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TV Premieres and Finales airing Aug. 9-15

   Friday is when The Oklahoman
posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
   And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of Aug. 9-15.
   If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
 
BEGINNINGS
••“Ten Dollar Dinners,” 11:30 a.m. Sunday on Food Network (series premiere).
••“Raging Planet,” 8 p.m. Sunday on Discovery (series premiere).
••“Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew,” 8 p.m. Sunday on MTV (fourth-season premiere).
••“Shark Tank,” 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC (series premiere).
••“There Goes the Neighborhood,” 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS (series premiere).
••“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC (first of 11 new episodes airing over two weeks).
••“Popular Science’s Future Of,” 8 p.m. Monday on Science Channel (series premiere).
••“Daddy’s Girls,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on MTV (second-season premiere).
••“Man vs. Wild,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on Discovery (fourth-season premiere).
••“Truth Be Told,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on TLC (series premiere).
••“Criss Angel Mindfreak,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on A&E (fifth-season premiere).
••“Dinner: Impossible,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Food Network (seventh-season premiere).
••“Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Cincinnati Bengals,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on HBO (fifth-season premiere).
••“Into the Pride,” 7 p.m. Thursday on Animal Planet (series premiere).
••“Special Ops Mission,” 9 p.m. Thursday on Military channel (series premiere).
••“Househusbands of Hollywood,” 8 p.m. Saturday on Fox Reality Channel (series premiere).

ENDINGS
••“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” 8 p.m. Sunday on USA (eighth-season finale).
••“In Plain Sight,” 9 p.m. Sunday on USA (second-season finale).
••“Jesse James Is a Dead Man,” 9 p.m. Sunday on SPIKE (first-season finale).
••“Z Rock,” 10 p.m. Sunday on IFC (second-season finale).
••“Obsessed,” 9 p.m. Monday on A&E (first-season finale).
••“NYC Prep,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on Bravo (first-season finale).
••“Better Off Ted,” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on ABC (first-season finale).
••“Ghost Hunters International,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on Syfy (summer finale).
••“The Mom Show,” 9 a.m. Friday on WE (season finale).
••“Mental,” 7 p.m. Friday on Fox (first-season finale).

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

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TV Premieres and Finales airing July 19-25, 2009

  

 Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
   And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of July 19.
   If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
 
BEGINNINGS
••“HGTV Design Star,” 9 p.m. Sunday on HGTV (fourth-season premiere).
••“Most Popular,” 9 p.m. Sunday on WEtv (series premiere).
••“Pawn Star$,” 9 p.m. Sunday on History (series premiere).
••“Wake Up With Al,” 6 a.m. Monday on The Weather Channel (series premiere).
••“Solved,” 8 p.m. Monday on Investigation Discovery (second-season premiere).
••“Yard Crashers,” 8 p.m. Monday on DIY (third-season premiere).
••“Three Sheets,” 9 p.m. Monday on FLN (fourth-season premiere). 
••“Dating in the Dark,” 9:02 p.m. Monday on ABC (series premiere).
••“Hell’s Kitchen,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on Fox (sixth-season premiere).
••“Moving Up,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on TLC (second-season premiere).
••“Ruby & the Rockits,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on ABC Family (series premiere).
••“The Colony,” 9:01 p.m. Tuesday on Discovery (series premiere).
••“Toddlers and Tiaras,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on TLC (second-season premiere).
••“Wild Russia,” 7 p.m. Thursday on Animal Planet (series premiere).
••“How Do I Look?” 8 p.m. Thursday on Style Network (10th-season premiere).
••“5 Ingredient Fix,” 11:30 a.m. Saturday on Food Network (second-season premiere).
••“Being Human,” 8 p.m. Saturday on BBC America (series premiere).

ENDINGS
••“Primetime: Family Secrets,” 9 p.m. Monday on ABC (series finale).
••“NYC Prep,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on Bravo (first-season finale).
••“Samantha Who?” 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ABC (series finale).
••“16 & Pregnant,” 9 p.m. Thursday on MTV (first-season finale).
••“Southern Belles: Louisville,” 9 p.m. Thursday on SoapNet (first-season finale).
••“The Chopping Block,” 7 p.m. Friday on NBC (series finale).
••“Kings,” 7 p.m. Saturday on NBC (series finale).
••“Primeval,” 7 p.m. Saturday on BBC America (third-season finale).

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

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Top 55 TV Programs for July 19-25, 2009

 Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
   But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of July 19:

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

SUNDAY, JULY 19
◊“AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Michael Douglas” (8 p.m. on TV Land): Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Martin Sheen, Oliver Stone, Benicio Del Toro, and Kathleen Turner are among those honoring Michael Douglas as the American Film Institute’s 37th recipient of the award. His father Kirk Douglas, the 1991 AFI honoree, also makes an appearance.
◊“Held Hostage” (6 p.m. on Lifetime Movie Network): Three masked men break into the home of Michelle Estey (Julie Benz, “Dexter”), an asistant bank vice president, and hold her and her daughter captive. It is part of the network’s “Best Seller Summer” and is based on the novel by Michelle Renee.
◊“Hell Hounds” (8 p.m. on Syfy): After his bride (Amanda Brooks, “Flightplan”) is poisoned at their wedding, a young Greek warrior (Scott Elrod, “Men In Trees”) risks a journey to Hades to rescue her from the God of the Underworld and bring her back to life.  When he leaves with her, Hades sends his hellhounds to track them down and kill them. Ricky Schroeder (“Strong Medicine”) directed the movie.
◊“HGTV Design Star” (9 p.m. on HGTV): The competition series is back for Season 4 with 11 creative finalists and a judging panel featuring Genevieve Gorder (Dear Genevieve), Candice Olson (Divine Design) and Vern Yip (Deserving Design). The finalists must navigate demanding design challenges and dazzle the judges with creativity until one wins their own show on HGTV.
◊“Labor Pains” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): This new original movie stars Lindsay Lohan as an assistant at a publishing company who pretends to be pregnant in order to avoid being fired by her boss. Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Chris Parnell (“Saturday Night Live”), Luke Kirby (“Tell Me You Love Me”), Kevin Covais (“American Idol”) and Janeane Garofalo (“24”) also star.
◊“Life After Film School” (6:30 p.m. on Fox Movie Channel): Film students interview Barry Josephson, producer of the 20th Century Fox release “Aliens in the Attic.” He discusses his new film starring Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts and a group of kids who confront
aliens invading their vacation home. The movie opens in theaters July 31.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): In the new installment “They Do It With Mirrors,” Miss Marple must summon all her uncanny attention to detail to solve the case of a murder that takes place during the confusion that ensues when the power goes out during a rehearsal for an amateur show.
◊“Merlin” (7 p.m. on NBC): Arthur becomes love-struck with a mysterious girl and stands to lose more than just his heart.
◊“Most Popular” (9 p.m. on WEtv): Graham Norton (”The Graham Norton Show”) hosts this new series that will test an audience of 100 women on snap-judgments that could cost one of seven contestants a cash prize of $10,000. The show kicks off with a special bridal episode featuring brides from the sixth season of “Bridezillas.”
◊“NewNowNext” (11 p.m. on Logo): This new special features an intimate interview with award-winning music artist Stevie Nicks. She discusses various aspects of her career as a solo artist and part of legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac. Nicks also opens up about her own inspirations and future projects.
◊“Pawn Star$” (9 p.m. on History): This new series takes viewers inside the doors of the only family-run pawnshop in Las Vegas, where three generations of men from the Harrison family – grandfather, father and son – amusingly clash while running the business together. Each episode features an array of quirky characters attempting to sell, purchase or pawn items.
◊“Shark Therapy” (8 p.m. on Smithsonian): In an attempt to overcome her shark phobia, Tanya Streeter travels to the shark hot-spot, the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. In this difficult personal journey, she freedives at night amongst feeding white-tips, discovers the curious deep-living zebra shark and comes face to face with the largest fish in the sea, the whale shark.
◊“State of Creativity” (9:30 p.m. on OETA-13): To prove that Oklahoma lives up to the show’s title, the producers picked one county from which to features stories. The result is 10 stories demonstrating creative ideas from Noble County, including a segment on Travis Brorsen from Perry. Last summer, he showed TV viewers that he has the “Greatest American Dog” by winning the CBS competition series and $250,000.

MONDAY, JULY 20
◊“The Closer” (8 p.m. on TNT): A major shootout leaves two patrol cops and an 18-year-old boy dead with lots of unanswered questions as to what happened and who else might have been involved.  The investigation is made all the more difficult by the involvement of Capt. Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell, “Battlestar Galactica”) of the Force Investigation Division.
◊“Dating in the Dark” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): In this new reality series, three men and three women share a house in which they are sequestered from the opposite sex apart from an opportunity to “date” in a completely dark room. After several days of this blind dating, each participant will pick one member of the opposite sex to be revealed in the light.
◊“Great American Road Trip” (7 p.m. on NBC): The families leave Missouri and head out into the prairies of Kansas and Oklahoma to see buffao and the actual setting of “Little House on the Prairie.” The dad must step up to the plate at the “King of the Road: BBQ challenge.
◊“History Detectives” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Items investigation include a recording that may have played a part in the World War II treason trial of Tokyo Rose and a diary of a World War II pilot.
◊“Moonshot” (8 p.m. on History): This new special puts viewers in the cockpit alongside the crew of Apollo 11 at the moment when man first lands on the Moon. The dramatization of the Apollo 11 flight is combined with original NASA archival footage converted to high definition, news footage from around the world, mission transcripts, background interviews and other source materials.
◊“Prom Night in Mississippi” (8 p.m. on HBO): This documentary chronicles the historic journey of Charleston High School in Mississippi that that holds its first integrated senior prom in 2008.  In 1997, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman (??), a Charleston resident, offered to pay for the prom, under one condition:  that it be integrated.  Though his offer was ignored, he made it again in 2008, and this time, the school accepted.
◊“Raising the Bar” (9 p.m. on TNT): Moments after being acquitted on a weapons charge, one of Jerry’s clients is re-arrested on a parole violation for weapons possession.
◊“Rules of Engagement” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): Much to Audrey’s dismay, Jeff’s chauvinist father, who expects Audrey to wait on him hand and foot, extends his visit after spraining his ankle. Brian Dennehy (”Murder in the Heartland”) guest stars.
◊“Solved” (8 p.m. on Investigation Discovery): This series, back for its second season, goes deep undercover to expose some of the career-defining cases of police officers and FBI agents. Each episodes features a mysterious murder case told through first person accounts.
◊TCM Goes to the Moon: Atronaut Buzz Aldrin joins TCM host Robert Osborne to introduce an evening of movies commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The movie lineup includes 1989’s “For All Mankind” (7:15 p.m.), 1983’s “All the Right Stuff” (9 p.m.) and 1969’s “Marooned” (12:30 a.m.).
◊“Three Sheets” (9 p.m. on FLN): This series, entering its fourth season, follows comedian Zane Lamprey as he engages in drinking customs around the world and befriends the people who take part in them. This season, Zane, who can say “I’m buying” in more than 37 languages, will visit Poland, Iceland, Lithuania, St. Martin, New Zealand, Panama, Namibia, Tuscany, Barbados, New Castle, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Tanzania.
◊“Torchwood: Children of Earth” (8 p.m. on BBC America): In this five-part miniseries, airing over consecutive nights, the future of the human race is in danger as every child in the world stops his routine to announce, ‘‘We are coming.” As Torchwood investigates, a trap closes around Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and sins of the past return as long-forgotten events from 1965 threaten to reveal an awful truth.
◊“Two and a Half Men” (8 p.m. on CBS): Convinced that Alan’s family doesn’t fully appreciate him, Melissa invites Alan to live with her and her mom. Carol Kane (”Taxi”) guest stars.
◊“Wake Up With Al” (6 a.m. on The Weather Channel): In this new weekday morning show, Al Roker (”Today”) will explore all aspects of the day’s weather. He will appear both in the studio, interacting with guests and viewers, and in the field, reporting on the most compelling weather stories of the day.
◊“The Wanted” (9 p.m. on NBC): This new series brings together an elite team with backgrounds in intelligence, unconventional warfare and investigative journalism. It focuses on real operators in search of real targets — all in an effort to see individuals brought to justice.
◊“Yard Crashers” (8 p.m. on DIY): In this series, now in its third season, professional landscape contractor Ahmed Hassan waits at home improvement stores looking for the perfect weekend warrior who could use his help. Once he finds his target, Ahmed and his team follow the surprised shoppers home and transform their yards.

TUESDAY, JULY 21
◊“18 Kids and Counting” (8 p.m. on TLC): While in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., the Duggars meet Dolly Parton (“9 to 5”), who is a Duggar fan. And what will the Duggars and Dolly do when they meet?  Sing, of course.
◊“California in Crisis” (8 p.m. on CNBC): The world’s eighth largest economy is on the brink. This news special takes viewers inside the budget impasse, speaking to government officials, CEOs and bondholders. The ramifications of a financial failure here will impact the entire US economy as well as companies and investors worldwide.
◊“The Colony” (9:01 p.m. on Discovery): This new series challenges 10 strangers in a controlled experiment that attempts to determine exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild a functioning new society when the world has been destroyed. With no electricity, no running water and no communication with the outside world, all they have to work with are their skills and whatever tools and supplies they scavenge from their surroundings.  
◊‘Hawthorne” (8 p.m. on TNT): The ER is plunged into chaos when the hospital director agrees to take on extra patients because another local ER is closed down. Among the patients is a study partner of Christina’s daughter, Camille.
◊“Hell’s Kitchen” (7 p.m. on Fox): Chef Gordon Ramsay welcomes 16 aspiring chefs to a sixth course of his unscripted series that begins with a two-hour season. Unlike past seasons, the signature dish challenge becomes a team challenge, pitting the men against the women. After the signature dishes of each team are presented to Gordon, one team will receive a coveted special prize, while the others will experience the agony of losing in Gordon’s kitchen.
◊“Moving Up” (7 p.m. on TLC): Hosted by Doug Wilson, this series follows along as three people move into new homes and renovate and redecorate them. Then, they have a chance to revisit their former house and see the changes – will they like what the new owners have done, or will they regret moving out of their house? In addition to great design tips, this season Doug has some surprises in store for the homeowners that help make the transformation complete. The new series premiere Tuesday, July 21 at 8 PM.  
◊“NOVA scienceNow” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This installment looks at the science of picky eaters, capturing carbon and talking walruses.
◊“NYC Prep” (8 p.m. on Bravo): In the season finale, Kelli works on her singing career by meeting with a prominent voice coach, Taylor has her hands full with schoolwork and social activities and Jessie works on the benefit for Operation Smile.
◊“P.O.V.” (9:30 p.m. on OETA-13): Filmmaker Ellen Kuras made her directing debut with “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon),” a harrowing, Oscar-nominated account of how her co-director, Thavisouk Phrasavath, and his family escaped from Laos during the Vietnam War. Their arrival in their new home, however, forced them to face a different kind of war.
◊“Ruby & the Rockits” (7:30 p.m. on ABC Family): This new series stars Patrick Cassidy (”I’ll Do Anything”) as a former teen idol whose quiet life with his wife and two sons is upset when his former Rockits bandmate and brother, played by David Cassidy (”The Partridge Family”), shows up unexpectedly with his newfound teenage daughter, Ruby. Alexa Vega (“Spy Kids”) plays Ruby and also sings the opening title song written by Shaun Cassidy.
◊“Saving Grace” (9 p.m. on TNT): Graces chases after a rape and kidnapping suspect on foot and suddenly disappears, possibly becoming his latest victim. But nothing about the situation seems to make any sense, including Earl’s activities close to the investigation.
◊“Starz Inside: Zombiemania” (9 p.m. on Starz): This special traces the evolution of the zombie from its roots in African folklore and Haitian Voodoo to its curent role as pop culture icon. It features clips from a vast library of zombie films and zombie experts.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
◊“Black in America 2″ (7 p.m. on CNN): In the first installment of this two-part special, CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien reports on how community organizers across the country are creating progress and improvements at a local level. Part two airs at 7 p.m. Thursday and focuses on solutions aimed at developing black leaders of tomorrow.
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): When the Mayor’s dead body falls from the ceiling at a charity fundraiser, Stella and her date find themselves in the middle of the crime scene. Craig T. Nelson (”Coach”) guest stars.
◊“Dark Blue” (9 p.m. on TNT):  Team leader Carter has less than 12 hours to wrangle $100,000 in order to save the life of one of his undercover officers.
◊“Deadly Dance Under the Sea” (8 p.m. on Science Channel): This marine wildlife documentary film features breathtaking underwater combat scenes where all marine creatues hunt, feed, attack, bite, swallow, hide and fear. From the tiniest creatures to the monster with razor sharp teeth, each has its own hunting and suvival strategy.
◊“Leverage” (8 p.m. on TNT): When the Leverage crew tries to get a corrupt mixed martial arts promoter to invest everything he has in a fake cable television network, their con is discovered.  Now, Eliot must throw a fight in order to save the day.  Professional mixed martial arts fighters Ed Herman (“The Ultimate Fighter 3”) and Matt Lindland (“Ultimate Fighting Championship”) guest star.
◊“Over a Barrel: The Truth About Oil” (9 p.m. on ABC): With Americans facing yet another summer season of rising gas prices, ABC News’ Charlie Gibson has traveled the country to uncover some of the little known secrets of the oil industry, including why prices fluctuate so much and who exactly is pulling the strings. One of his stops is at a remote outpost in Cushing, where the price of a barrel of oil there dictates the price nationally.
◊“The Philanthropist” (9 p.m. on NBC): Teddy takes his ex-wife on a journey as he tells her about his business venture to Kosovo, a country full of depression and poverty since the 1990s when the Serbian army attacked the Albanian Muslims, who make up the majority of the population.
◊“Radical Hollywood Remedies” (9 p.m. on E!): This special takes an inside look at the trends and treatments found at the most elite Hollywood spas and doctor’s offices. It examines the ins and outs of the elaborate and sometimes scary treatments that have helped make the stars who they are.
◊“Time Team America” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): The team digs into the lives of freed slaves at the site of an Illinois town founded by a freed slave.
◊“Toddlers and Tiaras” (9 p.m. on TLC): This chronicles the lives of tiny beauties and their passionate parents as they stop at nothing to win the ultimate crown at America’s top child beauty pageants. Season 2 will feature more state and national level competitions, including the several pageants by Gold Coast Pageants — the pageant system that inspired the  movie “Little Miss Sunshine.”
◊“Wide Angle” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): This new documentary “The Market Maker” follows an Ethiopian economist, who sets up her country’s first commodities exchange in hopes of revolutionizing Ethiopia’s market system and end its food shortages. Unfortunately, she hadn’t counted on the disastrous collapse of the global financial market.

THURSDAY, JULY 23
◊“16 & Pregnant” (9 p.m. on MTV): The finale special hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky will feature all six teen mothers profiled in the first season. Dr. Drew will discuss each girl’s episode and update viewers on what’s going on in their lives now. This open discussion will address the controversial topics from Season 1, including birth control, adoption, abortion, marriage, religion, gossip, finances, high school graduation and employment.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): When the CSIs are called to a murder scene at a familiar motel, Nick is thrown for a loop as he pieces together three separate murder investigations that all took place at the same establishment over the course of a year. Taylor Swift (best-selling musical artist of 2008) guest stars as Haley Jones, a teenaged girl whose family runs the seedy Vegas motel.
◊“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): Derek’s confidence is shaken like never before as he faces off with Addison over what course is best for their dying pregnant patient; Cristina calls the abilities of a renown surgeon into question after she botches a standard procedure; and Bailey, who has decided to pursue a fellowship in Pediatrics, is appalled by the Chief’s less-than-stellar recommendation letter. Faye Dunaway (”Network”) guest stars.
◊“How Do I Look?” (8 p.m. on Style Network): The series returns for a 10th season of giving the fashion challenged a brand new look and a stronger sense of style. The series gets its own makeover, as it moves into a chic new penthouse loft, debuts some cool high-tech tools and spices up each big reveal with celebrity stylist and fashion guru Jeannie Mai as the new host.
◊“The Listener” (9:01 p.m. on NBC): When it appears a serial rapist has struck again, Toby senses Detective Marks’ guilt over failing to convict him on a previous occasion.
◊“Samantha Who?” (7 p.m. on ABC): Sam discovers that billionaire Winston Funk’s (Billy Zane, “Titanic”) ex-wife, Gigi (Angie Harmon, “Law & Order”), played an important role in her life before the accident.
◊“So You Think You Can Dance” (8 p.m. on Fox): On the show’s 100th episode, two of the final eight dancers will be sent home.
◊“Soundstage” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): With their stadium rock riffs and anthem choruses, Chicago-based Fall Out Boys offers up unparralleled energy in this set that includes their recent hits “America’s Suitehearts” and “I Don’t Care.”
◊“Southern Belles: Louisville” (9 p.m. on SoapNet): Shea’s perfect life is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news that no one saw coming on the Season 1 finale.
Also, Kellie makes several impulsive decisions regarding her boyfriend Jeff, and Hadley questions her relationship with bad boy Russ.
◊“Wild Russia” (7 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new six-part documentary reveals the fierce beauty of the country and the animals that have adapted to survive there. It was filmed over three years and focuses on the brown bear,  sea eagle, Amur tiger and arctic fox.

FRIDAY, JULY 24
◊“According to Jim” (8:30 p.m. on ABC):  When Jim chokes on a shrimp puff, he dies and arrives at Heaven’s gate. With Jim on trial to prove his selfless acts on earth, best friend Andy is summoned to heaven to defend him. As Jim attempts to prove his good works to God (Lee Majors, “The Fall Guy”), his sister-in-law Dana represents the Devil (Erik Estrada, “CHiPs”), arguing that Jim’s selfishness should mean a certain trip to hell.
◊“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (7 p.m. on Fox): Celebrity contestants Bill Goldberg (??) and Sugar Ray Leonard (??) return to the classroom to test their knowledge of elementary school subjects ranging from geography and art to math and history. Find out how much information these stars have retained – or forgotten – since their grade-school days.
◊“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (7 p.m. on AMC): Paul Newman and Robert Redford star in this quirky 1969 Western as turn-of-the-century outlaws who become the targets of a posse after committing one too many train robberies. Oscars went to Burt Bacharach and Hal David for their score and the song ‘‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” as well as to screenwriter William Goldman and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall.
◊“The Chopping Block” (7 p.m. on NBC): The remaining two couples battle it out one last time to win the competition. In order to succeed they must remodel the restaurants, come up with a menu and provide service that is above and beyond anything they have achieved so far. Piers Morgan (”America’s Got Talent”) guest stars.
◊“Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m. on CBS): In this episode directed by series star Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melinda confronts a crisis that grips the whole town — the unearthing of a grave that leads to a mass haunting.  But that’s not nearly as scary to her as the woman who shows up to accept the engagement ring Sam bought for her.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): The team has only four hours to stop a group of hijackers who take a bus full of Hollywood tourists hostage. Fisher Stevens (”Early Edition”) guest stars.

SATURDAY, JULY 25
◊“5 Ingredient Fix” (11:30 a.m. on Food Network): Chef Claire Robinson returns for a second season of straightforward cooking that proves delicious dishes need no more than five ingredients – making cooking easier and faster.
◊“Being Human” (8 p.m. on BBC America): This new series revolves around three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost.  Russell Tovey (”Doctor Who”), Lenora Crichlow (”Doctor Who”) and Aidan Turner (”The Clinic”) star as housemates trying to live normal lives, despite their strange and dark secrets.
◊“The Bill Engvall Show” (8 p.m. on TBS): Bill gets upset when he finds out Susan and her friends discuss their husbands during girls-only game night, and he’s determined to find out what has been said about him.
◊“Dances With Wolves” (7 p.m. on AMC): Kevin Costner directed and starred in this 1990 Academy Award winner for best picture. Costner plays an idealistic Civil War lieutenant who befriends a Sioux tribe. The picture also won Oscars for best director, screenplay, cinematography, film editing, music and sound.
◊“Dirty Sexy Money” (9 p.m. on ABC): Now a partner with Simon Elder, Tripp asks Patrick to try to reverse Congressman Charles Whatley’s (John Schneider, ??) standing against Simon’s bio-fuel that Tripp had helped influence many years earlier. And Simon tells Nola that he suspects that Jeremy’s amnesia isn’t real.
◊“Discover Oklahoma” (6:30 p.m. on KWTV-9): The locally-produced show seeks out wheelchair accessible tourists destinations and explores Robbers Cave State Park on horseback.
◊“GoldenEye” (9 p.m. on Bravo): Pierce Brosnan makes his entrance as dashing Agent 007 and does a credible job filling the natty shoes of his predecessors. Perhaps even more importantly, the special effects, gags and drop-dead gorgeous women appearing in this recent James Bond outing live up to the high standards of previous films.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): In the series finale, Jack and William make plans for Jack to take his father’s place as King of Gilboa. To everyone’s surprise, Silas is alive and David escapes Shiloh to warn Silas about the chaos to come. Macauley Culkin (”Home Alone”) guest stars.
◊“Primeval” (7 p.m. on BBC America): In the Season 3 finale, Helen Cutter decides the only way to stop the destruction of life on Earth is to stop humans ever evolving. So she goes back in time to the Pliocene period, intent on poisoning the very first humans that evolved in the Rift Valley in Africa.
◊“The Star Wars Spectacular” (1 p.m. on G4): This two-hour special will feature never-before-seen footage, breaking news, surprise announcements, guest stars and more. In addition, G4 will present three hours of live coverage from the San Diego Comic-Con floor beginning at 3 p.m.
◊“True Jackson, VP” (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): True finds out that she will be helping the Mad Style team create a window display for the fanciest department store in New York City.  True is especially excited about this assignment since it has been a childhood dream of hers. Willow Smith (daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith) guest stars.

–Penny TV

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Top 55 TV Programs for July 12-18, 2009

 Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
   But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of July 12:
NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

SUNDAY, JULY 12
◊“Addicted to Surrogacy” (9 p.m. on BBC America): This special follows the stories of the women who are addicted to giving babies away. Approximately one thousand surrogate babies have been born in the United Kingdom over the past two decades. In recent years, half of them have been born to serial surrogates: women who’ve been surrogates more than once.
◊“Amazing Octopus” (8 p.m. on Science Channel): Shot off the southern coast of New Zealand, this film tells the life story of a single female octopus, from birth to old age. that includes her encounters with squid, paddle crabs, sea eggs, anemones and cod.
◊“Big Daddy’s House” (12:30 p.m. on Food Network): Big Daddy creates a sandwich menu that includes a fall-off-th-bone braised short rib sandwich.
◊“Drop Dead Diva” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): This new series tells the story of a shallow model-in-training who dies in a sudden accident only to find her soul resurface in the body of a brilliant, plus-size and recently deceased attorney. She must come to terms with inhabiting a curvier frame in the ultimate showdown between brains and beauty.
◊“Entourage” (9:30 p.m. on HBO): When Season 5 ended last year, Vince was on the verge of ending a prolonged career slump, thanks to an offer to star in Martin Scorsese’s next movie.  Now, with “Gatsby” about to open, he’s a hot property once again.
◊“Expedition Africa” (8 p.m. on History): See the two-hour conclusion of this series following four modern-day explorers as they relive Sir Henry Stanley’s journey to find Dr. David Livingstone. They confront obstacles and dangers similar to those encountered by the explorers before them. 
◊“Expedition Borneo” (8 p.m. on Planet Green): A team of explorers, biologists and filmmakers travel through Borneo’s swamps, caves cliffs and jungle in search of new species.
◊“I Survived …” (8 p.m. on BIO): Season 3 features eight new episodes exploring first person accounts of extraordinary true-life tales of those who found the strength and courage to endure when faced with unforeseen, life-threatening situations.
◊“Let’s Hear It for the Laurie Berkner Band” (6 p.m. on Noggin): This special features 17 music videos from the band, including a music video for the new song “My Family” and preschool favorites “Victor Vito” and “Pig on Her Head.”  Noggin’s Moose and Zee serve as hosts and play interactive music and movement games throughout the special that promote creativity and foster an appreciation for music.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): In the new installment “Murder is Easy,” Miss Marple investigates a string of murders in a peaceful village town. 
◊“Merlin” (7 p.m. on NBC): A mysterious man from the past arrives in Camelot and delivers a bunch of enchanted flowers to Morgana, and she becomes ill when a spider creeps from the boquet and enters her ear.
◊“Meteor” (8 p.m. on NBC): As smaller meteorites begin to lay waste to major cities around the globe, two scientists (Christopher Lloyd, Marla Sokoloff) discover that Kassandra, a giant slab of space rock three times the size of Mount Everest, is barreling straight toward Earth, but a military scientist (Jason Alexander) discounts their dire warnings.
◊“The Next Food Network Star” (8 p.m. on Food Network): The remaining four finalists met Ted Allen (”Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”) and learn of their next challenge: creating a dish for a restaurant at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
◊“Stories From the Vaults” (7 p.m. on Smithsonian Channel): Tom Cavanagh (”Ed”) hosts returns for Season 2 of the series that goes beyond exhibit halls for an insider’s tour of Smithsonian’s vast collections. The season premiere focuses on food in a fun but educational lesson in three different museum locations, concluding a visit to the National Museum of Dentistry to explore the effect of food on our teeth.
◊“Surprise Vacations With Karen Duffy” (7 p.m. on FLN): In this new series, one unsuspecting and deserving person is surprised by family, friends and co-workers with the vacation of their dreams. Edmond resident Amy Eldridge, who helped found the Love Without Borders organization, is featured in the premiere episode.
◊“Wild Pacific” (7 to 10 p.m. today and Monday on Discovery): These three-hour specials explore the largest ocean on Earth, the isolation of its islands and the
extraordinary journeys that wildlife and people have gone through to reach these specks of land.
◊“Z Rock” (9 p.m. on IFC): The band plays a wrestling-themed children’s party in which they get to dress up in tights and capes. Chris Jericho (professional wrestler) guest stars.

MONDAY, JULY 13
◊“The Blonde Mystique” (8 p.m. on Sundance): This Canadian documentary brings together three women — two natural brunettes and one natural blonde — for a series of real-world experiments that test blonde stereotypes.
◊“The Closer” (8 p.m. on TNT): Brenda’s team investigates the shooting death of a popular online “hook-up king” who was in the process of putting together a television pilot for a men’s cable network. Meanwhile, Pope does a rotation as a regular member of Brenda’s squad.
◊“Here Come the Newlyweds” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): The final two couples learn that the seven newlywed couples they competed against will be the ones to decide who will win the life-changing grand prize. Host Pat Bullard also takes the two final couples to a retirement home where long-married couples tell them what makes a strong, successful marriage.
◊“History Detectives” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Items investigated include Navajo rug that features a controversial design and a 1933 Chicago World’s Fair souvenir silver baby cup.
◊“Immokalee USA” (8 p.m. on Documentary Channel): This documentary chronicles the daily lives of migrant farm workers and their challenges and struggles to make a living in Immokalee, Fla.
◊“Raising the Bar” (9 p.m. on TNT): Jerry takes on a pro bono case in which he defends a man arrested for running over his crooked lawyer with a car.  But it looks like he’s going to have to rely on jury sympathy instead of facts to get an acquittal.
◊“Rules of Engagement” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): When Adam’s mother, Fay, comes to visit, Audrey warns Jennifer about the judgmental tendencies of a mother-in-law,
however, it’s Jennifer who discovers that she is the one who is critical of Fay and her kooky lifestyle. Peggy Lipton (”The Mod Squad”) guest stars.
◊“Teddy: In His Own Words” (8 p.m. on HBO): This documentary profiles U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, using his own words and previously unseen home movies. It chronicles his childhood and the 46-year Senate career that began in the shadows of his ill-fated brothers, John and Robert, culminating with his speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
◊“The Wendy Williams Show” (noon on KAUT-43): Radio personality Wendy Williams is known for being audacious, bold and original. She raises the talk show bar with her new nationally syndicated show that will combine the latest buzz and hot topics with a diverse mix of celebrities from the arenas of film, music, sports and television.

TUESDAY, JULY 14
◊The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game (7 p.m. on Fox): Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and analyst Tim McCarver call the action live from Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
◊“Bob le Flambeur” (1 p.m. on Sundance): This 1956 French film follows an aging gambler plotting one final score. It is the first film in a triple feature dedicated to French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville and airing in honor of Bastille Day. The other films include 1962’s “Le Doulos” (2:45 p.m.) and 1969’s “Army of Shadows” (4:45 p.m.).
◊“Food Party” (10:15 p.m. on IFC): In the Season 1 finale, Thu is pregnant and plans on making a special dinner for her husband and two children. But, after cooking Tamarind soup and birthing a kitten, the night goes awry when a mysterious villain stalks her family.
◊“Great American Road Trip” (7 p.m. on NBC): The remaining families travel to Branson, Mo., where they perform skits in front of stars Andy Williams and Yakov Smirnoff.
◊“Hawthorne” (8 p.m. on TNT): Christina spends the day giving special attention to a young heart patient who is beginning to suffer from seizures, but the brash young surgeon called in to handle the case has an ego that rubs Christina the wrong way.
◊“Miami Social” (9 p.m. on Bravo): this new docu-series shows viewers what life is like in the energetic social scene of South Beach. It explores the lives of a group of hot, young professionals – corporate types by day and party animals by night – as they navigate the sometimes murky waters of Miami’s hottest locales.
◊“NCIS” (7 p.m. on CBS): A slain sergeant’s private life is on full display as the team must determine if a suspected act of treason lead to his death. Chris Carmack (”The O.C.”) guest stars.
◊“NOVA scienceNOW” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This installment looks at two drugs that may aid children with muscular dystrophy, the demise of the dinosaurs and the danger of the northern lights.
◊“Oxygen’s 25iest: Celeb-U-Tots” (10 p.m. on Oxygen): This special counts down the offspring of celebrities, including Trey, Jaden and Willow Smith (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s children), Emme and Max Muniz (Jennifer Lopez and and Marc Anthony’s children) and Suri Cruise (daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise).
◊“P.O.V.” (9:30 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installnent “The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court” chronicles the work of the first permanent court created by more than 120 countries for the purpose of prosecuting crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
◊“Saving Grace” (9 p.m. on TNT): During a case that puts Grace’s spirituality to the test, the squad investigates the murder of a Hasidic Jew whose body is found near a herd of dead cows.  Miyam Bialik (”Blossom”) and Michael Lerner (”Barton Fink”) guest star.
◊“Square Roots: The SpongeBob SquarePants Story” (8 p.m. on VH1): Commissioned by Nickelodeon to commemorate the anniversary of the series’ first episode, the documentary chronicles the beloved character’s journey to international pop culture icon status and showcases the series’ impact on everyone from President Barack Obama, children across the globe and San Quentin inmates who sing its catchy theme song. 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): A Russian tourist is found stabbed to death and the CSIs come face to face with the frightening realities of human trafficking.  Solving this case becomes personal when it directly affects a prominent member of the NYPD. Julia Ormond (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) guest stars.
◊“Dark Blue” (9 p.m. on TNT): This new series stars Dylan McDermott (”The Practice”) as Carter Shaw, who leads a team of undercover cops in Los Angeles. In the series premiere, he is determined to bring a gang leader down while ensuring that one of his officers has not switched loyalties. Oklahoma actress Nicki Aycox plays Jamie Allen, the newest member of the team.
◊“Gordon Ramsay’s F Word” (8 p.m. on BBC America): Chef Gordon Ramsay travels to Oklahoma for an extraordinary food adventure spent catfish noodling, in which he attempts to catch sharp-toothed catfish using nothing but his hands.
◊“The Kid: The Life and Death of Ted Williams” (9 p.m. on HBO): This documentary explores the life of Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams, who was a tireless fundraiser, expert fisherman and all-around outdoorsman extraordinaire. His final years were marked by ill health; following his death, the decision to have his body preserved in a cryonics facility inspired public disputes among his family and friends, sparking controversy and ridicule.
◊“Leverage” (8 p.m. on TNT): In the Season 2 premiere, Nate Ford reluctantly reassembles the team to pit the local Irish mob against a banker who is gaming a government bailout. Charles Martin Smith (”The Untouchables”) guest stars.
◊“Michael & Michael Have Issues” (9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central): Long-time comedic partners Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter star in this new twist on narrative and sketch comedies. Viewers will get a first hand look at issues that the two misguided stars wrestle with as they confront their own issues of insecurity and jealousy and attempt to undermine each other.
◊“Monsters Inside Me” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): In Oklahoma, a chemical sprayer’s cough is the result of parasitic worms that multiply in the human lung. Learn how these pests have manipulated reproduction to overwelm their host.
◊“Porn: Business of Pleasure” (8 p.m. on CNBC): This new CNBC original production takes an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look inside the multibillion pornography business, from the threats to its profitability to the one issue that could bring the adult industry to it’s knees.
◊“Time Team America” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Scientists travel to the swamps of South Carolina in an effort to discover when people first came to North America. Many experts think humans followed big game here about 13,000 years ago, but others think it may have been much earlier.

THURSDAY, JULY 16
◊The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations (7:35 a.m. on www.emmys.tv): Chandra Wilson (”Grey’s Anatomy”) and Jim Parsons (”The Big Bang Theory”) will join Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman John Shaffner at NOKIA Theatre L.A. Live to announce the nominees. The Emmy Awards will be handed out on Sept. 20, and the ceremony will air live on CBS.
◊“Are We Alone?” (8 p.m. on Discovery): This new special ventures to Earth’s strangest, most extreme regions to uncover clues to the universe’s evolution.  From Death Valley, California, to the glaciers of Chile; from the harsh desert climates of Africa to the lush seascapes of the Caribbean, the world’s top astrobiologists and astrophysicists examine the geological record and the biological influence of life forms that created and continue to sustain life on Earth.
◊“Bones” (7 p.m. on Fox): Series star David Boreanaz (FBI special agent Seeley Booth) directed this episode in which a bungee-jumping couple plunges off a bridge and come face-to-face with a corpse lying at the bottom of a gorge.
◊“Gallery” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Meet the man who saved Oklahoma City’s Paseo District and turned it into a vibrant arts community. It was built in 1929 as Oklahoma City’s first commercial shopping district, and it was almost torn down in the late 1970s.
◊“J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life” (7 p.m. on ABC): Timed to the release of the newest Harry Potter film, this hourlong documentary follows the author during the months prior to publication of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the final book in the series. Cameras also travel back to her hometown and discover where many of the Harry Potter characters originated.
◊“The Listener” (9:01 p.m. on NBC): After Toby witnesses a young woman revive a badly injured baby, he feels a strong kinship and curiosity about her gift.
◊“Stateline” (8:30 p.m. on OETA-13): This installment of the locally-produced documentary series follows the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Fires Brigade as they train at Fort Hood, Texas, for their mission in Iraq.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: Barbara Stanwyck was born on this day in 1907, and TCM celebrates by airing three of her films: 1929’s “The Locked Door” (5 a.m.), 1940’s “Remember the Night” (6:30 a.m.) and 1944’s “Double Indemnity” (8 a.m.).
◊“Watch What Happens: Live” (11 p.m. on Bravo): Bravo programming executive Andy Cohen hosts this new interactive series. He will sit down with guests from some of Bravo’s most popular series, as well as from the world of entertainment, to chat about what has transpired on-air and in pop culture that week.

FRIDAY, JULY 17
◊“According to Jim” (8 p.m. on ABC): Jim uses his passion for sports to connect with son Kyle. But sports-challenged Kyle identifies more with fellow sci-fi nerd Andy, forcing a reluctant Jim to dress up as a Cyclops at a sci-fi convention in order to win his son back. Williams “Refrigerator” Perry (former NFL player) guest stars.
◊“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (7 p.m. on Fox): Star Jones (“The View”) and Jack Hanna ((”ZooLife with Jack Hanna”) compete for $1 million for charity by testing their elementary school knowledge in subjects ranging from art and geography to math and social studies. Real students will offer to help them if they are unsure of an answer.
◊“Call 911″ (7 p.m. on Investigation Discovery): This installment of the show, which features actual 911 recordings between operators and callers, includes a tornado survivor is pinned inside his truck that is surrounded by downed live electrical lines.
◊“Catch It Keep It” (9 p.m. on Science Channel): During each episode of this new series, three contestants test their scientific and engineering mettle against Science Channel’s “engineer of destruction” Mike Senese, who devises dastardly schemes uniquely designed to obliterate the prize of the week. The contestants must brainstorm, plan and construct a way to rescue the item within the span of 48 hours.
◊“Fats Domino: Walkin’ Back to New Orleans” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): This special chronicles musician Fat Domino’s return to the stage after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation to his hometown of New Orleans. It features performances from a 2007 benefit concert for the city, as well as interviews with Domino and singers Robert Plant and Randy Newman.
◊“Flashpoint” (8 p.m. on CBS): After hearing on the radio that a talk show host is holding a prominent politician hostage, the Strategic Response Unit races to the station to talk the host out of killing him on the air.
◊“Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up” (9 p.m. on Starz): Doug Williams (”The Bernie Mac Show”) returns as host of the show that presents up-and-coming comics and established stars performing before a live audience.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): Don looks toward his newly found religious beliefs to help him contend with an escaped criminal bent on revenge. David Gallagher (”7th Heaven”) guest stars.
◊“SpongeBob SquarePants” (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): Nickelodeon kicks-off a 50-hour marathon with the premiere of “To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants”, which follows SpongeBob after his square pants have shrunk in the dryer. Unable to find a new pair, he tries round pants, but no one seems to recognize him as SpongeBob RoundPants. Patchy the Pirate hosts the marathon that will include 11 “SpongeBob” premieres.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: James Cagney was born on this day in 1899, and TCM celebrates by airing three of his films: 1935’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (11:45 a.m.), 1936’s “Something to Sing About” (2 p.m.) and 1955’s “Love Me or Leave Me” (3:45 p.m.).
SATURDAY, JULY 18
◊“Barefoot Contessa” (12:30 p.m. on Food Network): Host Ina Garten showcases portable food with full flavor made for two desk-bound friends.
◊“The Bill Engvall Show” (8 p.m. on TBS): Bill and Susan are feeling the economic pinch, just as Lauren prepares to take an expensive trip for spring break. Bill is certain her disappointment in not being able to go will permanently scar their father-daughter bond.
◊“Discovery Oklahoma” (6:30 p.m. on KWTV-9): This installment of the locally-produced program visits Okmulgee State Park and Discoveryland.
◊“Dirty Sexy Money” (9 p.m. on ABC): While the Darlings are away for Thanksgiving, Clark the chauffeur offers his version of various Darling family rumors to a persistent reporter. This is one of the series’ final episodes scheduled to air over the next four Saturdays.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): After imprisoning Jack and Savid for treason, Silas continues with his plan to hand over Port Prosperity to long-time enemy Gath.
◊“Mamma Mia!” (7 p.m. on HBO): In this musical inspired by the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA, Amanda Seyfried plays a young bride-to-be who wants to know her father’s identity before she walks down the aisle. Her mother (Meryl Streep) isn’t much help on that count, so she invites the likeliest candidates (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard) to the nuptials.
◊“Mending Fences” (8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): When a Los Angeles journalist (Laura Leighton) visits her ailing mother (Angie Dickinson) and the farm she grew up on, she finds out that her mother’s vision is deteriorating and that her hometown has been struggling with a terrible drought that is forcing many residents to sell out to a casino developer.
◊“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): This 2002 comedy transfers writer and star Nia Vardalos’ stage show to film, thanks to producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. Vardalos plays a Greek woman who risks her tradition-bound family’s wrath when she falls for, then plans to wed, a decidedly non-Greek educator (John Corbett, ‘‘Sex and the City”).
◊“Outdoor Oklahoma” (6 p.m. on OETA-13): Produced by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, this series keeps Oklahoman informed about fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation, as well as policies and programs. Learn about the latest quail research, what’s happening with deer season or where fisheries personnel have found the biggest catfish in the state.
◊“SpongeBob SquarePants” (9 a.m. on Nickelodeon): The marathon continues with the Top 10 most memorable “SpongeBob” episodes as picked by fans on Nick.com.  The night will be capped off with “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” at 9 p.m.
◊“Tom Jones” (7 p.m. on TCM): This adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel, which won the best picture Oscar for 1963, follows the adventures of the title character (Albert Finney), whose enjoyment of the earthly delights of 18th-century England almost get him hanged.

–Penny TV

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TV Premieres and Finales airing July 5-11, 2009

Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
   And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of July 5.
   If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
 
BEGINNINGS
••“Ruby,” 7 p.m. Sunday on Style Network (second-season premiere).
••“Untamed & Uncut,” 8 p.m. Sunday on Animal Planet (second-season premiere).
••“Ham on the Street,” 1 p.m. Monday on FLN (series premiere).
••“Desperate Landscapes,” 8 p.m. Monday on DIY(fifth-season premiere).
••“SportsNation,” 3 p.m. Monday on ESPN2 (series premiere).
••“Great American Road Trip,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on NBC (series premiere).
••“10 Things I Hate About You,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on ABC Family (series premiere).
••“Warehouse 13,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on SYFY (series premiere).
••“Ghost Hunters International,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on SYFY (second-season premiere).
••“Time Team America,” 7 p.m. Wednesday on OETA-13 (series premiere).
••“The Chicas Project,” 6 p.m. Thursday on mun2 (fourth-season premiere).
••“Big Brother,” 7 p.m. Thursday on CBS (11th-season premiere).
••“LA Ink,” 9 p.m. Thursday on TLC (third-season premiere).
••“Wicked Attraction,” 9 p.m. Thursday on Investigation Discovery (second-season premiere).
••“Against the Grain,” 1 p.m. Friday on DIY (series premiere).
••“The Assistants,” 7:30 p.m. Friday on The N (series premiere).
••“Eureka,” 8 p.m. Friday on SYFY (third season resumes).
••“Viva Daisy!” 8:30 a.m. Saturday on Food Network (second-season premiere).
••“Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design,” 11 a.m. Saturday on A&E (series premiere).

ENDINGS
••“In the Motherhood,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday on ABC (series finale).
••“Eli Stone,” 9 p.m. Saturday on ABC (series finale).
••“Harper’s Island,” 9 p.m. Saturday on CBS (series finale).

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

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Top 55 TV Programs for July 5-11, 2009

 Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
   But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of July 5:

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

SUNDAY, JULY 5
◊“18 Pregnant Schoolgirls” (9 p.m. on BBC America): This documentary tells the story of what happened when an unusually large number of teenage girls in Gloucester, Mass., turned up for pregnancy tests at a school clinic. Officials announced that they would be investigating an apparent teenage “pregnancy pact” responsible for the fact that at least 17 girls in the high school were expecting babies, four times more than the previous year.
◊“Angel and the Badman” (8 p.m. on Hallmark): John Wayne’s grandson, Brendan Wayne, appears in a remake of the Duke’s 1947 classic. The Western also stars Lou Diamond Phillips and Luke Perry as a pair of rival outlaws, one trying to change his ways and the other which murder on his mind.
◊“Cold Case” (8 p.m. on CBS): Rush and team reopen the 2005 murder case of a young African-American politician who vowed to rid the lower-class neighborhood he grew up in of drug dealers who prey on young kids. Jonathan LaPaglia (”The District”) guest stars as Assistant District Attorney Curtis Bell.
◊“Hannah Montana” (7 p.m. on Disney): In the one-hour special titled “He Could Be the One?,” Miley tries to tell Robby that she’s dating Jake Ryan (Cody Linley, “Dancing With the Stars”) again. Brooke Shields reprises her roles as Miley’s late mother.
◊“Malcolm in the Middle” (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): Twentieth Television’s complete seven-season library of the award-winning series joins the network’s lineup. It centers on teen genius Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his dysfunctional family and originally ran from 2000-6 on Fox.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Julia McKenzie (”Cranford”) takes over the role of spinster sleuth Jane Marple in a new series of Agatha Christie-based mysteries that opens with “A Pocket Full of Rye.” She investigates the deaths of a businessman, his young wife and their housemaid under circumstances that bizarrely recall a nursery rhyme.
◊“Merlin” (7 p.m. on NBC): Merlin barely escapes the attack of a magical winged creature when a young man, Lancelot, appears and fighhts the creature away. Merlin sets out of a mission to convince Arthur of Lancelot’s nobility and great fighting skills.
◊“The Next Food Network Star” (8 p.m. on Food Network): Rachael Ray (”Rachael Ray”) challenges the remaining six finalists to create kid-friendly dishes and convince a group of children to experiment with food they’ve never tried before.
◊“Ruby” (7 p.m. on Style Network): After capturing viewers’ hearts last season and after a 100-pound weight loss, southern sweetheart Ruby Gettinger continues her journey to lose weight and get healthy. Hard work and determination pay off as she passes below 350 pounds for the first time in her adult life (having once weighed 716 pounds).
◊“Untamed & Uncut” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): The second season of extreme animal stories takes viewers on a journey around the world to meet the people whose lives are forever changed by their heart-pounding encounters with animals. The season premiere includes an encounter between a hawk and a cockatoo and its handler.

MONDAY, JULY 6
◊“100 Concerts in 100 Days” (10 a.m. and 10 p.m. today through Oct. 13 on VH1 Classic): New and historically significant rock concerts and festivals will air over the next 100 days. The concert series kicks off with the “Us Festival” from 1983 featuring INXS, The Clash, Men at Work, and The English Beat. Additional highlights from the 100 days of programming include “Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same,” “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in NYC,” “Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon” and “Iron Maiden: Somewhere Back in Time.”
◊“Desperate Landscapes” (8 p.m. on DIY): In Seson 5, licensed general contractor Jason Cameron visits a viewer’s home armed with a wheelbarrel full of creative solutions to the toughest lanscaping problems. In one day, Jason and his team transform the property into a show place.
◊“The Great Debate” (9 p.m. today through Friday on VH1): Boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer, famous for this catchphrase “Let’s get ready to rumble,” hosts this five-night event that will settle the most burning questions and heated debates of pop culture. Celebrities, including Gilbert Gottfried, Hulk Hogan, Jerry Springer and Perez Hilton, will appear to make their arguments regarding “Star Trek” vs. “Star Wars,” Beatles vs. Rolling Stones and boxers vs. briefs.
◊“Ham on the Street” (1 p.m. on FLN): George Duran, a young chef and comic, hosts this show that combines food facts and hiden-camera comedy. He also creates fast and easy dishes for the everyday cook. 
◊“History Detectives” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Items invedstigated include a gun that may have belonged to a member of Al Capone’s gang, a letter allegedly written by John Wilkes Booth’s father and a device meant to guard against grave robbers.
◊“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (9 p.m. on Bravo): After failing to win a Grammy, Kathy decides to try to reclaim the spotlight by writing a tell-all book about her friends and family. Michael McDonald (“MADtv”) and Nicole Sullivan (“Rita Rocks”) guest star.
◊“King of Dirt” (8:30 p.m. on DIY): Licensed landscape contractor Gino Panaro doesn’t use a computer or graphic technology to create an outdoor space. He uses his imagination and his hands to make high-end landscapes.
◊“SportsNation” (3 p.m. on ESPN2): This new series hosted  by Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle invites viewers to weigh in on topics via e-mail, text, Twitter or telephone. Fans will determine what the topics are, and they can also interact with the hosts, producers, athletes and coaches appearing on the show.
◊TCM Birthday Tribute: Janet Leigh was born on this day in 1927, and TCM celebrates by airing seven of her films, including 1951’s “Angels in the Outfield” (9:15 a.m.) and 1953’s “Houdini” (3 p.m.).

TUESDAY, JULY 7
◊“10 Things I Hate About You” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): This new series inspired by the 1999 movie of the same name stars Larry Miller (reprising movie role) as the over-protective father to the Stratford sisters — Kat (Lindsey Shaw, “Aliens in America”), a feminist with a razor-sharp tongue, and Bianca (Meaghan Martin, “Camp Rock”), a girl with a plan to climb the social ladder at her new school. Ethan Peck (“Adopt a Sailor” and grandson of Gregory Peck) plays resident bad boy Patrick Verona (originated by Heath Ledger in the 1999 film).
◊“Fantastic Plastic Brain” (8 p.m. on Science Channel): This two-part special tells the story of people with braisn that have the capacity to adapt under extraordinary circumstances.
◊“Great American Road Trip” (7 p.m. on NBC): Comic Reno Collier hosts this eight-episode reality series in which seven families from Texas, Illinois, New York, California, Alabama and Connecticut take a memorable journey together along Route 66, competing in a series of challenges along the way that will reward one family with a dream prize.
◊“NOVA scienceNOW” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This installment focuses on the Kepler telescope, using computers to authenticate paintings and discovering genes for Alzheimer’s and autism.
◊“P.O.V.” (9:30 p.m. on OETA-13): Promising guitarist Jason Crigler seemed to be on the fast track for stardom before he suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage during a 2004 performance date in Manhattan, leaving him in a near-vegetative state. His friend, filmmaker Eric Daniel Metzger, chronicles the journey that followed in ‘‘Life.Support.Music.”
◊“State of Creativity” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): To prove that Oklahomans are creative, the show’s producers picked one county in the state as the focal point for Season 2. The result is 10 stories from Noble County, from an innovative farmer to a unique prairie learning experience.
◊“Warehouse 13″ (8 p.m. on SYFY, formerly called SCI FI): Eddie McClintock (“Crumbs”) and Joane Kelly (”Vanished”) star in this new series that follows Secret Service agents who are reassigned to a strange warehouse in South Dakota that houses a wild collection of supernatural objects.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
◊“Baseball Wives: True Hollywood Story” (9 p.m. on E!): This installment spends a “day in the life” of baseball wives to bring viewers the play-by-play of what their lives are really like. Among those featured are Heidi Hamels, wife of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels; Carrie Proctor, wife of Florida Marlins pitcher Scott Proctor; and Katie Hamilton, wife of Texas Rangers player Josh Hamilton.
◊“The Conscience of Nhem En” (7 p.m. on HBO2): This documentary short revisits Cambodia 30 years after Khmer Rouge’s reign, when 16-year-old soldier Nhem En was instructed to photograph thousands of men, women and children as they passed through a processing center on their way to certain death. The portraits he took bear witness to the unspeakable suffering and loss endured by the country.
◊“Gary Unmarried” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): Gary learns the lesson of never mixing business with family when he’s is forced to lean on Allison’s brother (Matthew Lillard, “Scooby-Doo”) for financial guidance after he is faced with an audit from the Internal Revenue Service.
◊“Ghost Hunters International” (8 p.m. on SYFY): Season 2 returns with a squad of real-life “ghost-busters” — ordinary people who investigate and attempt to debunk claims of otherworldly activity. This summer, the team travels to Austria, Ireland, Italy, Chile, Argentina and the Czech Republic in pursuit of the truth behind bizarre supernatural claims.
◊“I’m a Major League Eater” (9 p.m. on BIO): This special uncovers the competitive world of professional eating and explores the preparation rituals of the eaters. There are currently 100 high octane competitive eating events in the United States and more than 9,000 active members in the sport of Major League Eating.
◊“Okie Noodling II” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): In 2002, filmmaker Bradley Beasley brought the strange subculture of bare-handed catfishing to TV audiences. In this sequel, Beesley returns to his home state of Oklahoma to chronicle the sport’s evolution over the last decade. Lee McFarlin, 2005 Okie Noodling Champion, is featured.
◊“Time Team America” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): This new series takes viewers to major U.S. historical site with a crack archaeological team that has three days to make a discovery. The team of scholars and scientists must use their combined skills and knowledge to find out what time itself has buried. Dr. Joe Watkins, Director of the Native American Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma, is a member of the team.
◊“Top Chef Masters” (9 p.m. on Bravo): Chefs Anita Lo, Douglas Rodriguez, John Besh and Mark Peel must cook eggs with one hand tied behind their backs, then dazzle several high-profile guests including Neil Patrick Harris (”How I Met Your Mother”), with their culinary artistry.
◊“Wide Angle” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installment “Heart of Jenin” recounts a tragic 2005 incident on the West Bank, where a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers who mistook his toy gun for a real weapon.

THURSDAY, JULY 9
◊“Big Brother” (7 p.m. on CBS): Julie Chen returns for an eleventh season as host, and a new group of strangers share a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones recording their every move, 24 hours a day.  One by one, the Houseguests will vote each other out of the house.  At the end of three months, the last remaining Houseguest will receive the Grand Prize of $500,000.
◊“The Chicas Project” (6 p.m. on mun2): Crash and Yasmin are back for their fourth season of this reality lifestyle series. They once again criss-cross the Unites States finding thrills, spills and adventures.  This time along the way, the chicas collect the thoughts and concerns of young Latinas across the country, head to Capitol Hill, and present their accumulated messages to the President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): During the course of an investigation, the CSIs discover that their victim, a young woman who was murdered and found with several different blood types in her system, is the daughter of a wanted criminal. Nicholas Turturro (”I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”) giest stars.
◊“In the Motherhood” (7:30 p.m. on ABC): In the series finale, Jane (Cheryl Hines) needs to prove to her boss that she still has what it takes to be a great employee and that motherhood isn’t getting in the way of her work. Meanwhile, Rosemary (Megan Mullally) makes Horatio choose between being friends with her or a fellow nanny.
◊“Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR” (8 p.m. on CNBC): This documentary takes viewers inside the garage of driver-turned-owner Tony Stewart and offers a never-before-seen look at how NASCAR sponsors are looking for business from each other.
◊“LA Ink” (9 p.m. on TLC): Tattoo artist Kat Von D returns to TLC for a third season of her reality series. While Kat is focused on expanding her product line and writing a new book, the shop faces unexpected – and unwelcome – changes. The introduction of new shop manager, Aubry Fisher, (from “Rock of Love” fame) is just one example.
◊“Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand-Up” (9 p.m. on Starz): Doug Williams (”The Bernie Mac Show”) returns as host of the show that presents up-and-coming comics and established stars performing before a live audience.
◊“Samantha Who?” (7 p.m. on ABC): Samantha is shocked to learn that she has been kept in the dark about having an aunt (Christine Ebersole, “Grey Gardens”) and a grandmother (Florence Henderson, “The Brady Bunch”) because of a feud over a family heirloom between Regina and her sister.
◊“Soundstage” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): Indie rock favorite-turned-mahor-label sensation Death Cab for Cutie presenst a set that includes songs from the band’s new EP “The Open Door” and the 2008 studio album “Narrow Stairs.”
◊“Wicked Attraction” (9 p.m. on Investigation Discovery): The series returns for a second season of examining what happens in the mind of the average person when they fall under the spell of a sadistic predator.

FRIDAY, JULY 10
◊“Against the Grain” (1 p.m. on DIY): In this new series, master builder Jimmy DiResta brings his unique blend of function and artistry to even the simplest projects, such as barstools made from baseball bats and pool tables that concert to dining room tables.
◊“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (7 p.m. on Fox): Larry the Cable Guy (“The Blue Collar Comedy Tour”) competes for $1 million by testing his knowledge in the subjects ranging from art to geography and math to social studies. There is a way for him to “cheat” in this classroom, as he can get help from real grade-schoolers who will offer what they think is the correct answer.
◊“The Assistants” (7:30 p.m. on The N): This new 13-episode series takes a comedic look at four showbiz assistants working for a big-shot producer as they strive to make it in Hollywood. Coffee runs, answering phones and helping actresses break out of rehab are just part of the glamorous and not-so-glamorous lives of these four 20-somethings.
◊“Crimson Tide” (7 p.m. on Bravo): This 1995 post-Cold War drama stars Gene Hackman as a submarine commander and Denzel Washington as his executive officer. When an unconfirmed order instructs the crew to fire the sub’s nuclear missiles, the two go head to head in a tense standoff.
◊“Eureka” (8 p.m. on SYFY): The second half of Season 3 picks up at the mid-season cliffhanger with Jack Carter being removed from his job as Eureka’s sheriff and Allison announcing that she is expecting her recently-deceased husband’s baby.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): When a vigilante group goes after a known criminal mastermind, Charlie is forced to turn to his rival for help. Also, Don wrestles with his emotions towards embracing religion. Colin Hanks (”Roswell”) guest stars.
◊“The River Wild” (5 p.m. on HBO): In this 1994 action thriller, Meryl Streep plays an unhappy wife and former white-water guide who takes her husband and son on a river expedition. After coming to the aid of two young rafters, the family is soon at the mercy of murderous thieves on a harrowing trip through some dangerous rapids.

SATURDAY, JULY 11
◊“Discover Oklahoma” (6:30 p.m. on KWTV-9): This installment of the locally-produced program visits the Rock Cafe in Stroud, the world’s highest hill near Poteau and the Ames Meteor Crater.
◊“Eli Stone” (9 p.m. on ABC): In the series finale, Eli’s visions leads him to believe someone close to him will die in a plane crash. As Eli tries to unravel the mystery of who among his friends may meet their fate on the doomed plane, he and Keith take on the case of a woman named Diane who’s in need of a heart transplant, but the religious parents of a donor refuse to give her their daughter’s heart to her because she is an atheist. Tom Cavanagh (”Ed”) guest stars.
◊“The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger” (8 p.m. on Hallmark): When con man Shea McCall (Dean Cain) wins ownership of half of a cattle ranch, he immediately butts heads with BJ Stoker (James Tupper), the hard-nosed owner of the other half of the ranch. But when the two uncover a secret Mexican invasion plot, they’ll have to put aside their differences in order to save the ranch, whoever’s property it is.
◊“Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design” (11 a.m. on A&E): In this new series, former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson tries to negotiate clients and a cast of assistants while tackling a variety of interior design dilemmas. From a master bedroom to a gourmet kitchen, Johnson and his team will show clients how to work within their budget to make choices that make sense.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): David finds out where his true loyalties lie when he goes on trial for treason.
◊“Primeval” (8 p.m. on BBC America): Abby’s visiting brother, Jack, persists in snooping around in an attempt to find out the truth about her job but only winds up being menaced by a giant and very lethal carnivorous insect from the future that chases him into an anomaly. That forces the team to enter a harsh futuristic world teeming with hungry predators to rescue him.
◊“Tombstone” (7 p.m. on History): In this 1993 adaptation of the O.K. Corral story, Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) gets out of Dodge and attempts to settle down in Tombstone, Ariz., with his brothers (Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton) and buddy Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer). But Wyatt can’t hang up his six-shooters until he takes care of the outlaw gang that’s stirring up trouble.
◊“Viva Daisy!” (8:30 a.m. on Food Network): Host Daisy Martinez returns for a second season of giving viewers tips and tricks for creating quick, simple, mouth-watering meals inspired by her love of Latin cuisines.

–Penny TV

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TV Premieres, Finales and Marathons airing June 28-July 4, 2009

 

  Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
   And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of June 28.
   If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
 
BEGINNINGS
••“Built to Shred,” 7 p.m. Sunday on Fuel TV (second-season premiere).
••“HGTV Showdown,” 9 p.m. Sunday on HGTV (third-season premiere).
••“Hung,” 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO (series premiere).
••“Dance Your … Off,” 9 p.m. Monday on Oxygen (series premiere).
••“Stager Invasion,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on TLC (series premiere).
••“18 Kids and Counting,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on TLC (third-season premiere).
••“NOVA scienceNOW,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on OETA-13 (fourth-season premiere).
••“Monsters Inside Me,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on Animal Planet (series premiere).
••“Moments of Impact,” 8 p.m. Thursday on Discovery (series premiere).
••“Bathtastic,” 8 p.m. Friday on DIY (second-season premiere).

ENDINGS
••“Clean House: Search for the Messiest Home in the Country,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on Style Network (first-season finale).

MARATHONS
••“Burn Notice,” 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday on USA.
••“Twilight Zone,” 7 a.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. July 5 on SCI FI.
••“Mantracker,” 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday on Science Channel.
••“Martin,” 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Saturday on TV One.
••“Deadliest Catch,” 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Saturday and July 5 on Discovery.

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

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Top 55 TV Programs for June 28-July 4, 2009

    Sunday’s Oklahoman, which
includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
   But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of June 28:

NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)

SUNDAY, JUNE 28
◊The BET Awards ’09 (7 p.m. on BET): Jamie Foxx (“Ray”) will host the ninth annual event that celebrates the achievements in music, sports and entertainment. The O’Jays will be honored with a lifetime achievement award.
◊“Built to Shred” (7 p.m. on Fuel TV): In Season 2 of this build-and-ride sports show featuring top skateboarders, BMXers and surfers, host Jeff King works with pros to design, build and try out a new obstacle.
◊“Celebrity Rides: Hollywood Speeding Bullitt” (6 p.m. on DIY): Chad McQueen, son of actor Steve McQueen, helps build a 1968 GT Fastvack Mustang made famous by the movie “Bullitt.”
◊“Comedy You Can Believe In With David Alan Grier” (9 p.m. on TBS): David Alan Grier (“Chocolate News”) will perform his own stand-up and introduce comedians Bruce Bruce, Jo Koy, Mark Curry, Aries Spears and Marina Franklin.
◊“Gene Simmons Family Jewels” (8:30 p.m. on A&E): While Gene Simmons rings the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and spreads the word about investing in America, Shannon does some spending of her own when she gets addicted to late-night infomercials.
◊“HGTV Showdown” (9 p.m. on HGTV): A new line-up of challengers and celebrity guests take the design stage for Season 3 of the show. Host Jamie Durie will guide viewers through the action as two teams of expert designers and builders compete to design and execute a winning room makeover for one lucky homeowner. The homeowner also will win a professional design plan and $10,000 toward the redesign of a room in their home.
◊“Hung” (9 p.m. Sunday on HBO): In this new and very adult comedy, Thomas Jane stars as Ray Drucker, a high school basketball coach and divorced dad who sets out to change his fortune.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): In the new installment “Mrs. McGinty’s Dead,” crime novelist Ariadne Oliver (Zoe Wanamaker, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) joins Poirot (David Suchet, “Henry VIII”) to save a man who has been sentenced to hang for the murder of his landlady.
◊“Merlin” (7 p.m. on NBC): The witch Nimueh casts a spell with a monster that poisons Camelot’s drinking water, spreading a sickness throughout the city. When Gwen’s father falls ill, Merlin disobeys Gaius’ orders and tries to help.
◊“The Next Food Network Star” (8 p.m. on Food Network): Bobby Flay tests the remaining seven finalists by having them out their culinary point of view on a classic American dish — the burger. Guy Fieri (“Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”) surprises the finalists and challenges them to create a dish using a basket of international ingredients for a group of returning American soldiers.
◊“Prehistoric New York” (8 p.m. on Discovery): Travel back in time through the lost worlds of New York City’s past, when mammoths once trampled down Fifth Avenue and some of the world’s first dinosaurs roamed where the New York Giants now play.
◊“Waging War on Cancer With Paula Zahn: The Future” (1:30 p.m. on OETA-13): This program seeks to demystify cancer by explaining where it comes from. In many cases, it has to do with chronic injury to tissue.

MONDAY, JUNE 29
◊“Blood, Sweat + Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France” (9:30 p.m. on Sundance): This documentary follows the journey of an American cycling team seeking to compete in its first Tour de France, the French bicycle race that covers over 3,500 kilometers in 22 grueling days. The 2009 Tour de France runs from July 4-July 26.
◊“The Closer” (8 p.m. on TNT): Brenda and her squad are temporarily deputized into the FBI when a missing person case turns into a full-blown murder investigation involving drug trafficking at gay dance parties.  The case gives Brenda and Fritz the chance to work together again, but her investigative tactics don’t exactly fit FBI protocol.
◊“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): When a murderer kidnaps an innocent baby, Horatio and the team must find him before the child becomes his next victim. Teri Polo (”Meet the Parents”) guest stars in this of the show’s 150th episode.
◊“Dance Your … Off” (9 p.m. on Oxygen): Marissa Jaret Winokur (“Hairspray”) hosts this new dance/weight-loss competition series featuring full-figured contestants who struggle with their weight and dance to unleash their inner thin.
◊“History Detectives” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This installment focuses on an invention that may have been used in the atomic bomb, a 23-pound block of beeswax with strange markings and a French manuscript kept by an American family for 160 years.
◊“JoMoPro 2009″ (7 p.m. on Fuel TV, 265 on Cox Digital Cable, 536 on U-verse, 618 on DirecTV): This BMX event in Joplin, Mo., offers a $20,000 prize purse and features a best-trick contest that awards the winning rider a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
◊“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (9 p.m. on Bravo): Kathy seeks out Paris Hilton. The new BFFs spend the day buying trendy clothes on Robertson Blvd., pose for hundreds of photographers trailing their every move and make a call to Snoop Dog. 
◊“NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” (5 p.m. on OETA-13): The segment “A Future That is Bright and Green” features Nathan Wright and Casey Wenzel, who are among the first students at Oklahoma State University to participate in a new degree program in wind turbine technology. They are hopeful about finding jobs that are not only close to home, but that are safer, cleaner and more stable than those in the oil and gas industry.
◊“Operation Emeril” (7 p.m. on Planet Green): In this special, chef Emeril Lagasse visits the Army Center of Excellence Subsistence (ACES) at Fort Lee in Richmond, VA, and meets service men and women training to become military cooks. He shows the soldiers how to mix new combinations of food while in the kitchen and prepare healthy and delicious meals for the masses.
◊“Raising the Bar” (9 p.m. on TNT): When an innocent picture of a little boy in a bathtub winds up on a child pornographer’s Web site, Jerry has his hands full defending the father against Balco’s aggressive prosecution.
◊“Shouting Fire: Stories From the Edge of Free Speech” (8 p.m. on HBO): In collaboration with her father, First Amendment attorney Martin Garbus, Oscar nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus explores the social and political trends that have shaped America’s attitudes about free speech and how they can threaten the very tenets upon which the country was built.
◊“Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell” (8 p.m. on Sundance): This film looks at the life and music of Arthur Russell, a little-known composer, producer, cellist, singer and songwriter who died of AIDS in 1992.

TUESDAY, JUNE 30
◊“18 Kids and Counting” (8 p.m. on TLC): Josh and Anna Duggar don’t know if their first child will be a boy or girl — but the “Today” show does. Watch as the Duggars are kept in the dark until it’s revealed live on national television via a special cake from the “Cake Boss.”
◊“The Best Thing I Ever Ate” (8:30 p.m. on Food Network): Food Network stars Guy Fieri (“Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”), Duff Goldman (“Ace of Cakes”) and Aida Mollenkamp (“Ask Aida”) talk about their favorite foods made with bacon.
◊“HawthoRNe” (8 p.m. on TNT): Christina scrambles to create a makeshift ICU bed for a woman whose son isn’t ready to let her go.  And Camille spends the day sneaking around the hospital when she’s supposed to be working on an English essay.
◊“NOVA” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): The new installment “Musical Minds” investigates the impact music can have on the human brain through case studies from neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book “Musicophilia.”
◊“NOVA scienceNOW” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Host Neil deGrasse Tyson returns for Season 4, which is packed with provocative new stories from the frontlines of science, technology, and medicine. In the premiere episode, a blindfolded Tyson is led to a top-secret “diamond farm” to investigate breakthroughs in the engineering of artificial diamonds. Indistinguishable from the real thing, these glittering creations may one day replace silicon transistors in everything from super computers to high-speed electric trains.
◊“P.O.V.” (9:30 p.m. on OETA-13): The family of a French gay man who was brutally murdered by three neo-Nazi skinheads undergoes an astonishing personal journey as its members struggle to seek justice while coming to terms with their unthinkable loss in ‘‘Beyond Hatred.”
◊“Saving Grace” (9 p.m. on TNT): Matthew (F. Murray Abraham, “Amadeus”), one of Earl’s fellow angels, hits a rough patch when it comes to winning souls, and he starts honing in on Earl’s territory.
◊“Stager Invasion” (7 p.m. on TLC): In this new series, professional stager Lisa Lynch visits houses that are on the market by homeowners but aren’t getting much interest. Lynch and a staging team help transform the homes – using mostly items already part of the decor – while battling 8-hour timelines to get everything ready for showings.
◊“Wake Steady” (7 p.m. on Fuel TV, 265 on Cox Digital Cable, 536 on U-verse, 618 on DirecTV): Catch wakeboarding and wakeskating champions attacking still waters worldwide.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
◊“10 Grand in Your Hand” (8:30 p.m. on DIY, 111 on Dish Network, 171 on Cox Digital Cable, 230 on Direct TV, 454 on U-verse): This series shows homeowners how to cut up to $10,000 from their renovation and remodeling projects. It offers advice on new materials and technologies, as well as how-to info on doing some of the basic work themselves.
◊“American Masters” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): This new 90-minute episode goes behind the scenes of the radio show ‘‘A Prairie Home Companion,” created by humorist and commentator Garrison Keillor. It follows Keillor and his crew of actors and misicians as they travel across the country broadcasting and recording shows.
◊“Clean House: Search for the Messiest Home in the Country” (8 p.m. on Style Network): In the first-season finale host Niecy Nash (”Reno 911!”) unveils 2009’s messiest home in the country and documents its full makeover. The home belongs to a detective, and it is crammed with suff in every room.
◊“Monsters Inside Me” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new series explores the shocking, gruesome and sometimes deadly details of a parasitic infection. Every episode is a constant battle for life as doctors and scientists attempt to unravel each case.
◊“The New Adventures of Old Christine” (7 p.m. on CBS): Christine and Barb are informed by the parent company of their gym franchise that they’ve broken a contractual clause and may lose the gym. Megan Mullally (”Will & Grace”) guest stars as the corporate representative from the gym’s parent company.

THURSDAY, JULY 2
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (7 p.m. on CBS): When a series of victims are found deceased seemingly in the middle of everyday activities, the CSIs must determine what is causing them to remain upright after death. Alex Kingston (”ER”), Jeffrey Tambor (”Arrested Development”) and Will McCormack (”Dirt”) guest star.
◊“The Listener” (9 p.m. on NBC): After witnessing a fatal shooting in Chinatown, Toby uses his telepathic gift to help a blind woman solve the murder of her brother. He discovers a cover-up involving a Chinese crime boss who has a lot to hide from the police.
◊“Moments of Impact” (8 p.m. on Discovery): From terrifyingly close calls on the jet way to a sudden avalanche to unexpected animal attacks, this new series provides a spectacular tour de force of real life spills and chills. 
◊“Science of the Movies” (9 p.m. on Science Channel, 101 on Cox Digital Cable, 193 on Dish Network, 258 on U-verse, 284 on DirecTV): This installment goes behind the scenes of Sony Pictures Animation’s 3D feature “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”
◊“Soundstage” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): Sugarland presents a versatile set that includes pop songs, country sounds and soulful ballads.
◊“Twilight Zone” marathon: (7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. July 5 on SCI FI): The network’s annual event, running Thursday through Saturday, features episodes from the 1980s version of the series, as well as the classic 1960s show.
◊“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic” (6 p.m. on TCM): This special was made in 1989, as it has actually been 70 years since ‘‘Oz” came out. Like the movie, though, it’s still enjoyable and will enhance your appreciation of the film, as actress Angela Lansbury (”Murder, She Wrote”) takes a look back at the production of the 1939 classic.

FRIDAY, JULY 3
◊“According to Jim” (8:30 p.m. on ABC): Jim convinces Andy to play snow football even though Andy’s girlfriend, Mandy, warns him against it. Now injured, Andy has to hide his injury from Mandy, so Jim stages a freak accident for Andy in his home. Garry Marshall (“Race to Witch Mountain”) guest stars.
◊“Alex Haley’s Queen” (9 a.m. on TV One, 157 on U-verse, 167 on Cox Digital Cable, 328 on DirecTV): Halle Berry stars in the six-hour miniseries that chronicles the tale of Alex Haley’s paternal grandmother, Queen, who was the daughter of a black slave and a white plantation owner.
◊“Bathtastic” (8 p.m. on DIY, 111 on Dish Network, 171 on Cox Digital Cable, 230 on Direct TV, 454 on U-verse): Host Matt Muenster shares design tips, information on cutting-edge materials and know-how that will revitalize any bathroom, great or small. 
◊“Good Evening Ev’rybody: In Celebration of Louis Armstrong” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): This is a presentation of a never-before-released concert performance of Louis Armstrong and other musical greats at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival in celebration of Armstrong’s 70th birthday. Armstrong performs several of his greatest hits throughout the concert and rehearsals, including ‘Pennies From Heaven” and “Wonderful World.”
◊“Invitation Only” (10 p.m. on CMT): In this installment of the concert series, Darius Rucker performs before a small studio audience in Nashville, takes questions from fans and delivers revealing and candid answers.
◊“Margaret Cho: Beautiful” (10 p.m. on Showtime): Returning to her stand-up roots, Margaret Cho examines the nature of beauty and the importance society has placed on appearance.
◊“The Ultimate Power Lunch: 50 Years of The Four Seasons” (11 a.m. on CNBC): CNBC correspondent Bill Griffeth will speak one-on-one with the most powerful people in finance, media and fashion, asking them about the economy, the markets and their power lunches at the restaurant over the years.

SATURDAY, JULY 4
◊“Apollo 13″ (6:30 p.m. on Cinemax): Ron Howard, who was born in Duncan, directed this 1995 movie about the near-disastrous 1970 Apollo 13 mission. Headed for the moon, Cmdr. Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his crew, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert (Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon), experience an on-board explosion.
◊“Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular” (9 p.m. on CBS): Talk show host Craig Ferguson (”The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson”) returns for his third year as host of the special broadcast live from the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Grammy winner Neil Diamond will perform some of his classic hits with The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart. The final 21 minutes of the broadcast, featuring the spectacular fireworks display, will be presented commercial free.
◊“Burn After Reading” (7 p.m. on HBO):  Brad Pitt, who was born in Shawnee, stars as a gym worker in this movie directed by Oscar-winners Joel and Ethan Coen (”No Country for Old Men”). John Malkovich plays a newly resigned CIA agent whose secrets are swiped by his divorce-seeking wife (Tilda Swinton) and ultimately land in the hands of gym workers.
◊“A Capitol Fourth” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits returns to host this spe3cial live from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol. Barry Manilow will open and close the broadcast with a medley of hits and patriotic classics along with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Others scheduled to appear are Aretha Franklin, Natasha Bedingfield, Michael Feinstein, Andrew von Oeyen, the Tony Award-winning cast of “Jersey Boys” and the “Sesame Street” gang.
◊“Choking Man” (9 p.m. on Sundance): This film explores the immigrant experience, as it follows a near-mute dishwasher from Ecuador who is quietly nursing a crush on a radiant fellow immigrant in Queens.
◊“Detonators” (7 p.m. on Science Channel, 101 on Cox Digital Cable, 193 on Dish Network, 258 on U-verse, 284 on DirecTV): This series focuses on a specialized team that demolishes skyscrapers, blows up helicopters on movie sets and detonates 50-gallon drums of explosives to quell deadly oil well fires.
◊“Kings” (7 p.m. on NBC): King Silas sends David on a quest to recover a national treasure, the Charter of Gilboa. While on the mission, David discovers shocking information about his father’s death. Leslie Bibb (Confessions of a Shopaholic”) guest stars as Katrina, who is engaged to Jack.
◊“Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” (8 p.m. on NBC): “Today” correspondents Natalie Morales and Tiki Barber co-host the special live from New York City. The nation’s 233rd birthday extravaganza will include performances by rock singer Rob Thomas country singer Jewel and the cast from the 2009 revival of “West Side Story.” The fireworks display featuring more than 40,000 shells will be set of from six barges positioned between 24th and 50th Streets on the Hudson River.
◊“Mantracker” marathon (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Science Channel, 101 on Cox Digital Cable, 193 on Dish Network, 258 on U-verse, 284 on DirecTV): Terry Grant is an expert outdoorsman trained to track and retrieve missing persons in the deep wilderness. His mission in each episode is to track two contestants through rough country and capture them before they can reach the finish line.
◊“Sweet Land of Liberty” (5 p.m. on OETA-13): Music selections include “America the Beautiful,” “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “God Bless America.”
◊“Tribute to Liberty” (5:30 p.m. on OETA-13): Music selections include “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “This Is My Country.”

–Penny TV

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TV Premieres and Finales airing May 31-June 6, 2009

   Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
   And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of May 31.
   If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
 
BEGINNINGS
••“Ice Road Truckers,” 8 p.m. Sunday on History (third-season premiere).
••“HGTV’s $250,000 Challenge,” 9 p.m. Sunday on HGTV (series premiere).
••“Jesse James Is a Dead Man,” 9 p.m. Sunday on SPIKE (series premiere).
••“Deal or No Deal,” 6 and 10 p.m. weekdays on GSN (series added).
••“I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” 7 p.m. Monday on NBC (second-season premiere).
••“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien,” 10:29 p.m. Monday on NBC (series premiere).
••“Is Your House Killing You?” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on Sundance (series premiere).
••“Man Land,” 10 p.m. Wednesday on HGTV (series premiere).
••“Burn Notice,” 8 p.m. Thursday on USA (third-season premiere).
••“The Listener,” 9 p.m. Thursday on NBC (series premiere).
••“Royal Pains,” 9 p.m. Thursday on USA (series premiere).
••“Tosh.0,” 9 p.m. Thursday on Comedy Central (series premiere).
••“Ghost Adventures,” 8 p.m. Friday on Travel Channel (second-season premiere).
••“Whale Wars,” 8 p.m. Friday on Animal Planet (second-season finale).
••“Housecat Housecall,” 9:30 a.m. Saturday on Animal Planet (second-season premiere).
••“1 vs. 100,” 5 p.m. Saturday on GSN (series added).

ENDINGS
••“Breaking Bad,” 9 p.m. Sunday on AMC (second-season finale).
••“Platinum Weddings,” 9 p.m. Sunday on WEtv (second-season finale).
••“Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” 10:45 p.m. Sunday on Cartoon Network (sixth-season finale).
••“Medium,” 9 p.m. Monday on NBC (fifth-season finale).
••“According to Jim,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on ABC (series finale).
••“Dallas DNA,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on Investigation Discovery (first-season finale).
••“Deadliest Warrior,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on SPIKE (first-season finale).
••“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on NBC (10th-season finale).
••“Law & Order,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on NBC (19th-season finale).
••“Make Me a Supermodel,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo (second-season finale).

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Top 55 TV Programs for May 31-June 6, 2009

 Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
   But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of May 31:

SUNDAY, MAY 31
◊“The 2009 MTV Movie Awards” (8 p.m. on MTV): Andy Samberg (”Saturday Night Live”) hosts the 18th annual event live from Universal City, Calif. The films “Twilight” and “Slumdog Millionaire” both received nominations in six categories.
◊“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” (10:45 p.m. on Cartoon Network): In the animated show’s first live-action episode, rapper T-Pain portrays the Auqua Teen’s roommate Frylock, whose animated form looks like a floating box of french fries.
◊“Breaking Bad” (9 p.m. on AMC): On the Season 2 finale, Skyler and Walt collide as her frustration with his secrecy finally comes to a head. Also, Jesse self-destructs after a personal blow, forcing Walt to come to his aid.
◊“HGTV’s $250,000 Challenge” (9 p.m. on HGTV): Drew Lachey (”Dancing With the Stars”) hosts this new winner-take-all design competition in which five neighboring families compete to create the best design in their own home. The winner gets a cash prize that can help them pay off their mortgage.
◊“Ice Road Truckers” (8 p.m. on History): Season 3 heads to Alaska, 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where a group of elite truckers face their most perilous journey yet. They have less than three monthys to shuttle critical supplies to the oil camps of Alaska’s North Slope.
◊“Into the Storm” (8 p.m. on HBO): Continuing the story that began in 2002’s “The Gathering Storm,” this production finds Winston Churchill (Brendan Gleeson, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) reflecting on how he guided Britain through World War II as he, wife Clemmie (Janet McTeer) and their daughter spend a holiday in France awaiting word on whether he has been elected prime minister for a postwar term.
◊“Jesse James Is a Dead Man” (9 p.m. on SPIKE): Each week in this new series, Jesse James (”Monster Garage”) will take on a different challenge that could literally kill him. The challenge he faces in the premiere episode is riding a Nitro-fueled motorcycle.
◊“Masterpiece Mystery!” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Inspector Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) is stunned by the murder of three teenagers on Midsummer’s Eve and sent into a spiral of intense guilt when a colleague also is found dead in the final installment of the series titled “One Step Behind.”
◊“Nature’s Most Amazing Events” (7 p.m. on Discovery): The final two installments of this six-part high-definition series feature the Kalahari Desert at the peak of the dry season and the arrival of summer along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia.
◊“Platinum Weddings” (9 p.m. on WEtv): Black tie glamour meets SOuthern charm at Mollie and Jason’s wedding. The couple’s 280 guests will be trated to an all-expense-paid weekend in Atlanta.

MONDAY, JUNE 1
◊“Deal or No Deal” (6 and 10 p.m. weekdays on GSN): Beginning today, the network will begin airing the first three seasons of the hour-long version of this game show hosted by Howie Mandel.
◊“Gossip Girl” (7 p.m. on CW): As the summer draws to a close in the Hamptons, Serena and Nate have everyone fooled into thinking they are a couple to cover up the fact that Nate has been hooking up with a married older woman (Madchen Amick, “My Own Worst Enemy”) and Serena has been secretly mourning her break-up with Dan.
◊“Greek” (7 p.m. on ABC Family): Overwhelmed with loneliness since Max left for his internship, Casey finds herself latching onto her ZBZ sister’s social activities and interfering with Rusty’s new blossoming romance with Jordan. Gregory Michael (”Dante’s Cove”) guest stars.
◊“Here Come the Newlyweds” (9:02 p.m. on ABC): The eight remaining just-married couples get slightly embarrassed when famous psychosexual therapist Dr. Ruth drops by to give them relationship tips.
◊“House” (7 p.m. on Fox): A gun-wielding man (Zeljko Ivanek, “Damages”) takes House, Thirteen and several patients from the waiting room hostage in Cuddy’s office. The man claims to be sick with a long undiagnosed illness and demands medical attention from the best doctor in the hospital.
◊“How I Met Your Mother” (7:30 p.m. on CBS): While out for dinner with the gang, Ted runs into someone from his past that prompts each of them to think about how they would handle bumping into someone they’d rather forget. Sarah Chalke (”Scrubs”) and Eric Braeden (”The Young and the Restless”) guest star.
◊“I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” (7 p.m. on NBC): Ten celebrities are dropped into the jungles of Costa Rica, where they undergo tests of their survival skills, with viewers deciding which player will be eliminated each week. Celebrities include Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt (”The Hills”), Janice Dickinson (”The Janice Dickinseon Modeling Agency”), Stephen Baldwin (”The Usual Suspects”), John Salley (”Confessions of a Shopaholic”), Torrie Wilson (”WWF Smackdown!”) and former Sanjaya Malakar (”American Idol”).
◊“Kathy Griffin: The Footage You Weren’t Meant to See” (9 p.m. on Bravo): Relive all the good and bad time from the first four seasons of two-time Emmy-winning series “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” — all through Kathy’s comic eye. The special also includes unseen moments from the show.
◊“Medium” (9 p.m. on NBC): In the Season 5 finale, Allison dreams of a future where an unfamiliar man is comforting her after the loss of her entire family. She later meets the same unfamiliar man in her waking life whihc investigating a case.
◊“Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): This film chronicles the boxer’s arrival in Miami in 1960. Over the next few years, Ali evolved both professionally and politically.
◊“Rules of Engagement” (8:30 p.m. on CBS): Audrey discovers that Russell is a closeted fan of Broadway musicals, a fact she promises to keep secret in exchange for free theater tickets. Bob Odenkirk (”The Larry Sanders Show”) guest stars.
◊“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (10:29 p.m. on NBC): Conan O’Brien, the dominant late-night host at 11:35 p.m. for the past 14 seasons, will succeed Jay Leno as host of the preeminent series on late-night television.
◊“TV411” (10 a.m. on OETA-13): Some 70 million adults in America cannot read, write or speak English well enough to seek a job promotion or help their children with homework. This program is full of useful tips, such as how to decipher a pay check, keep a family medical history and get the most out of reading.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2
◊“According to Jim” (7:30 p.m. on ABC): When Jim chokes on a shrimp puff, he dies and arrives at Heaven’s gate. As Jim attempts to prove his good works to God (Lee Majors, “The Fall Guy”), his sister-in-law, Dana, represents the Devil (Erik Estrada, “CHiPs”), arguing that Jim’s selfishness should mean a certain trip to hell.
◊“Earth 2100″ (8 p.m. on ABC): This ABC News special hosted by Bob Woodruff takes viewers on a journey through what the next century could have in store and shows viewers what can be done to avoid disaster.
◊“Is Your House Killing You?” (8:30 p.m. on Sundance): The network premieres the seven-part Australian reality series hosted by environmental scientists Dr. Peter Dingle and Cedric Cheong, who have extensive experience in the field of indoor air pollution.  Each episode introduces an Australian family that has reason to suspect their homes may be endangering their health and well-being.
◊“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m. on NBC): In the Season 10 finale, an error jeopardizes a murder case and the detectives rush to find more evidence before the killer takes revenge on the squad.
◊“Man vs. Wild” (8 p.m. on Discovery): Host Bear Grylls takes Will Ferrell (”Land of the Lost”) along with him for an extreme adventure in the Swedish hinterland.
◊“Mental” (8 p.m. on Fox): Director of Psychiatric Services Dr. Jack Gallagher and psychiatrist Dr. Veronica Hayden-Jones are called to the ER for a psych consult where they meet Melissa Ranier (Nicholle Tom, “(”The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman”), a woman presenting as seven months pregnant. However, the doctors are informed by the ER physician that the patient’s ultrasound did not reveal a baby.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3
◊“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): Dr. Reid embarks on his own investigation into the murder of a young boy years earlier in Las Vegas that he strongly believes has a connection to his own childhood. Jane Lynch (”Two and a Half Men”) guest stars as Dr. Reid’s mother, Diana Reid.
◊“Law & Order” (9 p.m. on NBC): In the Season 19 finale, the murder of a charity executive leads detectives on a trail of political intrigue. The investigation takes a turn when claims of stalking and blackmail surface.
◊“Make Me a Supermodel” (9 p.m. on Bravo): The final three models go head-to-head with two major photo shoots and an extended catwalk challenge. Fashion photographer Matthew Rolston joins the four judges for the final deliberation.
◊“Man Land” (10 p.m. on HGTV): This new series explores men’s design machismo and offers viewers ideas for “manspace makeovers.” It also reveals how the women in these men’s lives feel about their guy having a separate space and how that space has changed their relationship.
◊“Renegade Genius” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): Meet Thomas Gold, an original thinker whose radical theories have transformed the way science views the origin of life, how we hear sounds and what we know about space.
◊“Smile Pinki” (6 p.m. on HBO): Recent Oscar winner for best documentary short subject, this program profiles the fairytale journey of Pinki and Ghutaru, two children in rural India born with cleft lips, who are given new hope to live normal lives through the generosity and dedicated efforts of local doctors and social workers.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4
◊“The Big Bang Theory” (7 p.m. on CBS): A disastrous visit from Mrs. Hofstadter (Christine Baranski, “Cybill”) brings Leonard and Penny closer together.
◊“Burn Notice” (8 p.m. on USA): As Season 3 opens, Michael emerges from the ocean a free agent but one who is being investigated by the police as he takes on a new job extraditing a thug.
◊“General Hospital” (2 p.m. on ABC): Lexi Ainsworth from Oklahoma City will make her debut on the ABC daytime drama today. She has been cast as Kristina, the daughter of mob boss Sonny Corinthos and princess Alexis Davis.
◊“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (7 p.m. on ABC): The late-night talk show will air special half-hour primetime shows on each night ABC airs the NBA basketball finals. Each night, Jimmy will deliver up-to-the minute news addressing the hottest topics of the day in his monologue and welcome various guest stars.
◊“The Listener” (9 p.m. on NBC): This new series stars Craig Olejnik (”The Timekeeper”) as Toby Logan, a young paramedic who goes about his rounds helping people in crisis while keeping a big secret: He has telepathic powers, which he uses discreetly in both his job and his personal life.
◊“Royal Pains” (9 p.m. on USA): This new drama starring Mark Feuerstein (”Good Morning, Miami”) centers on a young, blacklisted doctor whose career is revived when he becomes a doctor for hire to the rich and famous in The Hamptons.
◊“Supernatural” (8 p.m. on CW): Dean is transported back in time and is shocked when he lands in Lawrence, Kan. Dean isn’t sure why he was sent back so he begins to enjoy the time with his parents and newfound grandfather (Mitch Pileggi, “The X-Files”), who may be hiding a secret that is key to Sam and Dean’s entire predicament.
◊“Tosh.0″ (9 p.m. on Comedy Central): In this twist on pop culture shows, comedian Daniel Tosh lampoons the latest videos, blogs, vlogs, websites and technologies, as well as offering “Web Redemption” to those who have already humiliated themselves online.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5
◊“Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” (7 p.m. on Fox): Twins from Orlando compete. They are in for a real 80’s treat when surprise guest, Colin Hay from Men at Work, completes the lyrics to the pop hit “Who Can It Be Now.”
◊“Ghost Adventures” (8 p.m. on Travel Channel): In this series, paranormal investigators search for haunted locations. During their search, they interview locals about the hauntings and place themselves with evil spirits during overnight lockdowns.
◊“Good Morning America” (7 a.m. on ABC): John Legend (Grammy winner) performs during the 2009 Summer Concert Series airing live from New York City’s Central Park.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): While on a date, David catches a disappearing act at a magic show but quickly becomes involved in the performance when the magician really vanishes. Penn Jillette (”Dancing With the Stars) guest stars.
◊“Whale Wars” (8 p.m. on Animal Planet): Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society battle whalers, the elements and one another in the show’s second season that features new and returning crew members.
◊“Samantha Who?” (8 p.m. on ABC): Samantha teams up with her mother for a dance competition in order to beat Regina’s nemesis, Paula Drake (Cybill Shepherd, “Cybill”). The only problem is that “old” Sam could dance, whereas “new” Sam is gliding on two left feet. Mark Ballas (”Dancing With the Stars”) guest stars as Paula’s dance partner.
◊“Today” (7 a.m. on NBC): The Dave Matthews Band (Grammy winner) performs during the 2009 Toyota Concert Series airing live from New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6
◊“1 vs. 100″ (6 p.m. on GSN): Beginning today, the network will begin airing the entire series run of the game show hosted by Bob Saget. Episodes will also air at noon Sundays starting June 7.
◊“Come Dance at My Wedding” (8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): John Schneider (“Smallville”), Roma Downey (“Touched by an Angel”), Brooke Nevin (“Worst Week”) and Christopher Jacot (“Eureka”) star in this new movie about an estranged father and daughter who may be light-on-their-feet, but who still have a few moves to learn if they are to move forward as a family.
◊“Discover Oklahoma” (6:30 p.m. on KWTV-9): This installment of the locally-produced program showcases the UCO Jazz Lab in Edmond, the Wild Things Farm in Pocola, Tulsa’s Inn at Woodward Park and Keystone Ancient Forest.
◊“The Game Show Awards” (8 p.m. on GSN): Howie Mandel (”Deal or No Deal”) hosts the inaugural event aimed at celebrating excellence in the genre of games. The show includes special tributes to Bob Barker (“The Price is Right”), game show producer Mark Goodson and Monty Hall (“Let’s Make a Deal”).
◊“Housecat Housecall” (9:30 a.m. on Animal Planet): This show returns for a second season of helping cat lovers resolve their feline dilemmas, from unruly behavior to lifestyle adjustments.
◊“Iron Maiden: Flight 666″ (11 p.m. on VH1): On February 8, 2008, British heavy rock legends Iron Maiden embarked on an ambitious and adventurous tour. The band gave full access to a film crew to document their journey and this high-definition documentary is the result. With the entire touring crew and 12 tons of music and stage equipment on board, the band flew 50,000 miles and performed in 23 sold-out stadium and arena shows across Asia, Australia and North, Central and South America.
◊“Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This special explores the historical context of Johnny Cash’s concert album recorded Jan. 13, 1968 at Folsom Prison. It weaves interviews with archival photography to evoke the spirit of that day.
◊“Pushing Daisies” (9 p.m. on ABC): Emerson gets a lead in his daughter Penny’s whereabouts when he investigates the murder of millionaire Roland Stingwell. The prime suspect: Penny’s no-good mama, Lila Robinson (Gina Torres, “Standoff”), who ran off with the girl years ago. Meanwhile, an awkward Randy Mann (David Arquette, “In Case of Emergency”) tries to romance Olive.

–Penny TV

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