Tonight NBC is playing the last three episodes of Friday Night Lights. This is a show that you should take a chance on as it is very well done and is more than just about football. The game action may occupy about five or six minutes every couple of episodes. What it really is is a small town high school drama with interesting characters. Wednesday’s will be the new night for the show starting tonight. New episodes return as of January 3rd. If you would like to watch it from the beginning, you can. NBC has all 10 Friday Night Lights episodes available to watch via streaming video at their website. Sci Fi has four episodes of Heroes tonight. The first 11 episodes of Heroes can also be found online via streaming audio at the NBC website. Heroes returns with new episodes on January 22nd.

Prime Picks

Friday Night Lights (NBC): Repeat. The first of three episodes tonight has the star running back taking some drastic measures after having a bad performance in front of a big time college scout.

Friday Night Lights (NBC): Repeat. In this episode Smash continues down the wrong path with trying to improve his performance on the field while Tim and Lyla are ostracized from their schoolmates.

Friday Night Lights (NBC): Repeat. The cheerleaders are heading to the Championship Classic and it is the football players who show their support. Lyla continues to be an outcast at school. This was the last episode of the fall.

Solid Selections

Bones (FOX): Repeat. Brennan and Booth’s suspect looks like they might be in the Witness Protection Program.

Bones (FOX): Repeat. Brennan and Booth search for clues to a woman’s murder in an underground tunnel system.

CSI: NY (CBS): Repeat. A roller derby player is killed and the team investigates her death.

Cable Choices

Heroes (Sci Fi): Repeats. The last four episodes of Heroes plays tonight so you can get caught up with what is going on in this very fun to watch show.

Other Options

• Criminal Minds (CBS): Repeat. The first season finale, “The Fisher King, Part One,” replays where the entire team is drawn into an elaborate fantasy and must decipher the clues to find out who is behind a kidnapping.
• My Boys (TBS): New. Two more episodes of this comedy before the season finale airs tomorrow night.

Sports Notes

• ESPN has the Emerald Bowl with Florida State vs. UCLA.

Did you have a good Christmas? Will you be out hitting the after Christmas sales? Or do you have to work? Need something to watch tonight? Well this is not much of a week for TV watching as most everything is in repeats. The New Year is almost here along with new shows beginning and other favorites returning? What shows can’t you wait for their return?

Prime Picks

Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (ABC): Repeat. Rudolph tries to find the New Year baby in a bad fog.

Big Day (ABC): New. Alice and Danny seem not to be all that good at dancing together. I didn’t find earlier episodes of this show all that funny but it is new tonight while most things are repeats or news or specials.
Big Day (ABC): New. Another new episode in place of the recently pulled Help Me Help You, which also needed help.

Boston Legal (ABC): Repeat. This is the episode where Coho joins the firm and takes on a big case on his first day.

Solid Selections

House (FOX): Repeat. A small child with rectal bleeding that thinks he is being attacked by aliens is the case of the week.

House (FOX): Repeat. A young couple comes into the hospital with symptoms that are very similar to each other. This is also the episode where he pisses off the cop played by David Morse.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC): Repeat. Jerry Lewis guest stars as a homeless man that is the suspect in a rape and murder.

Cable Choices

Emeril’s Kicked Up New Years Celebration (Food Network): Repeat. Having a dinner party for New Years then get some ideas for what to serve with Emeril.

Overhaulin’ (TLC): New. A 1969 Mustang gets a desperately needed makeover.

The Closer (TNT): Repeat. Deputy Chief Johnson and her squad investigate the murder of a woman at an upscale restaurant. If you missed the second season over the summer you should definitely give it a go over the next few weeks.

Other Options

• Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels (Food Network): New. Some nightspots of a popular nature are hit when Rachael takes some nights on the town.
• Veronica Mars (The CW): Repeat. Veronica has been accused of plagiarism and must try to clear her name while Wallace gets a second chance after cheating.

Sports Notes

• ESPN has the Motor City Bowl with Central Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee.

Merry Christmas!!! Today is not a big day for TV watching unless you like sports or TV marathons. There are some good ones today, marathons that is. Some of the notable Christmas Day TV marathons are the continuation of the 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TBS, 14 hours of In Living Color on BET, MythBusters viewer’s choice on Discovery Channel and 11 hours of Arrested Development on G4. For more TV marathons on today see below. Need a last minute Christmas gift idea? Then check out the TVaholic Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide. Yes these are still gifts you can buy today for the TV fanatic on your list and either print out a gift certificate or have it sent via email. For a fun read check out ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas – 2006 or the TVaholic take on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Prime Picks

How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Repeat. The “Zip, Zip, Zip” episode from season one replays.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Repeat. The “Life Among the Gorillas” episode from season one replays where Marshall takes an internship at Barney’s company.

Two and a Half Men (CBS): Repeat. A woman Alan is seeing takes over the house for the holidays.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Repeat. The “Nothing Good Happens After 2AM” episode from season one replays.

CSI: Miami (CBS): Repeat. The “Driven” episode replays where Marisol witnesses a robbery and must be protected by Horatio.

Solid Selections

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (ABC): Released 2003. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow who is a pirate who must rescue the daughter of the governor while trying to get his ship back. Runs three hour.

Sports Notes

• ABC has NBA action with the Los Angeles Lakers at the Miami Heat.
• ESPN has Monday Night Football with the New York Jets at the Miami Dolphins.
• NBC has NFL action with the Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys.

Christmas Day TV Marathons

A&E has 12 episodes of Crossing Jordan.
ABC Family has Christmas themed movies.
Animal Planet has 11 episodes of Growing Up …
BET has 28 episodes of In Living Color.
Bravo has eight episodes of Top Chef followed by eight episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Discovery Channel has 18 episodes of MythBusters.
Discovery Times has six episodes of Only in America.
Disney Channel has Christmas themed shows on all day and ends the day with The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2.
ESPN2 has replays of past years of the National Spelling Bee.
FX is playing the animated movie Ice Age seven times today.
G4 has 22 episodes of Arrested Development.
Hallmark Channel has made-for-TV Christmas movies most of the day.
Lifetime has Christmas TV movies most of the day.
MTV has 16 episodes of My Super Sweet 16.
National Geographic has 10 episodes of The Dog Whisperer.
Speed has 13 episodes of NASCAR Behind the Wheel followed by 11 episodes of Barrett-Jackson: Life on the Block.
Sprout has 12 episodes of The Hoobs.
Style has 21 episodes of Clean House.
TBS continues their 24 hours marathon of A Christmas Story.
TLC has 18 episodes of American Chopper.
TNT has 10 episodes of Law & Order.
TV Land has Christmas themed episodes all day long.
TV Guide Channel has seven episodes of Trapped in TV Guide.
Women’s Entertainment has 19 episodes of Hope & Faith.

So you have been running around this holiday season looking for the perfect gift for that special someone. You know they really like watching TV and even know what some of their favorite shows are but didn’t come up with anything good while out trudging through the malls. Well you are in luck. Here are a few Christmas gift ideas that you can still get right up until the wrapping paper starts to fly and you don’t even need to leave the house to get them.

Gift Certificates

Over at iTunes you can purchase gift certificates and send them via email. They have more than just music at iTunes. The TV fan on your list can find many of their TV favorites available for download like The Office, Lost, Prison Break and more.

Click on over to Amazon and purchase some gift certificates. You can print out a certificate to give in person or have it sent via email. The TV fan on your list can purchase just what they want. Whether it is TV shows on DVD, books about TV, soundtracks or anything else. They will be very happy with your gift. Printing the certificate out and giving it with a nice note or card can solve that last minute gift problem.

TV Show DVD Rentals

Get them a gift subscription to Netflix . They have more than just movies. If it comes out on DVD then they probably have it available. This includes every TV show that gets released on DVD. Perfect for catching up on shows they have missed or ones they want to reacquaint themselves with again but without having to buy every TV show DVD boxed set that comes out. I used it to catch up on the first season of Lost over the summer before the new season started and also to rent the original BBC The Office series. You can print the gift certificate or send it by email.

Magazine Subscriptions

Once again Amazon comes in handy. A subscription to American Idol the Magazine, Battlestar Galactica Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Lost Magazine, Sci-Fi, TV Guide and many more would make a great gift for your friend the TV lover.

Well there they are. Four ideas to finish off that Christmas gift list at the last minute. Happy Shopping and Merry Christmas!