Tonight on the Tube: Chuck Two-Hour Season Three Premiere

News & Notes

Tonight, FOX has the 450th episode of The Simpsons followed by The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!, NBC has the two-hour third season premiere of Chuck, and PBS has the 40th season premiere of Masterpiece!.

Over on cable, BET has a Celebration of Gospel special, Food Network has the ninth season finale of Challenge and the eighth season premiere of Iron Chef America, HBO has the fourth season premiere of Big Love, History has the third season premiere of Ax Men and the series premiere of Madhouse, Syfy has the TV premiere of Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, and TLC has a Brace for Impact the Chelsea B. Sullenger Story special.

Prime Picks

The Simpsons (FOX): New. Krusty is being forced to change up the structure of his TV show and Bart and Milhouse try to help him. Runs 30 minutes. An hour long “20th Anniversary Special” follows.

Chuck (NBC): Season Premiere. Chuck is trying to learn how to deal with his recent upgrade and what it means for him, his handlers, and his family and friends. Runs two hours. I really don’t want to say more than that, as it would be too easy to spoil things. What I will say is that if you’re a fan of the show, you’re going to love tonight’s two episodes and Monday’s episode as well. If you haven’t been watching, you should be. It’s one of the most fun shows on TV right now. But, don’t worry about being two seasons behind. The first three episodes are designed in such a way that you don’t really need to have watched any previous episodes to enjoy them. You get enough of the back-story and will understand the character dynamics by the end of these episodes. If you think you need more than that, then check out the 3 Things You Need to Know to Begin Watching Chuck With Season Three.

Solid Selections

Challenge (Food Network): Season Finale. Four cake artists team up with four recently married men to create “Newlywed Cakes” for their wives. Plays again later.

Desperate Housewives (ABC): New. The ladies of the lane are dealing with their recent actions, what their husbands are up to, and their heritage. Runs 61 minutes.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC): New. Sarah finds the father of one of Paige’s classmates intriguing. Justin may have figured out the key to his learning problems. Starts a minute after the hour and runs 59 minutes.

Other Options

• Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Syfy): Released 2009. See the story of the attack on the 12 colonies from the Cylon perspective. Runs two hours. Plays twice.
• Cold Case (CBS): New. An Army recruiter that was killed before being deployed back in 2005 gets his case reopened.
• Iron Chef America (Food Network): New. Chef Dena Marino challenges Iron Chef Morimoto. Plays again later.
• Worst Cooks in America (Food Network): New. The 10 remaining contestants learn five knife fundamentals. Plays again later.

Sports Notes

• CBS has the AFC Wild Card Game with the Baltimore Ravens at the New England Patriots followed by college basketball action.
• ESPN has NBA action with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Portland Trail Blazers.
• ESPN2 has doubleheader women’s college basketball.
• FOX has the NFC Wild Card Game with the Green Bay Packers at the Arizona Cardinals.

Late Night

• nip/tuck (FX): Repeat. The seventh season premiere episode, “Dan Daly,” replays. Runs 62 minutes.

TV Marathons

History has 12 episodes of Ax Men.
MTV has 10 episodes of Teen Cribs.
Oxygen has 11 episodes of Snapped.
TLC has five episodes of Police Women of Broward County.
TNT has eight episodes of Law & Order early.
Travel Channel has nine episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
truTV has six episodes of Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura.
USA has six episodes of NCIS.