Laurel’s TV Picks

Best Bets

New NCIS (CBS, 7pm)
New Shark (CBS, 8pm)
New Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 9:02pm)
New Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm)
Season finale of The Riches (FX, 9pm, 10pm, midnight)

Daytime

“Dr. Oz and Dr. Harville Hendrix Confront a Couple on the Edge” on a new Oprah (syndicated, check your local listings).

Primetime Grid

Primetime

NBA playoff action: Mavericks at Hornets (TNT, 6pm), Suns at Spurs (TNT, 8:30pm).

Another installment of Carrier (PBS, check your local listings). For more about the show, check out the official series website.

Two members of the team are sent to Iraq to investigate a murder on a new NCIS (CBS, 7pm). Rocky Carroll continues his guest stint on the show as the Assistant Director of NCIS. Rick Hoffman is among the guest stars, hasn’t he been in every show this week? Maybe it just seems like it; he guest starred in recent episodes of Law & Order: SVU and Samantha Who.

The top five perform Neil Diamond songs on a new American Idol (FOX, 7pm).

The competitors head to Big Bear Mountain in California on a new Beauty and the Geek (CW, 7pm). There’s a sled-building challenge, among other things, in this new episode.

Komodo dragons try to eat the crew (yikes!), dancing bears are rescued from the streets of India, putting microchips in the horns of white rhinos, and giant anacondas on a new Raw Nature (Animal Planet, 7pm, 10pm, 2am).

Andy thinks he’s found the perfect woman, but then Jim offers to help him out in some way (that’s sure to backfire, I imagine) on a new According to Jim (ABC, 7pm).

They “spice up” a kitchen for a family with growing children on a new Spice Up My Kitchen (HGTV, 7:30pm and 11:30pm). As opposed to shrinking children?

They improve a backyard with a maintenance-free deck, a paver patio, and a water feature on a new Sweat Equity (DIY, 7:30pm and 11:30pm). Man, I wish someone would do that to our backyard.

Shark (CBS, 8pm) returns after a very long absence. When we last left the show, Stark (James Woods) had admitted to knowledge of a murder and was in a whole lot of trouble. In this episode, we find out if he’ll end up going to prison and whether he’ll still be able to practice law. Kindof. Paula Marshall begins a guest stint on the show as someone who is charged with prosecuting him. Other guest stars include Jonathan Banks, Orla Brady, and Michael Rooker. I’ve seen the episode and it’s pretty good, though I found it a bit odd that Jeri Ryan isn’t in the episode at all. This show has not yet been picked up for another season, so if you like it and want it to stick around you should watch it and let CBS know you like it.

The aspiring chefs are challenged to create gourmet pizza on a new Hell’s Kitchen (FOX, 8:02pm).

Andi sees Sam beheading someone and threatens to go to the cops on a new Reaper (CW, 8pm). Of course Sam was actually dispatching a demon, but Andi doesn’t know that. Will Sam tell Andi the truth? Michael Ian Black continues his guest stint on the show.

New episode of Last Restaurant Standing (BBC America, 8pm, 11pm, 1am).

The Streak (ESPN2, 8pm - 10pm) documents the 2007-08 Brandon High School wrestling team’s season and the school’s 34-year win streak.

New episode of The Universe (History Channel, 8pm and midnight) which is titled “Cosmic Apocalypse” which is preceded by a rerun of the “Biggest Things in Space” episode (History, 7pm and 11pm).

Def Leppard performs on a new Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 8pm - 9:02pm). Kenny Mayne returns to the show and someone is eliminated (of course).

Sig and Edgar have a contest to see who can fish longer without sleeping on a new Deadliest Catch (Discovery, 8pm, 10pm, midnight).

Joy Behar (of The View) is the scheduled guest on a new Larry King Live (CNN, 8pm, 11pm, 2am).

Topics include: cultivating environmentally friendly foods and wine without reducing biodiversity and depleting water supplies or causing topsoil erosion on a new Big Ideas for a Small Planet (Sundance, 8pm; also on Friday at 9am).

A family wants to quickly trade up to a new house on a new Secrets That Sell (HGTV, 8pm and midnight).

A woman who was convicted of murdering her parents, a couple that targets men in tourist bars on a new Women Behind Bars (We, 8pm, 11pm, 2am).

Dean and Derek build a walkway out of porphyry granite on a new Rock Solid (DIY, 8:30pm and 12:30am).

I’m very happy to see a new episode of Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 9:02pm) on the schedule, but it seems unlikely the show will stick around for another season– unless these last three episodes of this season do really well. Gerald McRaney guest stars as Lindsay’s Dad in this episode and Wendell Pierce (who was “Bunk” on The Wire) guest stars as a captain in the narcotics division.

Robin Williams guest stars as a man who likes to play some rather serious mind games on a new episode of Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9pm). He also ends up representing himself in court, those cases are always entertaining (and there’s a lot more courtroom action in this episode than in a typical episode of SVU). Robin Williams guest starred on Homicide years ago but is playing a different character here; one wonders if Det. Munch thinks this guy looks a lot like the husband of a murder vic that he encountered in Baltimore, but then so many actors have appeared on both shows as different characters that it’s a bit silly. This episode is scheduled to air again on NBC at 9pm on Sunday, May 11th.

The Bayou Hills deal is hanging by a thread and Dahlia and Wayne face the widening gap in their family and marriage in the season finale of The Riches (FX, 9pm, 10pm, midnight).

A special 90-minute edition of CostasNOW (HBO, 9pm). HBO says: “Employing a town hall setting, the show will feature five segments, each devoted to a specific topic and featuring a video clip and a live panel of high-profile sports personalities, broadcasters, journalists and executives who will join Costas for an in-depth discussion. The segments will focus on sports talk radio, the Internet and the impact of bloggers, sports television, athletes and the media, and a discussion on race.”

New episode of Work Out (Bravo, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 1am).

The members of the four groups wonder “What Did We Get Ourselves Into” on a new episode of The Alaska Experiment (Discovery, 9pm and 1am).

Drew pushes the envelope with his antics on a new College Hill: Atlanta (BET, 9pm; also tomorrow at 7pm).

“Never-before-seen footage and testimonials from women and children recounting their intense experiences as victims and survivors of a controversial polygamist cult” on a new Secret Lives of Women (We, 9pm and midnight).

The remaining contestants have a run-in with the police . . . while in their underwear on a new A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila (MTV, 9pm, 10:30pm, midnight).

The roommates turn on the owner of the diary on a new The Bad Girl’s Club (Oxygen, 9pm, 10pm, midnight).

Charles Durning guest stars as a Medal of Honor recipient in this rerun of NCIS (USA, 9pm) from the second season; he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Oustanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for this role. Alicia Coppola (of Jericho) and Kevin Sizemore also guest star.

Fighters Brian Goldsby and Adrian Morrison make their debuts in this new episode of Iron Ring (BET, 9:30pm and 1am).

New episode of Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E, 9:30pm and 1:30am).

New episode of Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love (Oxygen, 9:30pm, 10:30pm, 12:30am).

Late Night

Newt Gingrich on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 10pm and midnight).

Anne Lamott on The Colbert Report (Comedy Central, 10:30pm and 12:30am).

Robert Downey Jr, Alicia Keys on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 10:35pm).

Dr. Phil McGraw, the Lopez family, Natasha Bedingfield on The Tonight Show (NBC, 10:35pm).

Kathy Griffin, Emily Deschanel (of Bones), Morrissey on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 11:37pm).

Jeff Garlin, Dax Shepard, the Kills on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (NBC, 11:37pm).

Vanessa Williams, latest competitor eliminated from Dancing with the Stars, Cinematic Orchestra on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC, check your local listings).

Chelsea Handler, Serj Tankian on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC, check your local listings).