TV Weekend: House of Lies vs. Mormons

House of Lies (Showtime, Sunday) In the getting-better-by-the-episode new Showtime series House of Lies Sunday, the PR team tries to expand the successful-but-stagnant business of a hotel chain in … Utah. You know what that means: Booze and Mormon jokes. The twists this time around: The LDS hotel CEO doesn’t like Marty (Don Cheadle), so it’s up to Jeannie (Kristen Bell) to close the deal (because he’s a racist, not a sexist), and Clyde (Ben Schwartz—Jean-Ralphio!) accepts the challenge of taking a Mormon gal’s virginity (anally, because apparently that’s cool with the Holy Ghost). What the fuck are the House of Lies writers reading about Mormonism? Still, pretty funny.



New tonight: 
Shark Tank (ABC); A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Who Do You Think You Are?, Grimm (NBC); Kitchen Nightmares, Fringe (Fox); Nikita, Supernatural (The CW); Merlin (Syfy); Portlandia, the Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC); The Life & Times of Tim, Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)

New Saturday: 
Saturday Night Live: Channing Tatum & Bon Iver (NBC/CW30); Cops (Fox); Austin City Limits: Wilco (PBS/KUED 7); An Idiot Abroad (Science); Metal Evolution (VH1)

New Sunday: 
Super Bowl 46, The Voice (NBC); Downton Abbey (PBS/KUED 7); The Puppy Bowl (Animal Planet); Luck (HBO); Shameless Californication (Showtime)

TV Weekend: Supernatural, Portlandia, House of Lies, Downton Abbey & More

What’s new this weekend:
Supernatural (The CW, tonight) Return: In “Adventures in Babysitting” (!), Sam helps a teen girl find, coincidentally, her supernatural-investigator father and, of course, runs into some crazy hell-bitch trouble. Meanwhile, Dean is on the hunt for … Dick Roman. Has he called Mo’s Tavern?



Portlandia (IFC, tonight) Season Premiere: Read it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC, tonight) Season Premiere: Read it at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC, tonight) J-Fal welcomes actor David Duchovny (Californication) and band Wild Flag (featuring Portlandia’s Carrie Brownstein). Watch-my-show pimpin’ ahoy!



Also new tonight:
Chuck (NBC); Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Nikita (The CW); Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Merlin (Syfy); America’s Most Wanted (Lifetime); The Life & Times of Tim (HBO)

New Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Charles Barkley & Kelly Clarkson (NBC/CW30); Cops (Fox); My Cat From Hell (Animal Planet); Fixing Pete (Hallmark); Graham Norton Show (BBC America); Metal Evolution: Grunge (VH1 Classic)

The Firm (NBC, Sunday) Series Debut: Remember that John Grisham novel? Or the Tom Cruise movie? So now it’s a TV show, and it stars Josh Lucas of Sweet Home Alabama and Poseidon fame. Not enough star power for ya? The Firm also has Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Molly Parker (Deadwood) and Juliette Lewis (Juliette & The Licks and every movie from the ‘90s).



Downton Abbey (PBS, Sunday) Season Premiere: Apparently, this show is a big deal and I’m obliged to write something about it. So … done.

Absolutely Fabulous (BBC America, Sunday) Season Premiere: Not only are Patsy and Edina still alive, but they’re cranking out a whole new season of Ab Fab! Well, three episodes. Lazy Brits.

Shameless, Californication, House of Lies (Showtime, Sunday) Season Premieres, Series Debut: Read it at CityWeekly.net (Items 3, 4  & 5).

Also new Sunday:
Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives (ABC); The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad (Fox); Baseball Wives (VH1); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Hell on Wheels (AMC); Kourtney & Kim Take New York (E!); Tom Papa: Live in New York (Comedy Central); Robot Chicken (Adult Swim); Leverage (TNT); Angry Boys (HBO)