Tonight's TV Hot List: Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010

Vampire Diaries
8/7c CW
The series returned in great form last week after a two-month absence of original episodes with a pivotal hour that contained three surprising revelations: Elena is adopted; Stefan rescued her last summer from the car crash that killed Elena's parents; and Damon murdered Alaric's wife, which is the real reason the history teacher moved to Mystic Falls. Tonight, Stefan, Damon and Elena attend a 1950s-themed dance at the high school, and Alaric introduces himself to Damon there. Needless to say, the dance doesn't go quite as anticipated. — Tim Holland
Live for the Moment
8/7c CBS
Jeff Probst is the creator and host of an uplifting hour (that could become a series) in which a person's life-changing event inspires them to live each day to the fullest. Roger Childs, a 41-year-old Colorado man who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 38 and given two to five years to live, goes on a tailor-made adventure designed around the passions in his life. An avid aviation lover, Childs visits the Kennedy Space Center, watches a shuttle launch with Buzz Aldrin and flies in a fighter jet. — Tim Holland
Fringe
9/8c Fox
When it comes to a bride's accessories, we've all heard about the things old, new, borrowed and blue. But in this episode of Fringe, the "blue" part turns out to be some of the guests at a Massachusetts wedding — after they suffocate from the inside out. It's bad enough that a link to the Nazis surfaces, but Walter is also unnerved by evidence that what's behind these gruesome deaths may have something to do with his family tree. — Joe Friedrich

Storytellers
8/7c VH1
Seven-time Grammy Award winner John Mayer gives an intimate concert at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios. The singer-songwriter (whose guitar chops just might surprise you) showcases his latest CD, Battle Studies, and shares anecdotes about his songs with fans and answers their questions. His set list includes "Your Body Is a Wonderland," "Daughters," "Heartbreak Warfare" and "Who Says." — Fred Mitchell
Archer
10/9c FX
Hey now! That's Jeffrey Tambor's voice underneath that all-purpose foreign accent. Tambor's character is a UN official with a name like a James Bond villain (Torvald Utne), but he's a bureaucrat with an intelligence contract to give out, not a criminal mastermind out to rule the world. He's also the target of assassins at a dinner party hosted by Malory, who wants that contract.  All Torvald wants is Archer's stunning date. Too bad she's one of the assassins. — Paul Droesch