Among sci-fi geeks, this is a big week because Fox finally debuts Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" Friday. The pilot episode was reshot, fueling Web speculation that this show was in creative turmoil. The fact Fox placed it on Friday nights didn't help matters.
But only time will tell if Whedon can find "Buffy"-like magic with actress Eliza Dushku re-joining him as the star.
MONDAY
President Barack Obama last week decided he wanted to speak to America so the major networks had to either postpone or move shows around to accommodate him at 8 p.m. For instance, the 100th episode of "House" will not air on Fox. And "Worst Week" gets subbed out by "Big Bang Theory" at 9:30 p.m. ("Big Bang" normally airs at 8 p.m.)
• "Heroes," 9 p.m. — The latest chapter is dubbed "Fugitives" as the government tries to capture every Hero out there.
• "24," 9 p.m. Fox — The President's First Hubby has been kidnapped and Jack Bauer gets to visit the prez face to face to help her solve an escalating crisis.
• "Big Bang Theory," 9:30 p.m. CBS — Leonard's mom (played by Christine Baranski) and causes much tension, of course.
• "CSI: Miami," 10 p.m. CBS —Sean "P Diddy" Combs plays a defense attorney Horatio does not like.
• "Trust Me," 10 p.m. TNT —Mason tries to keep Sarah happy as she gets wooed by a rival ad agency.
TUESDAY
• "American Idol," 8 p.m. Fox — Of the 74 remaining contestants (including incredibly annoying Tatiana Del Toro), 24 will be gone by the time 9 p.m. rolls around.
• "The Biggest Loser: Couples," 8 p.m. NBC — This show is doing surprisingly well against "Idol." Tonight is episode 100!
• "The 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show," 8 p.m. USA — This is like crack for dog lovers.
• "Leverage," 10 p.m. TNT — Three "Star Trek" alums — Brent Spiner, Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink — are ke\y players in a sting against a shady vitamin supplement company.
• "The Mentalist," 10 p.m. CBS — Cho plays a playa to nab a real playa who's killing unsuspecting women.
WEDNESDAY
• "American Idol," 8 p.m. Fox — The top 50 become 36. Will the annoying paegent girl Tatiana Del Toro make it? We hope not!
• "Lost," 9 p.m. ABC — This Locke-cenric episode focuses on his efforts to stop all this increasingly annoying and perplexing time travel.
• "CSI: NY," 10 p.m. CBS — Human traffic smuggling via Russia is the topic of tonight's murder mystery.
• "Top Chef: NY," 10 p.m. Bravo — No human trafficking here. We get Jacques Pepin,. He will help judge who will make it to the finale. Stefan is a virtual guarantee given his string of wins, but everyone else is vulnerable.
• "Damages," 10 p.m. FX — Naturally, Patty starts getting suspicious of Ellen's squirrelly behavior.
THURSDAY
• "40th NAACP Image Awards," 8 p.m. Fox— Atlanta's Tyler Perry cohosts the show with Halle Berry. If you liked Jennifer Hudson at the Super Bowl and the Grammys, she's back again tonight to sing. And Muhammad Ali receives a President's Award.
• "Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands" 8 p.m. CBS (18th season debut) — Someone gets eliminated based purely on first impressions only.
• "CSI" 9 p.m. CBS — Fast food murder! Yummy!
• "The Office," 9 p.m. NBC — Angela seeks a new cat, post Sprinkles. Memo: keep that cat away from Dwight.
• "Millionaire Matchmaker," 10 p.m. Bravo (season debut) — Patti Stanger is back helping lovelorn rich folks find their true mates.
FRIDAY
• "Ghost Whisperer," 8 p.m. CBS — Sam's relationshiph with Melinda may be in trouble after he catches her in a web of lies.
• "Dollhouse," 9 p.m. Fox (new series) —Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") comes back with this much-anticipated sci-fi thriller about humans who are regularly "wiped clean" of their memories so they can play particular jobs. This pilot lacks Whedon's trademark humor and involves a lot of setup.
• "Friday Night Lights" 9 p.m. NBC — Parapalegic Jason Street is back but will be gone from the show for good soon.
• "Monk," 9 p.m. USA — "Crossing Jordan" alum Steve Valentine guests as a magician, followed by Justine Bateman on "Psych" an hour later.
• "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2009," 11:30 p.m. TNT — This is what's called comfort food for guys.
WEEKEND
• "Gone Country 3," 8 p.m. Satuday CMT — The country wannabes battle to be mentored by Tracy Lawrence.
• "Before You Say I Do," 9 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — Perfect mush for Valentine's Day! George can't get his girlfriend Jane to commit to marriage because she had been burned before. So voila: time travel takes George back ten years to the days before Jane married her first husband.
• "Amazing Race 14," 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS — The 11 teams include a stuntman, horse jockeys, former Miami Dolphin cheerleaders, the first deaf contestant and actor Mike White, who co-wrote "School of Rock" and played Jack Black's roomie in the film.
• "The Simpsons," 8 p.m. Sunday Fox — The classic title sequence gets revamped for the first time in 18 years.
• "Eastbound and Down," 10:30 p.m. Sunday HBO (new series) — Danny McBride plays a John-Rocker-type pitcher forced to move back to his hometown and teach phys ed at his old middle school.
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