Fasten your recliner belts. With Labor Day behind us, it's time for some heavy TV lifting as new seasons begin and summer seasons continue to wrap things up. TV Guide Magazine's Fall Preview issue is out this week, which means the "regular" TV season is just around the corner. But there's still plenty to watch right now. Here's a quick look at the highlights for the rest of the week in TV.
read more
Lights Out
10/9c FX
The Learys live in a New Jersey mansion that the Sopranos wouldn't find unfamiliar, and paterfamilias Patrick (Holt McCallany) made his money violently. But that's where the similarities end (some of them, anyway): Patrick (aka "Lights") is an ex-heavyweight boxing champ. Alas, retirement hasn't been good to Lights, and his money's running out (so, yes, he'll get mixed up with the mob). But Lights' story isn't all boxing-movie clichés. For starters, he's married to a med student (Catherine McCormack) and he's a responsible father. And when he's diagnosed with "pugilistic dementia" in the series opener, it's only the beginning of the story. — Paul Droesch
Read on for previews of Frontline, Millionaire Matchmaker, NCIS, The Haney Project, Teen Mom and Onion SportsDome.
read more
NCIS
8/7c CBS
Robert Wagner reprises his role as Tony's father. The last visit was an uneasy surprise for Tony. This visit catches the entire team off guard, because he's there at the request of Gibbs, who asked for his help on a sensitive case. — Bill Ecklund
Read on for previews of No Ordinary Family, Dancing with the Stars, Frontline, The Good Wife, The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection and World Series of Poker.
read more
No Ordinary Family
8/7c ABC
For the last few weeks, JJ's super brain has been a secret to his parents, and mostly used for academic pursuits (or learning Hebrew to impress a girl). But can it help him succeed at sports? Tonight he goes out for the football team by using the X's and O's as variables in math equations, but the undersized JJ finds out the hard way that the game is more than just physics: It's physical. Meanwhile, a case of mistaken identity makes Jim look like the culprit of a crime he's trying to prevent. — Joe Friedrich
Read on for previews of Millionaire Matchmaker, Parenthood, 30 for 30, Scream 2010, Frontline and Mad Mel: The Rise and Fall of a Hollywood Icon.
read more
Top Chef
10/9c Bravo
Play ball! The game of simmer meets the game of summer when the six remaining foodies step up to the plate for a baseball-themed challenge. Here's the pitch: They must commandeer two baseball concession stands at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., then cover all the bases to come up with top-flight game snacks. Baseball players Matt Capps and John Lannan make appearances, as does the Nationals' sultan of swing, Adam Dunn. Rick Moonen is the guest judge.
Read on for previews of America's Got Talent, Ghost Hunters, MasterChef, Frontline, WNBA Playoff and The Real World.
read more