Two of America's most popular shows are back: A&E's "Duck Dynasty" and Fox's "American Idol," both on Wednesday.
Both carry baggage. Last month, Phil Robertson's comments about gays caused A&E to suspend him, then reversed themselves a few days later. "Idol" suffered a massive departure in viewers last year and is planning a bit of a reboot.
And a couple of shows with Georgia ties are back, too: "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" season 3 on TLC Thursday and FX's "Archer" (produced in Atlanta) Monday for a fifth season.
Plus, the NFC Championship Show on Fox Sunday will be followed by the sophomore bow of "The Following" starring Kevin Bacon.
MONDAY
"The Bachelor" 8 p.m. ABC — Juan Pablo goes on several one-on-one dates to pare down the 18 remaining women.
"Almost Human" 8 p.m. Fox — Josh is stuck inside his wolf.
"How I Met Your Mother" 8 p.m. CBS — One more slap bet slap to go!
"Switched at Birth " 8 p.m. ABC Family (third year debut) — The girls begin senior year.
" Being Human " 8 p.m. Syfy (fourth season debut) — A Cinco de Mayo cake is made for a local mariachi band's fiesta.
"Major Crimes" 9 p.m. TNT (second season finale) — The squad inches closer to catching a menacing serial killer.
"Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook Off " 9 p.m. Food — Herschel Walker rocked last week with his apple tart. Does he have anything else up his sleeve?
"Mike & Molly " 9 p.m. CBS — Molly takes a breather from her novel.
"Single Ladies " 9 p.m. VH1 — Raquel seeks a new investment partner.
"Sleepy Hollow " 9 p.m. Fox — Capt. Irving's daughter is targeted by evil forces.
"Archer " 10 p.m. FX (fifth season debut) — An ISIS veteran dies.
"Bitten " 10 p.m. Syfy (new series) — Elena returns to New York when her wolf pack is threatened.
"The Blacklist " 10 p.m. NBC — A search for a mole puts the entire FBI team under investigation.
"Castle " 10 p.m. ABC — A victim is found to be a skilled hacker and Castle's father is connected.
TUESDAY
"The Biggest Loser" 8 p.m. NBC— The players meet Olympic athletes. (Cross promotion!)
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. " 8 p.m. ABC — The team faces a storm at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
"NCIS" 8 p.m. CBS — An emotionally shaken McGee struggles with the ramifications from the drone attack.
"Face Off " 9 p.m. Syfy (sixth season debut) — Atlantan Matthew Silva is competing.
"NCIS: Los Angeles" 9 p.m. CBS — A federal agent tied to an ancient system of money transfer is murdered in Los Angeles.
"Being Mary Jane" 10 p.m. BET — Mary Jane has a big talk with Andre.
"Chicago Fire" 10 p.m. NBC — Casey try to convince everyone he's recovered from his traumatic accident.
"Cougar Town" 10 p.m. TBS — Jules gets into an accident with a handsome stranger (Matthew Perry).
"Justified" 10 p.m. FX — Raylan struggles to help a young friend out a jam.
"Killer Women" 10 p.m. ABC — Molly looks for a killer who's targeting abusive husbands.
"Person of Interest" 10 p.m. CBS — Reese boards a flight to try to leave the team for good.
WEDNESDAY
"American Idol " 8 p.m. Fox (13th season debut) — New judge arrives to make you forget about last year's dreadful season: Harry Connick Jr.
"Revolution " 8 p.m. NBC— Monroe faces a decision about his son.
"Suburgatory " 8:30 p.m. ABC (third season debut) — George adopts a dog.
"Criminal Minds " 9 p.m. CBS — Garcia delves into her hacker past.
"Law & Order: SVU " 9 p.m. NBC— Amaro wounds a teenager who's a suspected drug dealer.
"Modern Family " 9 p.m. ABC— A high-school open house takes the Pritchett clan back in time.
"Psych " 9 p.m. USA — Shawn discovers a missing link connecting a group of murder victims.
"American Horror Story " 10 p.m. FX — Cordelia makes a sacrifice.
"CSI " 10 p.m. CBS — A "Chicago Fire" spinoff.
"Duck Dynasty " 10 p.m. A&E (fifth season debut) — Rebecca returns home from her internship.
"Nashville " 10 p.m. ABC — A mystery emerges in the wake of someone's death.
"Chicago P.D. " 10:01 p.m. NBC — The unit mobilizes to find Antonio's son.
THURSDAY
"American Idol " 8 p.m. Fox — Harry Connick Jr. is charming - and he can't help himself.
"Community" 8 p.m. NBC — A team of investigators grill the study group after Pierce's death.
"Parks & Recreation" 8:30 p.m. NBC — New jobs for Leslie and Ben bring with them new challenges.
"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" 9 p.m. TLC (third season debut) — The family attend the Redneck Games.
"Under the Gunn" 9 p.m. Lifetime (new series) — Up-and-coming designers compete and are menotred by "Project Runway" veterans.
"Party Down South" 10 p.m. CMT (new series) — It's a copycat of"Jersey Shore" set in South Carolina.
"Parenthood" 10 p.m. NBC — Camille returns home but not everyone is happy to see her.
"Crazy Hearts: Nashville" 10 p.m. A&E (new series) — Lee makes a major statement at her 30th birthday party.
FRIDAY
"Bones " 8 p.m. Fox — A country-music singer's remains are found in a shallow grave.
"Last Man Standing " 8 p.m. ABC — Does Boyd have ADHD?
"Cold Justice " 8 p.m. TBS (second season debut) — Kelly and Yolanda land in Oklahoma to unearth clues in the 2001 vanishing of a mother of two.
"Undercover Boss " 8 p.m. CBS — Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, chairman of Mohegan Sun, goes undercover at his casino.
"Grimm " 9 p.m. NBC — Monroe meets with Rosalee's family.
"Hawaii Five-O " 9 p.m. CBS — Internal Affairs questions Chin about the day his father was murdered.
"Raising Hope " 9 p.m. Fox — Sabrina gets cooking lessons from Virginia.
"Shark Tank" 9 p.m. ABC — A woman tries to sell the sharks on a special mud mask from Alaska.
"Enlisted" 9:30 p.m. Fox — Derrick helps a dejected Randy develop a new mindset to pass his marksmanship test.
"Helix" 10 p.m. Syfy — A virus continues to spread at an alarming rate.
WEEKEND
"SAG Awards " 8 tonight TBS/TNT— Rita Moreno receives a lifetime achievement award.
"Saturday Night Live" 11:29 tonight NBC — Drake hosts and sings.
"NFC Championship game" 6 p.m. Sunday Fox — San Francisco at Seattle, where the Seahawks have been virtually untouchable lately.
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" 8 p.m. Sunday Bravo — Kenya Moore wants a baby!
"Downton Abbey" 9 p.m. Sunday GPB — Mary, Edith, Tom and Anna each struggle with a dilemma.
"Keeping Up With the Kardashians" 9 p.m. Sunday E! (ninth season debut) — Kris and Bruce make important decisions about their future together (or apart.)
"Shameless" 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Fiona is involved in a road rage incident that damages a company car.
"True Detective" 9 p.m. Sunday HBO — Hart and Cohle lobby for extra time to investigate a rural brothel and a burned-out church.
"Girls" 10 p.m. Sunday HBO — Hannah celebrates her 25th birthday.
"House of Lies" 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Marty has a confusing meeting with Roscoe's new crush.
"The Following" 10:30 p.m. Sunday Fox (second season debut) — A murderous rampage occurs on the one-year anniversary of Joe Carroll's death.
About the Author
