What to Watch May 10-16

MONDAY, MAY 10
'How I Met Your Mother' (8PM, CBS)
Sure, the episode is called 'Robots vs. Wrestlers,' and Ted is involved in a scene that, well, let's just say it's rather reminiscent of an afternoon we once spent at Medieval Times. But tonight's funniest moments come when Ted, Barney, Marshall and Lily crash a super swank New York City soiree, where Ted decides to show his pals just how smart he can be with such a fancy crowd. In fact, Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington, director Peter Bogdanovich and New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz guest star as themselves at the snooty party, which is hosted by -- wait for it -- a Mr. Jefferson Van Smoot (guest star Michael York). How can a name like that not lead to hilarity?

'Chuck' – Chuck's got his hands full with a CIA psychiatrist (guest star Christopher Lloyd), while Morgan's got his hands full with a blast from his past (8PM, NBC)

'Unwrapped' – An episode on "wild and crazy" candy includes gummy eyeballs and the sticky, rocky goodness that is Nerds Rope (8:30PM, Food Network)

'24' – Four more hours. Just four more hours (9PM, Fox)

'The Big Bang Theory' – A famous physicist (guest star Judy Greer) sparks tension between smitten kittens Leonard and Sheldon (9:30PM, CBS)

'Nurse Jackie' – Coop sets Eddie up on a date. Who accompanies Eddie to Kevin's bar. Where they run into Jackie (10PM, Showtime)

'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' – Fallon celebrates the upcoming re-release of the Rolling Stones' 'Exile on Main Street' with a week of special musical guests -- including Green Day, Keith Urban and Phish -- performing covers of the album's classics (12:35AM, NBC)

(Warning, there may be spoilers after the jump)

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TUESDAY, MAY 11
'Lost' (9PM, ABC)
Here's what we've been promised about this week's episode: It will feature none of the series regulars, except in some very revealing flashbacks; it will focus almost solely on the struggle between Jacob and the Man in Black, which will reveal, once and for all, what Locke's motives are; 'West Wing' star Allison Janney guest stars as a character who is pivotal to tonight's revealing storyline; and, though two episodes remain, tonight's big Locke-related revelations will supposedly convince even the most skeptical fan that show creators really have been planning every little detail since day one. Not that fans don't deserve it, particularly after last week's tearjerker of an episode.

'Hole: On the Record with Fuse' – Courtney Love sits down for a chat about her band's new album, 'Nobody's Daughter,' and, of course, about so much more (8PM, Fuse)

'NCIS' – Escalation: The investigation of a marine's murder turns into the hunt for a serial killer (8PM, CBS)

'Glee' – Kurt goes to ridiculous lengths to please his dad. A hint: it involves him wearing a trucker hat, and not in an ironic way (9PM, Fox)

'Chopped' – Among tonight's ingredients: cuttlefish and calf's liver. Mmmmm? (10PM, Food Network)

'Justified' – Raylan's on vacay, but, of course, that doesn't mean a cruise or a trip to King's Island (he lives near Cincinnati, ya know). Nope, Raylan's down time is spent going after the mobsters who are threatening his ex-wife's current hubby, Herman's Head (10PM, FX)

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 12
'Cougar Town' (9:30PM, NBC)
Congratulations to the graduate: Travis (Dan Byrd) is not only set to don the cap and gown and accept his diploma, but he may be also be making a big speech at the ceremony. This would all be great news if he had, you know, normal parents, but since he's the offspring of neurotic Jules and wacky Bobby, well ... trouble begins when Jules reads a copy of the speech Travis has penned. She thinks it's great, until she realizes she's not mentioned in it at all. Warning: mommy meltdown ahead. Meanwhile, Bobby's also proud of his son, but he has to focus all his efforts on trying not to embarrass his son on the big day.

'America's Next Top Model' – The pack of four finalists become two, who have to shoot a makeup commercial and walk in an Anna Sui fashion show to determine which one is the season's champ (8PM, The CW) season 14 finale

'Music by Prudence' – The Oscar-winning documentary -- remember, when the co-producer "Kanye-d" the film's director while he was accepting the award? -- is about disabled Prudence and her band, Liyana, and their determination to live their musical dreams despite the fact that their culture considers disabled babies to be connected to witchcraft (8PM, HBO2)

'New Adventures of Old Christine' – The biggest surprise at Christine's bridal shower: How inferior she feels to Max's pals (8PM, CBS) season 5 finale

'American Masters: The Doors: When You're Strange' – Doors fan Johnny Depp narrates this compelling rock documentary, which includes never-before-seen footage of Jim Morrison and company (9PM, PBS)

'Mercy' – Dawson, er, Dr. Briggs (James Van Der Beek) finds himself in a desperate situation with the mob and his gambling debts (9PM, NBC) season 1 finale

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THURSDAY, MAY 13
'Vampire Diaries' (8M, The CW) season 1 finale
The whole first season hasn't lacked for drama and excitement, but the first season finale kicks all that up a notch or 20 with an episode that series star Nina Dobrev tells TV Guide will include "a lot of vampire ... a battle ... (and) fatalities." The episode revolves around Mystic Falls' Founder's Day celebration, which means lots of fancy dresses and parade floats. But the merriment takes a turn for the tragic, as Dobrev's Elena continues to be torn between the Salvatore brothers, one her boyfriend (Paul Wesley's Stefan) and the other her ally, Damon (Ian Somerhalder). "The finale might make a lot of people angry," Dobrev warns. And very anxious for the second season premiere, too, we're guessing.

'Parks and Recreation' – Rob Lowe and Adam Scott join the cast as state auditors who make Leslie's life more complicated and promise to make the show even better (8PM, NBC)

'CSI' – In the first installment of a two-parter, Nate Haskell (guest star Bill Irwin) is back, and he claims to have pertinent info on the Dr. Jekyll serial killings (9PM, CBS)

'Fringe' – In part one of the season finale, Olivia heads off to alt universe world with Walter, who's preparing for a showdown with William (guest Leonard Nimoy) (9PM, Fox)

'Grey's Anatomy' – Disney darling Demi Lovato guest stars as a teen whose 'rents say she's schizophrenic, while 'Happy Days' mom (and 'Gilmore Girls' grandma) Marion Ross plays a heart patient who meets up with an old flame at Seattle Grace (9PM, ABC)

'Supernatural' – As if he isn't creating enough havoc on 'Lost,' Mark Pellegrino's Lucifer is still trying to take over Sam's body as the Winchester bros. face (yet more) tough choices when the Apocalypse is upon them (9PM, The CW) season 5 finale

'30 Rock' – Liz Lemon's looking for love in all the familiar places, which means the return of Jon Hamm, Michael Sheen, Dean Winters and Jason Sudekis (9:30PM, NBC)

'The Mentalist' – Leslie Hope returns as psychic Kristina Frye, and she's got a little spark with Jane. Hopefully this will turn out better than her association with Jack Bauer did (10PM, CBS)

'Private Practice' – Any guesses about which "major character" bites the dust in tonight's season ender? (10PM, ABC) season 3 finale

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FRIDAY, MAY 14
'Smallville' (8PM, The CW) season 9 finale
With this primetime TV season barreling towards its conclusion, if we had to pick one theme that has seemingly affected almost every drama, it would be death. And, sorry to say it, but 'Smallville' isn't going to be an exception, as the season ender includes one -- that we know of -- major casualty. There's also a handful of cliffhangers; a sneak peek, for Clark, at his future; and a very big moment between Clark and Lois. And, the episode's central plot: the showdown between Clark and Zod (Callum Blue), with the stakes being a little ol' planet you might have heard of: earth.

'Friday Night Lights' – Riggins' homecoming is all about finding a new home since Billy kicked him to the curb (8PM, NBC)

'Live from Abbey Road' – Michael Bublé chats and croons (8PM, Sundance) season 3 finale

'Degrassi: The Next Generation' – Riley's considering coming out and going on his first date with a guy. This would be a good spot for a pop-in visit from Marco, who's so been there, done that (9PM, Teen Nick)

'Kitchen Nightmares' – It's going to take a lot of Gordon's, um, energy, to help the owners of a California sushi eatery bounce back, since the family owners are in debt, in-fighting and un-interested cooking anymore (9PM, Fox)

'Stargate Universe' – Tamara has to separate the afflicted from the not when several crew members are sick with something that makes them have hallucinations that play on their worst fears (9PM, SyFy)

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SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, MAY 15-16
'Survivor' (Sun., 8PM, CBS) season 20 finale
'Survivor' fans can set their TV to CBS and leave it there tonight, as the 20th season (and 10th year) of the seminal reality show comes to an end with a two-hour finale, followed immediately by a one-hour live reunion special (10PM). The opening moments of the reunion, as usual, will include the revelation of the winner of 'Heroes vs. Villains,' but the two hours leading up to that will find the five finalists trying to make it to the final tribal council and a shot at the big $1 million prize. The finale's sure to include lots of twist and turns, though we're still trying to get over the shock of 'Survivor: All-Stars' runner-up Boston Rob Mariano not making it past week eight.

'Saturday Night Live' – Alec Baldwin ties Steve Martin for the record of most times hosting 'SNL' (they've each hosted 15 times) and welcomes musical guest Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Sat., 11:30PM, NBC) season 35 finale

'Miss USA Pageant' – Chef and 'Celebrity Apprentice' contender Curtis Stone hosts and last season's 'Celeb Apprentice" winner Joan Rivers provides commentary for the 59th annual beauty pageant, live from Planet Hollywood in Vegas (Sun., 7PM, NBC)

'Desperate Housewives' – A mad man from the past plays into the current happenings on Wisteria Lane, where this season ends with a shocker, setting up some big changes for season 7 (Sun., 9PM, ABC) season 6 finale

'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' – NFL star Michael Oher and the Tuohy family -- the inspiration for the book and movie 'The Blind Side' -- help build a new home for a family whose father has been stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease and whose son has spina bifida (Sun., 8PM, ABC) season 7 finale

'The Pacific' – The powerful 10-part WWII miniseries concludes with the Japanese surrender in 1945 and Leckie and pals' return to their homes, which proves to be easier for some than for others (Sun., 9PM, HBO) series finale

'Brothers and Sisters' – With the state of the family business, only a long-forgotten investment by Papa Walker may save Ojai Foods, but the bigger issue in this season ender: Rob Lowe's leaving the series, so it's no spoiler to say his Robert is also on his way out (Sun., 10PM, ABC) season 4 finale