In Sunday's brilliantly entertaining finale to another splendid season of CBS' The Good Wife — we choose to forget that Kalinda's ex ever existed — Denis O'Hare returns as a judge whose sciatica keeps him off the bench, pacing around the courtroom as he presides over a late-night emergency hearing over ballot-box irregularities in the next day's neck-and-neck election for Illinois governor. (Alicia's husband Peter is sweating every single vote.) Like Judge Abernathy, you may find it difficult to stay seated as this episode (9/8c), written by series creators Robert King (who also directed) and Michelle King, takes its many clever twists and turns, specializing in mischievous misdirection and game-changing surprises up to the very last jaw-dropping minute.
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When a terrific series is truly on its game, some episodes can feel like absolute perfection. Happened Tuesday with a thrillingly entertaining and pivotal episode of FX's Justified, and the same feeling applies to Sunday's sensational The Good Wife (9/8c, CBS). It has everything: sex, suspense, surprise, humor, emotion — and as usual with this sophisticated standard-bearer for network drama, a dazzling array of guest performances.
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The noise, the crowds, the debauchery. Going out on New Year's Eve isn't everyone's idea of a good time. Fortunately, there's plenty of specials on the small screen to keep the party going (at a reasonable volume, of course) at home. Here's a schedule of what to watch when it comes time to count down to 2013...
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There's no comedy series quite like Community, and as is often the case with such an uncompromised original, being this defiantly different comes with a price. And sadly, that price tends to be the sort of cellar-dwelling ratings that would get most shows canceled, if on any other network. Thankfully, NBC can ill afford these days to turn away any show that gets this kind of cult and media buzz, although everyone wishes it were doing better or were programmed in a time period (the old 30 Rock slot currently being wasted on Whitney, maybe?) that might increase its exposure.
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Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2011
10/9c ABC
Dick Clark reteams with Ryan Seacrest and Fergie to ring in the New Year with hot music acts, including Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, Willow Smith, Train, Jason Derulo, Drake, New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. Clark and Seacrest are live in Times Square as always, and Jenny McCarthy joins them as a correspondent while Fergie hosts from L.A. The party continues after the prime-time special for two additional shows, one of which includes that famous ball dropping in New York City. — Jennifer Sankowski
Read on for previews of Live From Lincoln Center, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On, New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, New Year's Eve Live, All American New Year, New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin and MTV's New Year's Bash 2011.
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