Tonight's TV Hot List: Monday, July 12, 2010

Rizzoli & Isles
10/9c TNT
Ladies night continues on TNT. Hot on the (high) heels of Brenda Leigh Johnson's season opener in The Closer comes this new crime-time offering centering on two disparate gal-pal crime-fighters from Boston — assertive detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and steady medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander). In the premiere, this whodunit duo investigates the grim slaying of a wealthy couple. The murderer appears to be copying the modus operandi of the Surgeon — a notorious serial killer who once targeted Jane and came close to killing her. — Dean Maurer
Huge
9/8c ABC Family
Becca forms a new club based on a wizardry game, but she can't magically make members appear. Enter Will, who uses her powers of persuasion to scare up some recruits. Too bad Becca didn't form a pep squad, because Dr. Rand could use a few pointers in that area as she faces criticism from her superiors regarding a lack of enthusiasm for her job. And to add to her stress, she's also facing troubles in her romantic life. — Jennifer Sankowski
The Closer
9/8c TNT
Saved by the belle: Southern comforter-turned-L.A. detective Brenda Leigh Johnson returns for more plot-twisting investigations when the drama series opens its sixth season. Brenda and her Major Crimes Division snoop into the slaying of a man as he was snapping photos from his balcony. Brenda's case won't be picture-perfect, however. Messy complications include a missing murder weapon, an affair involving the victim and the squad's difficult move to their new high-tech headquarters. — Dean Maurer
Home Run Derby
8/7c ESPN
The distinctive "Big A" may have been moved to the parking lot a few years back, but Angel Stadium of Anaheim still has plenty of enticing targets beyond the fence for tonight's eight All-Star sluggers, most notably the centerfield rock formation that looks like a leftover set from Land of the Lost. Derby veterans David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera and Matt Holliday headline the dinger-fest that seems to always deliver drama through its three strength-sapping rounds. First-timers include Vernon Wells and Corey Hart, who looks to retain the title for Milwaukee after Prince Fielder's win last year. — Roger Leister
Turmoil & Triumph: The George Shultz Years
10/9c PBS
This three-episode survey of former secretary of state George Shultz' career is well worth the watch despite the occasional use of cheesy reenactments and — no joke — a Ronald Reagan impersonator, who gives voice to the former president's letters. The first installment chronicles Shultz's path up until being tapped to become secretary of state in 1982 and delves into the initial challenges he faced, including a resurgent Cold War and the Israel-PLO conflict in Lebanon. — Jeff Gemmill
The Incredible Human Journey
11/9c Travel
Genetic evidence suggests that all modern humans are descendants of a single group of Homo sapiens who emigrated from Africa more than 2000 years ago. British anthropologist Alice Roberts examines that theory in this fascinating five-part series, which traces different routes our early human ancestors could have taken when they left Africa to colonize the world. In the premiere, Roberts visits a site in Ethiopia where the earliest known anatomically modern humans lived. And later, she explores a possible migration route across the Red Sea. — Karen Andzejewicz
How I Met Your Mother
8/7c CBS
Carrie Underwood makes an appearance as Ted's latest love in this repeat from March, and wouldn't it be great if she was the one?! Fans can dream. It will never happen if Ted's friends have anything to say, and they do. While Ted thinks she's great, the advice from his pals, who think the woman's just stringing him along, is along the lines of "she's candy-coated misery" and she "gives you feelings you don't want to fight. You better run for your life." — Bill Ecklund