE CW
Supernatural – In “Frontierland,” Sam and Dean travel back in time to the Old West, which, yes, means you should expect plenty of Back to the Future references.

9PM | HBO
Talking Funny – Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K. talk about the process of creating their comedy material, recycling jokes and their favorite routines in this Gervais-produced special.

10PM | ABC
20/20 – Elton John chats with Babs Walters about his new baby boy, Zachary, who was born last Christmas.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Back-to-back new episodes of Royal Weddings of a Lifetime (9PM, Lifetime) revolve around Prince William and Kate Middleton’s love story and predictions about their life together after next week’s big royal wedding;
– History has back-to-back new episodes of American Restoration (10PM);
– On Outrageous Food (10PM, Food Network), Tom travels to Philly to try a challenge that includes scarfing a 2-foot Philly cheesesteak sandwich and 12 Tastykakes;
– Magnus returns to Sanctuary (10PM, Syfy) and finds out that Bigfoot is missing and Henry has been battered, he claims, by Will;
– It’s a new Whitest Kids U’Know (10:30PM, IFC), with skits about a squirrel flying into a car’s sunroof and bad food ordering on a first date.

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Danny McBride and Jack Hanna (REPEAT);
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Kim and Kourtney Kardashian (REPEAT);
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Vin Diesel (REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): The Lonely Island, Magic Johnson and Stephen Colbert (REPEAT);
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Diane Lane;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Cee Lo Green and Josh Radnor (REPEAT).

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• Filed in Late Night, TV Picks
• Tags: Degrassi season 10 finale, Friday Night Lights, Fringe, Shark Tank, Smallville, Supernatural

(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)

8PM | AMC – SEASON ONE MARATHON
The Walking Dead – Yep, season one is available on DVD, or you can watch the whole thing unfold, marathon viewing-style, tonight on AMC, and check out lots of behind-the-scenes featurettes at AMCTV.com.

8PM | CBS
The Defenders – Kathy Griffin guest stars as a comedian who gets sued for insulting an audience member.

8PM | FOX
NAACP Image Awards – The multi-talented Wayne Brady co-hosts with Holly Robinson Peete, as Tyler Perry leads all nominees with 19 nods and Colin Powell receives the President’s Award.

8PM | CNN
Race and Rage: The Beating of Rodney King – The 20th anniversary of the Rodney King police brutality drama was March 3, and this CNN special includes an interview with King about the brutal beating he suffered in 1991 and the 1992 riots that followed the exoneration of the LAPD officers who abused him, as well as an update on the LAPD and race relations in Los Angeles in the last two decades.

8PM | THE CW
Smallville – Lionel and Tess duke it out for control of the Luthor name.

8PM | ABC
Supernanny – Jo rides the rescue of a family with five kids, who are disciplined with wooden spoons and hot sauce, or not at all, since the fam spun out of control after the death of their grandmother.

8PM | NBC
Who Do You Think You Are? – Pop crooner Lionel Richie traces his family tree and finds a connection to the beginning of the civil rights movement.

9PM | TLC
Say Yes to the Dress – A guy schedules an appointment for his girlfriend, so he can propose to her in the salon. Reeeeally hope she’s gonna say yes to the proposal.

10:30PM | TLC
DC Cupcakes – In the “Operation Cupcakes” episode, the bakers whip up 10,000 tasty treats to send to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

11PM | VH1
Friday Night Alright: Adele Unplugged – The incredible, and incredibly cool, British singer, who has the number one album in the country, performs an acoustic set.

Worth flipping to during commercials:
– Yep, it’s all about the junior rednecks on My Big Redneck Baby (8:30PM, CMT), where a couple prepares for a newborn with a camouflage nursery and a beer can mobile;
– Fitz returns and wants to meet with Eli and Clare on Degrassi (9PM, TeenNick);
– Karl shares a poem about his kidney stones on The Ricky Gervais Show (9PM, HBO);
– Bobby and Samuel help Sam and Dean hunt for a deadly monster created by Mother of All on Supernatural (9PM, The CW);
– The Truth About Shoplifting (9PM, CNBC) sheds light on how everyone else pays higher prices when those with sticky fingers help themselves to merch;
– In the third season premiere of American Loggers (10PM, Discovery), the guys have a successful summer and decide to construct their own logging trailers;
– Just before he leaves to try to retrieve the Golden Trident from the Fisher King, Morgana gives Merlin a bracelet that takes away all his strength on Merlin (10PM, Syfy).

And the late-night line-up:
– The Late Show with David Letterman (11:35PM, CBS): Piers Morgan (REPEAT);
– The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35PM, NBC): Aaron Eckhart and Christie Brinkley;
– Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05AM, ABC): Tom Hanks and Cee Lo Green (OSCAR NIGHT REPEAT);
– Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (12:35AM, NBC): Chris Pratt and Kathy Bates;
– The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:37AM, CBS): Kathy Griffin;
– Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35AM, NBC): Josh Radnor.

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• Filed in Award shows, Late Night, Music on TV, TV Picks
• Tags: Adele Unplugged, DC Cupcakes, NAACP Image Awards, Rodney King anniversary, Say Yes to the Dress, Smallville, Supernatural, The Defenders, The Walking Dead, Who Do You Think You Are

(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