(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)

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

Monday marks the official kick-off of Upfront Week, the annual New York City gathering of TV execs, advertisers and media during which the networks announce their schedules for the TV season ahead. Like every other industry, the TV biz has been hit by the country’s economic downturn and there are lots of TV actors, actresses, writers, producers and other crew members who are waiting to find out if they have a job.

Here’s a schedule of this week’s Upfront presentations, plus a rundown of what is/isn’t/might be popping up on the networks’ 2009-10 primetime schedules, starting with NBC:

NBC (“Infront” presentation was held May 5; fall 2009 schedule announcement: Tuesday, May 19)
Returning series: 30 Rock, The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice, Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Southland
On the bubble series: Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Medium, My Name is Earl
New series : Jay Leno‘s nightly talk show at 10PM, and …

– 100 Questions (Comedy)
Plot: Charlotte (Red Dwarf‘s Sophie Winkleman) joins an online dating service (where she has to answer the titular 100 questions) to find Mr. Right.
Stars: Winkleman, Heist/Quarterlife‘s David Walton and Coupling‘s Christopher Moynihan
It’s like: Every other Friends knock-off that wasn’t as funny as the original

– Breakthrough With Tony Robbins (Reality)
Plot: The self-help guru helps those in need help themselves
Stars: Uh, Tony Robbins
It’s like: The Biggest Loser for every other challenge someone might be facing

– Community (Comedy)
Plot: Following the students of Greenville Community College, including a lyin’ attorney (The Soup‘s Joel McHale) who needs a degree, fast.
Stars: McHale, Chevy Chase and Greek‘s Danny Pudi
It’s like: The funniest show NBC’s unleashed since 30 Rock

– Day One (Drama)
Plot: The residents of a California apartment building who survived some sort of apocalyptic event try to rebuild society and find out what exactly happened to their world
Stars: ER‘s David Lyons, The Shield‘s Catherine Dent, 24‘s Xander Berkeley and Popular‘s Carly Pope
It’s like: Melrose Place-meets-Jericho. And I mean that as a good thing

– The Marriage Ref (Reality)
Plot: Celebs, comedians and athletes mediate disputes between real-life marrieds. Because, as we all know, nowhere can you find better advice on how to have a good marriage than from Hollywood types
Stars: It’s executive produced by Jerry Seineld
It’s like: Well, getting marriage advice from Hollywood celebs

– Mercy (Drama)
Plot: Medical drama as told through the eyes of a nurse who has just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq
Stars: Newcomer Taylor Schilling, Men in Trees‘ James Tupper, Delroy Lindo, Weeds‘ Guillermo Diaz and Buffy/Gossip Girl‘s Michelle Trachtenberg
It’s like: ER-meets-China Beach

– Parenthood (Drama)
Plot: The Braverman siblings raise their own broods
Stars: Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia and Mae Whitman
It’s like: An occasionally funny, less annoying Brothers & Sisters

– Trauma (Drama)
Plot: An intense drama about the first-responder paramedics at San Francisco General
Stars: Derek Luke and Jamey Sheridan
It’s like: Rescue Me-meets-Third Watch

– Who Do You Think You Are? (Reality)
Plot: Celebs find out about their family trees
Stars: Episodes will feature Lisa Kudrow (an exec producer on the show), Susan Sarandon and Sarah Jessica Parker
It’s like: E! True Hollywood Story-meets-Ancestry.com

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• Filed in Celebreality, Comedy, Drama, Reality, TV News
• Tags: 100 Questions, 2009 fall season, Chevy Chase, Community, Day One, Jericho, Jerry Seinfeld, Joel McHale, Lisa Kudrow, Maura Tierney, Mercy, NBC, New TV season, Parenthood, Peter Krause, Sarah Jessica Parker, The Marriage Ref, Tony Robbins, Trauma, Upfronts, Who Do You Think You Are