Amber Kelleher-Andrews, Matt Hussey, Tracy McMillan
Way to squander a Voice lead-in, NBC. Turns out America wasn't ready to waste another night of the broadcast week on a ridiculously padded dating show, so after this week, Ready for Love (Tuesday, 9:01/8:01c) goes into reality limbo — and honestly, if scripted duds can get yanked without notice, why should lousy competition-reality shows be exempt when shunned like this one was? On the plus side, with The Voice about to end its enjoyable "battle" rounds and move next week into the "knockout" phase, the expanded Tuesday edition will be joined April 30 by the clever supernatural thriller Grimm, given a well-deserved reprieve from the Friday trenches for the rest of the season. (Part of me wishes NBC would invest more heavily in Hannibal and give it a shot in this wide-open Tuesday time period, but Grimm is probably a better fit.)
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Timothy Olyphant
Most of television does its civic duty and turns to Washington, D.C. for State of the Union coverage (9/8c), as President Obama presents his first address of his second term. (As a curtain raiser, PBS' Frontline — check tvguide.com listings — relives those fun times when the White House sparred with the opposition over the deficit, taking the nation to the brink of the "fiscal cliff" in an installment appropriately titled "Cliffhanger.")
A different sort of dog-and-pony show — emphasis on dogs as show ponies — unfolds on USA Network...
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Pioneers of Television
If I counted right, you can hear Betty White say "I'm the luckiest broad on two feet" at least three times during the course of the "Funny Ladies" retrospective that kicks off a new season of PBS' Pioneers of Television (check tvguide.com listings). Who could or would want to doubt her? The evidence is right there in clips and stills from this living legend's earliest TV appearances in the 1940s and '50s, establishing her as a versatile broadcaster and gung-ho performer even before Lucille Ball made us fall in love with her — and blazing a trail for all who would follow.
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Courtney Cox, Josh Hopkins
Now here's about the nicest Valentine's Day present anyone could hope for: the long-awaited return of Cougar Town, a show that's so much fun to love, you can't help but wonder if ABC kept it off the air so long just to make our hearts grow fonder.
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Rescue Me
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.
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Lights Out
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.
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NCIS
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.
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No Ordinary Family
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.
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Top Chef
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.
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Lost
Lost
9/8c ABC
Sadly, we must scratch Sayid, Sun and Jin from the list of candidates to succeed Jacob. That leaves Jack, Sawyer and Hurley, who, along with Kate, are back on the beach and awaiting the final battle with the Locke Monster, whose motives become clear (or at least as clear as things get on Lost) in this episode. Speaking of battles, expect background on the epochal Jacob-Man in Black tilt. And Allison Janney becomes part of the Lost universe, playing a character listed as "Woman."
Read on for previews of The Good Wife, Biggest Loser, Justified, Dancing with the Stars, 30 for 30 and Frontline/World.
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