Tonight's TV Hot List: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
9/8c NBC
Stabler, Benson & Co. return to the 10 o'clock timeslot — and have brought Kathy Griffin and Mischa Barton along with them. But tonight's two-parter will still begin at its current timeslot at 9/8c. Griffin plays the leader of a lesbian-rights organization who helps the detectives investigate the murder of a fellow member, while Barton plays a victim who gets emotionally involved with Benson.
Nip/Tuck
10/9c FX
Christian and Sean finally walk off into the sunset as the drama series concludes. Will they do it together? That would be a spoiler, but it doesn't give anything away to say that they arrive at an understanding. They also square things away with Liz (after Sean squared things away with Julia last week). And Matt? He has plenty of squaring away yet to do. (Famke Janssen's in the guest cast again.) Meanwhile, there's still work to do at McNamara/Troy: a scar to remove from an adult actor — a very adult actor. — Paul Droesch
Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special
10/9c ABC
Oprah doesn't have the Oscar-tradition thing going for her the way Barbara Walters does — yet — but this is Year 2 for this gabfest, and if Oprah wants to make a tradition, well... she usually gets what she wants. Besides, Walters' Oscar-night abdication leaves an opening. The format (same as last year): Movie folk interview each other and Oprah oversees. Pairings include Halle Berry-Penélope Cruz; Ben Affleck-Jeremy Renner; Glenn Close-Michael Douglas; and Avatar director James Cameron and cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver. — Paul Droesch
American Idol
8/7c Fox
After pulling an abrupt, last-minute change yesterday (the men were originally slated to perform tonight but were shifted to last night's episode), Idol moves forward with ladies' night. So it's the flex of the fairer sex when the Top 10 remaining females perform tonight. The focus turns to a contingent so promising that both Simon and Randy have predicted that a woman will win it all in Season 9. — Dean Maurer
Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
8/7c PBS
As anyone who has investigated their family's genealogy can attest, the interwoven strands of family histories are both wondrous and amusing, the former due to the ancestors we discover and the latter because of the famous, albeit very distant, relations we uncover. Such is the case in the series finale, as Mike Nichols and Meryl Streep learn that they have famous, if distant cousins — each other! The poet Elizabeth Alexander, meanwhile, learns that she's descended from royalty. — Jeff Gemmill
Ghost Hunters 100th Episode
9/8c Syfy
Jason and Grant kick off their sixth season with a two-hour stay at America's favorite prison island-turned-tourist attraction, Alcatraz, the former "home" of mob legend Al Capone. Dustin Pari and Barry Fitzgerald from Ghost Hunters International cross over to join the search for phantom inmates. Destination Truth guy Josh Gates hosts. — Michael Chant