TV Weekend: Nikita, SNL, Eastbound & Down, Life’s Too Short

What’s new this weekend:
Nikita (The CW, tonight) Tonight, Nikita (Maggie Q) finally learns how Division began—exactly how this pertains to just blowing the place up remains to be seen, but there’s sure to be plenty of smoldering glances, shocked expressions and leather catsuits. Meanwhile, Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) crashes a press conference and reveals that she’s a not-dead Russian heiress and demands her junkie mommy back. Ditto, smoldering glances, shocked expressions and leather catsuits.



Also new tonight: 
Shark Tank (ABC); Undercover Boss, A Gifted Man, Blue Bloods (CBS); NAACP Image Awards (NBC); Kitchen Nightmares, Fringe (Fox); Supernatural (The CW); Merlin (Syfy); Portlandia (IFC); The Life & Times of Tim, Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO); Spartacus: Vengeance (Starz)

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) Maya Rudolph (Up All Night, SNL) hosts and may or may not whip out her Whitney Houston impersonation. Also, hipsters Sleigh Bells “perform” “live” and look adorable.



Also new Saturday: 
The Firm (NBC); Cops (Fox); Oddities, An Idiot Abroad (Science); Parking Wars, Billy the Exterminator (A&E); The Fades, Graham Norton Show (BBC America); 2012: Ice Age (Syfy)

Eastbound & Down (HBO, Sunday) Season Premiere: Read about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

Life’s Too Short (HBO, Sunday) Series Debut: Read about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

The Walking Dead (AMC) Join the big-screen throngs at Brewvies (677 S. 200 West, 21+), but show up early—seats go fast. People like free stuff, apparently.

Also new Sunday: 
Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives, Pan Am (ABC); The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Napoleon Dynamite, Family Guy, American Dad (Fox); Downton Abbey (PBS/KUED 7); Comic Book Men, Talking Dead (AMC); Luck (HBO); Shameless, House of Lies, Californication (Showtime)

TV Weekend: Hoops & Yoyo, Dear Santa, Leverage, Walking Dead

What’s new this weekend:
Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas (CBS, tonight) Holiday Special: A pink cat and green bunny stow away on Santa’s sleigh and, somehow, cause a rift in the space-time continuum, thus sending them back in time to accidentally derail the destiny of a young Kris Kringle. I shit you not. We have enough Christmas cartoons now, right?

Also new tonight:
The Elf on a Shelf (CBS); Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, Olive the Other Reindeer (The CW); Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse (TBS); Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ThunderCats (Cartoon Network); Sanctuary (Syfy); The Onion News Network (IFC); Boss (Starz)

Dear Santa (Lifetime, Saturday) Holiday Movie: A woman (Amy Acker of Angel and Dollhouse) intercepts a letter to Santa from a young girl wishing for a new mom. Naturally, the woman tracks down the widower and puts a plan in motion to become that new mom. Not creepy nor scary in the least.

Also new Saturday:
Cops (Fox); Primevil (BBC America); Storm War (Syfy)

Wilson-Phillips: Still Holding On (TV Guide, Sunday) Series Debut: Riding the rediscovery wave thanks to Bridesmaids (yeah, sure), ‘90s footnote Wilson-Phillips discover that juggling family life and recording a “comeback” album that absolutely no one wants to hear ain’t easy. Oh, and TV Guide is a real channel.

Leverage (TNT, Sunday) Winter Premiere: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Midseason Finale: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

Also new Sunday:
Once Upon a Time, Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith (ABC); The Amazing Race (CBS); The Simpsons, Allen Gregory, Family Guy, American Dad (Fox); Sister Wives (TLC); Kourtney & Kim Take New York (E!); Robot Chicken, Squidbillies, China Il. (Adult Swim); Soul Train Awards (BET); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Hell on Wheels, Talking Dead (AMC); Boardwalk Empire, Hung (HBO); Dexter, Homeland (Showtime)

Lest you don’t believe me that Wilson-Phillips: Still Holding On is real:

TV Weekend: Onion News, Grimm, Weirdo, AMAs

What’s new this weekend:
The Onion News Network (IFC, tonight) ONN is back on Friday nights, and anchor Brooke Alvarez is back from the Tired Hospital—just in time for The Fact Zone’s investigative series “Sex In America,” which is more than just a cheap ploy for ratings. But not much more. Welcome back, Brooke!

Grimm (NBC, tonight) It ain’t bad, but could Grimm be made better? Yes! Read how at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

Also new tonight:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); A Gifted Man, CSI:NY, Blue Bloods (CBS); Chuck (NBC); Kitchen Nightmares, Fringe (Fox); Nikita, Supernatural (The CW); Women Who Rock (PBS); Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ThunderCats (Cartoon Network); Sanctuary (Syfy); The Soup (E!); Boss (Starz)

Donald Glover: Weirdo (Comedy Central, Saturday) It’s a stand-up special with Troy from Community—which is not canceled … yet.

Also new Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Jason Segal w/ Florence & The Machine (NBC/CW30); Cops (Fox); Primevil, Graham Norton Show (BBC America)

2011 American Music Awards (ABC, Sunday) Every horrible, talentless musical act on the charts together in one place, including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, LMFAO and Nicki Minaj. Am I suggesting nuking the venue and instantly improving the country’s musical outlook? No, not at all. But you could gather some tips from …

Homeland (Showtime, Sunday) The home-soil terrorism drama is damned good, but could it be made even better? Yes! Read how at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 7 pm—only one more episode to go before the winter break, zombie enthusiasts.

Also new Sunday:
The Amazing Race, The Good Wife, CSI: Miami (CBS); The Simpsons, Allen Gregory, Family Guy, American Dad (Fox); Sister Wives (TLC); Kendra (E!); Robot Chicken, Squidbillies, China Il. (Adult Swim); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Hell on Wheels, Talking Dead (AMC); Boardwalk Empire, Hung, How to Make It in America (HBO); Dexter (Showtime)

The next Walking Dead, which you should be watching at Brewvies:

TV Weekend: Metal Evolution, SNL, Rage of the Yeti, Homeland

What’s new this weekend:
Metal Evolution, Behind the Music Remastered: Megadeth, That Metal Show (VH1 Classic, tonight) 11/11/11 Metal Day Specials: Read all about ‘em at CityWeekly.net.

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

Rage of the Yeti (Syfy, Saturday) Movie: Arctic monsters (not a band) terrorize people dumb enough to be arctic explorers (including Baywatch’s David Chokachi). As you can see by the photo above, looks awesome!

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) Just like last week: Great host (Emma Stone) and shitty band (Coldplay).

Also new Saturday:
Cops (Fox); We Have Your Husband (Lifetime); T.J. Miller: No Real Reason (Comedy Central); Primevil, Graham Norton Show (BBC America)

Homeland (Showtime, Sunday) Maybe-a-terrorist Brody (Damian Lewis) and definitely-crazy Carrie (Claire Danes) take their unlikely affair to the next loony level by spending the weekend sexing it up in the countryside. Meanwhile, back home, everybody finds out that wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) has been getting it on with Brody’s pal Mike (Diego Klattenoff); shit, meet fan. Reminder: This is a show about international terrorism and homeland security.

The Walking Dead (AMC) Come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 8 pm; zombies are better with a beer.

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, American Dad (Fox); Sister Wives (TLC); Kendra, Dirty Soap (E!); Robot Chicken, Squidbillies, China Il. (Adult Swim); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Hell on Wheels, Talking Dead (AMC); Boardwalk Empire, Hung, How to Make It in America (HBO); Dexter (Showtime)

Bonus: Last week’s credits and a promo for this Sunday’s Homeland: 

TV Weekend: Fringe, SNL, Hell on Wheels, Heart She Holler

What’s new this weekend:
Fringe (Fox, tonight) Not only is Fringe finally back after way too many baseball interruptions, but The Artist Formerly Known as Peter (Joshua Jackson) returns, too! Unfortunately, so do those translucent shapeshifters, fringe science’s answer to hairless cats (blech). Fringe is still the only real sci-fi show on the network TV, and possibly the smartest ever created—so let’s see how far the ratings will drop this week.



Grimm (NBC, tonight) Week 2: It premiered well last Friday (even against the World Series), but now Law & Order: Special Grimm Unit faces the aforementioned Fringe, as well as The CW’s Supernatural. This week’s secret weapon? Thievin’ bears. Yes, really.

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

Saturday Night Live (NBC/CW30, Saturday) The good news: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Charlie Day hosts SNL! The bad news: The musical guests are limp-dick AOR “rockers” Maroon 5. Can’t have everything.



Also new Saturday:
Cops (Fox); Blue Mountain State (Spike); True Life: I’m Occupying Wall Street (MTV); Pablo Francisco: They Put it Out There (Comedy Central); Wendy Lieberman: Taller on TV (Showtime)

Dexter (Showtime, Sunday) Will Brother Sam (Mos Def, or whatever he’s calling himself this week) survive being gunned down at the end of last Sunday’s ep? Yeah, probably—the only real question here is, how swift will Dexter’s (Michael C. Hall) vengeance be? And should he really be taking on new pals? We’ve seen before what happens when Dex makes friends, and it never ends well. Oh, and there’s some Deb/Quinn drama … what-ever.



The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 8 pm; zombies are better 10-feet-tall in HD with a beer and nachos.

Hell on Wheels (AMC, Sunday) Series Debut: Read about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1).

The Heart, She Holler (Adult Swim, Sunday) Miniseries Debut: Read about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 4).

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, American Dad (Fox); Sister Wives (TLC); Kendra, Dirty Soap (E!); Robot Chicken, Squidbillies, China Il. (Adult Swim); The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo); Boardwalk Empire, Hung, How to Make It in America (HBO); Homeland (Showtime); Talking Dead (AMC)

TV Weekend: Grimm, Zombie Apocalypse, Allen Gregory

What’s new this weekend:
Chuck, Grimm (NBC, tonight) Season Premiere/Series Debut: Read all about ‘em at CityWeekly.net (Item 2).

Also new tonight:
Some Baseball Shit (Fox); Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC); Nikita, Supernatural (The CW); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network); Sanctuary (Syfy); Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO); The Soup (E!)

Zombie Apocalypse (Syfy, Saturday) Movie: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 3).

Also new Saturday:
Cops, America’s Most Wanted (Fox); Possessing Piper Rose (Lifetime); The Good Witch’s Family (Hallmark); Dogs 101, Puppies vs. Babies (Animal Planet)

Allen Gregory (Fox, Sunday) Series Debut: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 4).

The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 8 pm, after some Geek Show Halloween madness.

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

Still looking for that damned kid on The Walking Dead this Sunday …

TV Weekend: The Walking Dead! And Other Stuff

What’s new this weekend:
The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday) Season Premiere: Read all about it at CityWeekly.net (Item 1). Come watch it at Brewvies (677 South 200 West, 21+) for free at 8 pm and, in the meantime, please to enjoy this wonderful montage of every zombie kill from Season 1:



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

What’s new Saturday:
Saturday Night Live: Anna Faris & Drake (NBC/CW30); Free Agents (BBC America); Puppies vs. Babies (Animal Planet); Craig Ferguson: Does This Need to Be Said? (Comedy Central); Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent (Showtime)

Dexter (Showtime, Sunday) In a particularly funny/intense episode, Dexter tracks down a geezer serial killer who’s come out of retirement—literally; dude is old, and he’s called “The Tooth Fairy.” Seriously. Also, Christ-y killer duo Travis and the Professor (Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos) step their game way the hell up, culminating in a creepy-cool closing scene that’ll easily make the Dexter’s Greatest Hits package.

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

If you think Dexter’s been soft in Season 6, this ep should change your mind:

New Walking Dead Season 2 Trailer

Squeal! Season 2 of AMC's zombieriffic The Walking Dead begins Sunday, Oct. 16 (Don't worry, cable-free boozers: Big Shiny Robot! will be hosting it at Brewvies Sundays at 8, just like last year).

In the meantime, there's finally a proper trailer for S2: