There are a few TV marathons around for you or your kids or you and your kids, if you like, today. For the NBA fan, you can create your own basketball marathon by watching the doubleheader on ABC followed by the game on ESPN and most of the game on NBA TV, if you have it, after that. This works best if you have somebody around to bring you more chips or another beverage and a nice sandwich at some point. If not, at least you will get some exercise running back and forth between the kitchen and the TV during commercial breaks. Another way to kill the day would be watching the Back to the Future trilogy on AMC, complete with commercial interruptions. Those just looking for the bright spots on the networks tonight, look no further than Cold Case, Crossing Jordan, The Simpsons and the season premiere of King of the Hill. On cable they would be The Dresden Files and Battlestar Galactica. What will keep you firmly entrenched on your couch today?

Prime Picks

Cold Case (CBS): New. Two murders happened at the exact same time and the case has haunted Miller since she believes there must be a connection. The cases get reopened.

Desperate Housewives (ABC): Repeat. Gaby and Carlos go all War of the Roses in this replay from earlier in the season while Susan is struggling with her feelings for two men. Runs 61 minutes.

Crossing Jordan (NBC): New. The Boston police shot a young boy 33 times and the case falls to Woody, Lu and Jordan to investigate while there may be a death in the coroner’s office.

Solid Selections

The Simpsons (FOX): New. The family tells stories of revenge to pass the time after their car breaks down.
King of the Hill (FOX): Season Premiere. Peggy makes friends with Carolyn who thinks she is personification of being a woman.

The Valley of Light (CBS): Released 2007. This made for TV movie stars Chris Klein as a WWII veteran who assists a young widow and a mute boy. Runs two hours.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live (Food Network): New. Emeril goes all ragin’ Cajun with the cuisine tonight.

The Dresden Files (Sci Fi): New. Ghost wants justice to be served to her killer and will not go away until it happens. Where is Jennifer Love Hewitt when you need her? Last week’s series premiere episode replays right before this one. This episode also replays again tonight.

Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi): New. Former president Baltar is interrogated aboard the Galactica. This episode replays again later.

Other Options

• 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (TBS, TNT): New. Actors honor other actors with a Lifetime Achievement Award going to Julie Andrews. Runs two hours.
• Dirt (FX): Repeat. Last Tuesday’s new episode replays tonight.
• Brothers & Sisters (ABC): Repeat. A very funny repeat episode where events conspire to send the whole clan up to the ranch separately believing that nobody else will be there. Not original by any stretch of the imagination but fun to watch none the less.

Sports Notes

• ABC has an NBA doubleheader with the Phoenix Suns at the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first game and then the San Antonio Spurs at the Los Angeles Lakers in the second.
• CBS has final round golf coverage of the Buick Invitational with Tiger Woods lurking just two shots back of the leaders.
• ESPN has Winter X Games coverage with an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers in the middle.
• ESPN2 has women’s college basketball.
• NBA TV has the Miami Heat at the Chicago Bulls who may be missing Ben Wallace after he was carried of the court with a bad looking knee injury last night.
• NBC has the Dallas Stars at the Anaheim Ducks in NHL action.

TV Marathons

AMC plays the Back to the Future trilogy during the day.
Bravo has its standard eight-episode Sunday marathon of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Comedy Central has 20 episodes of Comedy Central Presents, which has different standup comics performing.
Disney Channel plays another 21 straight episodes of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.
MTV has six episodes of True Life.
MTV2 has 16 episodes of Pimp My Ride.
Travel Channel has 10 episodes of Living With the Kombai Tribe: The Adventures of Mark and Olly.

I really think the networks should turn Saturday into Second Chance Saturday. A night when an episode from earlier in the week of one of their hit shows replays to give you another chance to see it. ABC kind of already does this on Friday nights with Grey’s Anatomy followed by another show and NBC is doing it with Crossing Jordan tonight. NBC and CBS already play repeats each week on Saturdays, why not brand it and play something from earlier in the week. I think this might be able to find an audience. What do you think? Would you like a second chance at a missed episode from earlier in the week?

Prime Picks

NCIS (CBS): Repeat. A staff sergeant is found dead and buried in a civil war era tomb that includes a cell phone.

Crossing Jordan (NBC): Repeat. Last Sunday’s episode replays where the lab is being investigated and Jordan and Lu have to work together.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC): Repeat. A high profile hip-hop producer is found dead outside his studio.

Solid Selection

Catch Me If You Can (ABC): Released 2002. Tom Hanks plays an FBI agent tracking con man Frank Abagnale Jr. played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Runs three hours.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live (Food Network): New. Emeril gets you ready for the big game with football inspired recipes sent in by viewers.

The Secret Life Of … (Food Network): New. Get the history of tailgating.
Unwrapped (Food Network): Repeat. Get a look at some of the best football party foods and how they come about.

Trading Spaces: Boring Boudoirs (TLC): New. Frank, Doug and Carter redo a couple of bedrooms in Salt Lake City.

Other Options

Without a Trace (CBS): Repeat. This episode from last season has Jack trying to counteract Vivian’s prediction that the FBI and the media will focus on white boy who has gone missing over a missing black girl’s case.

Sports Notes

• ABC has Winter X Games coverage.
• CBS has the golf coverage with the third round of the Buick Invitational.
• ESPN has four college basketball games followed by the Winter X Games with a SportsCenter thrown in.
• ESPN2 has five college basketball games.
• FOX Sports has men and women’s college basketball games.

Late Night

• MADtv (FOX): Repeat. The cast of Deck the Halls appears.
• Saturday Night Live (NBC): Repeat. It was one Ludacris show.
• Talkshow With Spike Feresten (FOX): Repeat. The guest is comic Jeff Garlin.

TV Marathons

Cartoon Network has 14 episodes of Xiaolin Showdown.
Disney Channel starts playing 36 straight episodes of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.

Well, I guess we get a night of repeats to go with the rest of this rollercoaster week of new shows on the networks. If you missed last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy, then tonight you have a second chance to see it. If you saw it already then your best bets tonight are on cable with Monk and Psych on USA, Paula’s Party on Food Network and a replay of the season premiere of The Dresden Files on Sci Fi Channel. Also of note on Sci Fi tonight are a replay of Monday’s Heroes episode and Sunday’s Battlestar Galactica, which actually had fewer viewers on Sunday night than in its former Friday night timeslot. Which do you prefer, the new Sunday night slot or would you rather have it back on Friday?

Prime Picks

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): Repeat. Last night’s episode replays where Bailey wants to start a free clinic out of the hospital and the marriage proposals start a flyin’ at the end of the show.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC): Repeat. This episode was from two weeks ago, where Kevin starts seeing a soap opera actor and Kitty and Nora get sucked in to using a matchmaker.

Numb3rs (CBS): Repeat. The “Two Daughters” episode replays where Megan is kidnapped and the team searches for her.

Solid Selections

1 vs. 100 (NBC): New. Well, at least it is new.

Las Vegas (NBC): Repeat. An episode from earlier this season where Sam may be in trouble after having three of her clients stiff her and Adam Carolla helps Mary with her fear of doing standup.

Law & Order (NBC): Repeat. A man who was lured by a magazine trying to out pedophiles winds up dead and the detectives investigate.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live (Food Network): Repeat. Emeril gets in some “Hot Licks” tonight.

Monk (USA): New. The wealthy neighbors of Natalie’s parents die and she thinks there was foul play involved. Monk goes undercover as a butler, which he finds he really enjoys. Plays again later.

Psych (USA): New. Det. Lassiter is feeling down about his crime solving abilities and Shawn sets out to boost his confidence by helping him solve a case from behind the scenes. Plays again later.

Other Options

• The Dresden Files (Sci Fi): Repeat. The series premiere from last Sunday replays after a replay of last Monday’s Heroes. The first episode wasn’t that great but served well enough to setup that major storylines. It shows promise and will need to be given at least a couple more episodes to see if they can realize it.
• Hyperdrive (BBC America): New. A clueless leader has to be dealt with when they visit a foreign planet tonight.
• Jake 2.0 (Sci Fi): Repeats. Two episodes play tonight. In the Jake has to go back to college undercover and in the second Lee Majors guest stars as a legendary operative.
• Paula’s Party (Food Network): New. Paula throws a southern style luau.
• What Not to Wear (TLC): New. A woman in senior management wants a more feminine look. Plays twice tonight.

Sports Notes

• ESPN has NBA action with the Washington Wizards at the Detroit Pistons followed by the Winter X Games.
• ESPN2 has the women’s finals of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
• Golf Channel has the second round of the Buick Invitational from Torrey Pines with Tiger Woods five shots off the pace after day one.

NBC has three hours of comedy tonight that includes three episodes of The Office, all of which are very good. The only thing new in the first hour of primetime tonight is Smallville on The CW and The War at Home on FOX. In the second hour of primetime everything is new tonight except for Scrubs and 30 Rock on NBC. In the third hour of primetime Men in Trees is the only thing new. Kind of a weird night which is part of a weird week. Everything was new on Monday. The State of the Union preempted most programming on Tuesday. Last night was hit or miss unless you are an American Idol auditions fan. What will tomorrow bring considering that Fridays usually don’t have much to offer?

Prime Picks

Smallville (The CW): New. Clark was attacked and wakes up in a mental asylum not knowing what is real and what isn’t. A fellow patient tries to convince him that he needs to kill the doctor to get out of the nightmare.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): New. Bailey puts forth the idea of a free clinic and a proposal is in the air for one of the docs at Seattle Grace. Runs 61 minutes.

Men in Trees (ABC): New. Marin is finding that her new place is not quite ready for her to live in while Patrick worries that he won’t be able to give Annie her dream wedding.

Solid Selections

My Name Is Earl (NBC): Repeat. Earl returns a prize-winning cat to its owner and Randy finds a new love.
The Office (NBC): Repeat. Angela talks Dwight into going after Michaels job after Michael gets in trouble for showing a movie during working hours.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS): New. Keppler gets Catherine to go along with his plan to catch the killer of a politician but she must keep what is really going on from the rest of the team.

The Office (NBC): Repeat. Michael plays grief counselor when a former employee of Dunder-Mifflin dies.
The Office (NBC): Repeat. Very funny episode where Dwight takes Ryan on his first sales call and then puts him through an initiation.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live (Food Network): Repeat. Emeril gets his deli on tonight.

American Chopper (TLC): New. Sr. and Jr. continue with their competition to build the best bike.

Throwdown With Bobby Flay (Food Network): Repeat. The Fried Chicken battle that was new yesterday when it played last night.
Ace of Cakes (Food Network): Repeat. The “Boss is Gone” episode which was new yesterday when it played last night.

Other Options

• 30 Rock (NBC): Repeat. Jack gets integrated into a sketch. This was a very funny and clever episode.
• Iron Chef America (Food Network): Repeat. Last Sunday’s new episode with Morimoto vs. Cantu replays.
• The O.C. (FOX): New. Kirsten gets some news of the life changing kind while Taylor gets some rules to live by from her therapist and Julie has a secret affair and it turns out that Che had his soul mate idea all screwed up.
• Scrubs (NBC): Repeat. Turks finds out that Carla is with child before she does.

Sports Notes

• ESPN has college basketball with Clemson at Duke followed by the Winter X Games.
• Golf Channel has the first round of the Buick Invitational from Torrey Pines.
• TNT has an NBA doubleheader with the Dallas Mavericks at the Chicago Bulls followed by the New Jersey Nets at the Los Angeles Clippers.