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)

TV Weekend: Nikita, Supernatural, SNL, Neverland

What’s new this weekend:
Nikita (The CW, tonight) Fall Finale: In the last episode until January, Alex finally makes her move against the Russians who had her family killed—if she can so easily beat the shit out of a roomful of goons, how come she can never even muss Nikita’s hair? Meanwhile, back in ‘Merica, Nik has to enlist black-box help from Owen because Michael’s still on his emo vacation, and pissed-off Amanda drops the hammer on Percy. Needless to say, not everyone’s issues are getting worked out tonight.



Supernatural (The CW, tonight) Fall Finale: Also out until January, Supernatural signs off for 2011 with a Bobby-centric episode … because that’s what the girls want, less Sam and Dean and more grizzled old dude.

Also new tonight:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Game of Your Life (NBC); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Sanctuary (Syfy); America’s Most Wanted, Starving Secrets With Tracey Gold (Lifetime); The Onion News Network (IFC); Boss (Starz)

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) Boardwalk Empire’s Steve Buscemi hosts and The Black Keys play. Finally, a solid host/band combo—don’t fuck it up, Steve!



Also new Saturday:
It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC); The Ultimate Fighter (Spike); Primevil, The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)

Neverland (Syfy, Sunday) Miniseries: No, it’s not about Michael Jackson’s ranch: Neverland is an epic miniseries prequel to Peter Pan, starring Keira Knightly, Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins and Charlie Rowe. And, yes: Like most Syfy miniseries, it looks cool and it’s too long (Neverland concludes Monday night).



Also new Sunday:
Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives, Pan Am (ABC); The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); The Simpsons, Allen Gregory, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show (Fox); Robot Chicken (Adult Swim); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Kourtney & Kim Take New York (E!); Hell on Wheels (AMC); Leverage (TNT); Boardwalk Empire, Hung (HBO); Dexter, Homeland (Showtime)

TV Weekend: Boss, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time

What’s new this weekend:
Boss (Starz, tonight) Series Debut: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

Supernatural (The CW, tonight) Buffy/Angel Alert: Charisma Carpenter (Cordy!) and James Marsters (Spike!) guest-star as a witch and a Mr. Witch about to cause a shitstorm in a small town—and only Sam and Dean can stop them! That is, if Sam’s brain can withstand the Hell migraines and Dean will put down his beer for a minute. They gots problems, these two.

Strike Back (Cinemax, tonight) Season Finale: International anti-terrorism has never been this sexy—this is Cinemax, after all; expect at least one sweaty humpin’ scene, probably even before the opening credits. Then, Scott and Stonebridge track a pair of suicide bombers out to cause a shitstorm in Budapest. That is, if they can put aside the sweaty humpin’ for a minute … with women. This ain’t Logo, after all.

Also new tonight:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Kitchen Nightmares (Fox); Nikita (The CW); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Sanctuary (Syfy); Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO); The Soup (E!)

New Saturday:
Austin City Limits: The Decemberists (PBS/KUED 7), Free Agents, Bedlam (BBC America); Dogs 101, Puppies vs. Babies (Animal Planet)

Once Upon a Time (ABC, Sunday) Series Debut: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 3).

Robot Chicken (Adult Swim, Sunday) Season Premiere: It’s the fifth season, and Seth Green still hasn’t run out of Star Wars gags. I’m really forward to the day when he does, however.

The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Like apparently everyone in SLC did last Sunday, come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 8 pm—yes, 8 pm, promise.

Also new Sunday:
Desperate Housewives, Pan Am (ABC); The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); Sister Wives (TLC); Kendra, Dirty Soap (E!); Squidbillies, China Il. (Adult Swim); Boardwalk Empire, Hung, How to Make It in America (HBO); Dexter, Homeland (Showtime); Talking Dead (AMC)

Once Upon a Time makes about this much sense …

TV Weekend: Supernatural, Doctor Who, Dexter, Hung

What’s new this weekend:
Supernatural (The CW, tonight) Not only does Dean have to deal with Castiel becoming a god in a Columbo coat, but also the Ikea Hell Wall breaking down inside Sam’s hallucinating brain—as expected, he’s not handling either very well. Thank God, er, Cass for whiskey, huh?

Haven (Syfy) Season Finale: This is still on? Anyway, it’s over tonight.

Also new tonight:
A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Kitchen Nightmares, Fringe (Fox); Nikita (The CW); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Strike Back (Cinemax); Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO); The Soup (E!)

Doctor Who (BBC America, Saturday) Season Finale: It’s now the date and time for the Doctor to die! But, as Morrissey would ask, how soon is now? (Google The Smiths, kids.)

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) Melissa McCarthy (of the funny Bridesmaids and the painfully unfunny Mike & Molly) hosts; Lady Antebellum plays some country music.

Also new Saturday:
Austin City Limits: Mumford & Sons/Flogging Molly (PBS/KUED 7); Weird Al Yankovic: The Apocalypse Tour (Comedy Central); iCarly (Nickelodeon); Bad Dog! (Animal Planet)

Dexter (Showtime, Sunday) Season Premiere: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

Homeland (Showtime, Sunday) Series Debut: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

Hung (HBO, Sunday) Season Premiere: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 3).

How to Make It in America (HBO) Season Premiere: It’s like Entourage, but with no money and set in New York. Also, not funny and a complete fucking waste of time.

Breaking Bad (AMC) Second-to-last episode of the season! Come to Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) at 8 pm and watch it on the big screen with a big beer—and no full-frontal nudity.

Also new Sunday:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Pan Am (ABC); The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad (Fox); Sister Wives (TLC); Kendra, Dirty Soap (E!); Squidbillies (Adult Swim); Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Never a dull moment on Supernatural …

TV Weekend: Fringe, Supernatural, SNL, Boardwalk Empire

What’s new this weekend:
Fringe (Fox, tonight) Season Premiere: Is Peter (Joshua Jackson) really gone? Find out!

Supernatural (The CW, tonight) Season Premiere: Is Castiel (Misha Collins) really God? Find out!

A Gifted Man (CBS, tonight) Series Debut: In the season finale of Adult Swim’s Childrens Hospital earlier this month, each of the cast members got their own ridiculous spin-off TV series, one of which was called The Ghost Doctorer. CBS should have snapped up that instead of A Gifted Man.

Also new tonight:
CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (season premieres, CBS); Kitchen Nightmares (season premiere, Fox); Nikita (season premiere, The CW); Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (VH1); Haven (Syfy); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Strike Back (Cinemax); Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO); The Soup (E!)

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) Season Premiere: Alec Baldwin hosts, and famed musical-comedy troupe Radiohead performs.

Also new Saturday:
Cops (Fox); Doctor Who (BBC America); Morlocks (Syfy)

Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sunday) Season Premiere: For you prohibition-era historians have been wondering, “Hey, when does the KKK show up?” this is your night. Also, Nucky’s (Steve Buscemi) feeling the squeeze in an Atlantic City real estate deal, and Al Capone’s up to no good, as you would expect. Boardwalk Empire isn’t skimping on the budget in Season 2, and for you prohibition-era purists, the Brian Jonestown Massacre theme song remains intact—suck it!

Pan Am (ABC, Sunday) Series Debut: The ’60s-set Pan Am is more fun and less self-serious than NBC’s gawdawful The Playboy Club … so, there’s that. The Empowered Women of the Sky, aka stewardesses, are ambitious, sexy, complicated, sexy, mysterious, sexy and, in one case, Christina Ricci; the men are cartoonier than the Mad Men Yourself avatar app; the overstacked storylines vary from stupid to stoopid (one stewardess is recruited as a spy—this doesn’t even happen on Archer).

Also new Sunday:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives (season premieres, ABC); The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (season premieres, CBS); The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad (season premieres, Fox); Sister Wives (season premiere, TLC); The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network); Kendra, Dirty Soap (E!); Squidbillies (Adult Swim)

Even this Boardwalk Empire promo cost a billions dollars: