Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New Friday Night Lights (NBC, 8pm)
New Monk (USA, 8pm and 11pm)
New Psych (USA, 9pm and midnight)

Daytime

Ellen celebrates her 50th birthday, Ryan Seacrest is one of the guests (others are surprises) on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Sen. John Edwards on The Tyra Banks Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Roasted chicken with chef Shannon Bennet, a handy tutorial on Martha Stewart Video On-Demand, pegboard organizers on The Martha Stewart Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

Diane Keaton, Dr. Travis Stork helps a medical student who is afraid of seeing a doctor on The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Adult Children of Divorce Confront Their Parents” on Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

“Secrets in the Suburbs” (swinging) on Dr. Phil (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

Series premiere of Gone Country (CMT, 7pm). John Rich, of the country duo Big & Rich, works with celebrities who don’t perform country music, to try and teach them all things country music. The celeb who does the best at crossing over to Country music will have a (country music) single produced by Rich. The celebrities who will try to go country are: Carnie Wilson, Dee Snider, Diana DeGarmo, Julio Iglesias Jr, Maureen McCormick, Sisqo, and Bobby Brown. This should be interesting. The celebrities will live together for two weeks while working with Rich, established country music songwriters, and others. They’ll perform songs in front of a live Nashville audience. This is the first episode (of seven).

“Flash finds himself in the desolate snowfields of Frigia, where he must free the Frigian Queen in order to pass the final test” on Flash Gordon (Sci-Fi, 7pm and 10pm). Whatever.

Rebroadcast of latest new episode of The Wire (HBO, 7pm).

The decaying corpse of the Venezuelan Ambassador’s son is found hanging from a tree on the campus of an exclusive private school in this rerun of the third ever episode of Bones (FOX, 7pm). Jose Zuniga is among the guest stars.

If you’re trying to catch up with Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 7pm - 8:02pm) and have been watching the reruns on Thursdays, tonight’s episode may confuse you as it’s the third episode of this season (and the one that aired last night was the seventh episode of the season. At least they are airing reruns in order on Thursdays, they just jumped back for this Friday rerun.

College girls are being haunted by a friend in this rerun of Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 7pm) and someone thinks they might be “Bloody Mary”. Guest stars include Mae Whitman (who was “Ann” on Arrested Development and was fabulous in the shortlived series Thief) and Autumn Reeser (who rocked as “Taylor Townsend” on The O.C.).

Charges are being pressed against Smash, Jason Street may have found a new career, Mrs. Coach is hired by Coach to coach volleyball, and Tim Riggins tries to express his feelings on a new Friday Night Lights (NBC, 8pm). If you aren’t already hooked on this show, my descriptions won’t mean much to you and this isn’t really a show you can just jump into. It’s excellent, though. Season one is available on DVD and is worth a look. There are still two more new episodes (filmed before the strike) that will air after this one.

Someone is killing women named “Julie” in tonight’s new episode of Monk (USA, 8pm and 11pm; also on Saturday at 6pm) which is titled “Mr. Monk and the Three Julies”. Monk is, of course, especially concerned for Natalie’s daughter Julie.

How To Look Good Naked (Lifetime, 8pm and 11pm).

Greg Grunberg (of Heroes, Felicity), Howard Hesseman (of WKRP, Head of the Class), Keri Lynn Pratt (of Jack & Bobby), and Adam Busch (who was “Warren” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) all guest star in this rerun of House (FOX, 8pm) from season two.

Dr. Cuddy: Don’t you think that’s a little manipulative?
House: No, it’s hugely manipulative.
  from House

There’s a charades party and marijuana-laced brownies in this rerun of Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8:02pm).

Shawn and Gus must find the killer on the set of a Spanish soap opera in this new episode of Psych (USA, 9pm and midnight; also 5pm on Saturday). This should be fun.

Sheppard and McKay agree to accompany a young princess on a rite of passage in order to maintain diplomatic relations on a new Stargate Atlantis (Sci-Fi, 9pm and 11pm).

Sam actually employs a Cleaner to help keep a strip club visit by a bunch of whales a secret from their wives on a new Las Vegas (NBC, 9pm). Mike and Piper try to lure a hot new bartender to the Montecito. Delinda throws an unusual party. And Cooper challenges Danny to draw more people to the casino. NBC still has four more episodes of this to air (after this one) for this strike-shortened season.

20/20 (ABC, 9pm) focuses on anger: anger in families (with Supernanny Jo Frost), anger myths, anger and narcissism, and an angry comedian (Lewis Black). There’s also a preview of a new National Geographic Channel documentary entitled I Came Back from the Dead which will debut on January 29.

A woman is found dead in an actor’s house in this rerun of Numb3rs (CBS, 9pm).

Late Night

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10pm).

Nathan Lane, Jake Johannsen on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Diane Lane, James Johann, Ayo on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Sen. Barack Obama, Wilco on a rerun of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).