saving grace

• At 8, TCM has Citizen Kane.
• At 9, FOX has a new Mental.
• The CW has a new Hitched or Ditched at 9.
• PBS has a new Frontline at 9.
• TNT has the series premiere of Hawthorne at 9, then a new Saving Grace.
• Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch at 9.
• CMT has the CMT Music Awards at 9.
• At 10, ABC has the series finale of Cupid.
• FX has a new Rescue Me at 10.
• Food Network has a new Chopped at 10.
• Bravo has the season finale of Real Housewives of New Jersey at 10.
• History Channel has a new Life After People at 10.
• MTV has a new Paris Hilton's My New BFF.
• Also at 10: Spike has a new ECW.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

I haven't jumped on the Blu-ray wagon yet. I know, I know, it's supposed to be "better," but I have all of these individual season sets that aren't Blu-ray and I don't know if I want to get rid of the older ones (or sell them) and get new ones. They'd really have to have a ton of extras (and ones that I'm interested in) on them for me to get them. A better picture doesn't really excite me. So I won't be getting the Lost sets being released this week.

But I'm on board for season 2 of Burn Notice!

• Burn Notice - Season 2
• Everwood - Season 2
• Family Guy - Vol. 7 and 100th Episode Celebration
• Generation Kill - Mini-Series (Blu-ray)
  
• House of Payne - Vol. 4

It's amazing how many new shows are on during the summer now. Who needs the outdoors? Let us know which show you're most looking forward to watching this summer (I didn't include shows that have already premiered, such as Burn Notice, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Listener). A poll can only be so long, so if you're show isn't listed let us know in the comments.

'Grey's Anatomy,' 'The Office' and 'American Idol' may be over, but the 2009 TV season is just heating up.

We're giving you the lowdown on all of this summer's hottest returning shows -- 'Mad Men,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'The Closer,' just to name a few -- to keep TV fans cooking over the next three months.

Check out all the big returning shows in our 2009 Summer TV gallery.

With all this news from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and The CW about their new fall schedules, we can't forget what's happening on cable. TNT and TBS have announced some new shows of their own. Some might say that these shows are even more promising than what the other networks have to offer this fall. In fact, one of them has me more excited than Richard Simmons in a tank top factory.

Besides returning shows like The Closer (June 8), Raising The Bar (June 8), Saving Grace (June 16), and Leverage (July 15), TNT also has the following new shows.

When the networks go into summer hibernation, it's time for the cable networks to come out and play. While they've been making inroads with fall and spring original programming, most cable networks stick to the summer frame where competition is light and they put up huge numbers that NBC would envy. TNT added a few shows to achieve a three-night schedule of original programming this summer, bringing it closer and closer to full network programming levels. And TNT knows a thing or two about massive ratings hits.

They're coupling smash hit The Closer at 9 PM ET with Raising the Bar at 10 on Mondays starting June 8. Bar launched huge and secured a renewal before everyone realized what a huge steaming pile of crap it was. So now it's got the cushiest timeslot on the network to try and win back all the viewers it pissed away. Let's hope they've improved the product and Felicityed Mark Paul-Gosselaar's hair.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by new episodes of Surviving Suburbia and Castle.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, then new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has a new Chuck at 8, followed by new episodes of Heroes and Medium.
• FOX has new episodes of House and 24.
• PBS has a new Antiques Roadshow at 8, then a new American Experience.
• There's a new Greek on ABC Family at 8, followed by a new Roommates.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 8.
  
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food, then a new Unwrapped.
• At 9, HBO has three new episodes of In Treatment.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives at 10.
• History Channel has a new Ax Men at 10.
• MTV has a new episode of The Hills at 10.
• Also at 10: A&E has a new Paranormal State.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

'Chuck'
(8PM, NBC)
Fanboys and fangirls everywhere had to love last week's 'Chuck,' in which our hero finally reunited with his long-lost papa ('Quantum Leap'-er Scott Bakula) and found out the senior Bartowski also happens to be Orion, the man behind the Intersect.

Tonight, with Papa Bartowski in the hands of his nemesis Roark (Chevy Chase) and Fulcrum, it's up to Chuck to save him, but he has to turn to his own nemesis – Fulcrum-aligned ex-girlfriend Jill (Jordana Brewster) – for help.

Meanwhile, anyone who's worried that the delightful Mr. Bartowski and his Buy More cronies might not see a third season may want to throw their support behind these 'Save Chuck' efforts.

• At 6, GSN has the series premiere of The Newlywed Game.
• 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by the series premiere of Surviving Suburbia and a new Castle.
• NBC has a new Chuck at 8, then new episodes of Heroes and Medium.
• FOX has new episodes of House and 24.
• PBS has a new Antiques Roadshow at 8.
• ABC Family has a new Greek at 8, followed by a new Roommates.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Nickelodeon has a new Penguins of Madagascar at 8.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food, then a new Unwrapped.
• At 9, CBS has the NCAA Tournament Final.
• There's a new Monday Night RAW on USA at 9.
• ESPN has the Oakland A's vs. the Los Angeles Angels at 9.
• At 9:30, HBO has two new episodes of In Treatment.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives at 10.
• MTV has the season premiere of The Hills at 10 (two episodes).
• Also at 10: A&E has a new Paranormal State.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Castle.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, then new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Chuck, Heroes, and Medium.
• There's a new House on FOX at 8, then a new 24.
• The CW has a new Gossip Girl at 8, followed by a new One Tree Hill.
• PBS has a new Antiques Roadshow at 8.
• ABC Family has the season premiere of Greek at 8, then a new Roommates.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Destroyed in Seconds at 8.
• Also at 8: BBC America has a new Top Gear.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• History Channel has a new Ax Men at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• Sci-Fi has a Star Trek: TNG marathon all night.
• TV Land has an Andy Griffith Show marathon all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, then a new Castle.
• CBS has a new How I Met Your Mother at 8.
• NBC has new episodes of Chuck, Heroes, and Medium.
• The CW has a new Gossip Girl at 8, followed by a new One Tree Hill.
• ABC Family has the season finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager at 8, then the series premiere of Roommates.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Also at 8: BBC America has a new Top Gear.
• At 9, FOX has a new 24.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food, then a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• A&E has a new Paranormal State at 10.
• There's a new Ax Men on History Channel at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour Dancing with the Stars, then a new Castle.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, followed by new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami.
• FOX has new episodes of House and 24.
• The CW has a new Gossip Girl at 8, followed by a new One Tree Hill.
• ABC Family has a new Secret Life of the American Teenager at 8, then a new Kyle XY.
• Also at 8: ESPN has coverage of the World Baseball Classic.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food, then a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• TCM is showing The Brain That Wouldn't Die at 9:30.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• History Channel has a new Ax Men at 10.
• A&E has a new Paranormal State at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

• At 8, ABC has the season finale of The Bachelor, followed by the reunion show.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, then new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, the season premiere of Rules of Engagement, and then a new CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Chuck, Heroes, and Medium.
• FOX has a new, two-hour 24 at 8.
• MyNetwork TV has Masters of Illusion at 8.
• ABC Family has a new Secret Life of the American Teenager at 8, followed by a new Kyle XY.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Good Eats.
• At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Will Work For Food.
• At 10, TNT has a new Saving Grace.
• History Channel has a new Ax Men at 10.
• A&E has a new Paranormal State at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Everybody's been boo-hooing the ongoing decline in the ratings of the broadcast networks for years now. Each year their numbers erode and the news outlets go crazy trying to figure out what's going on. But there's been a quieter story building during that same timespan, and it really came to the forefront this year. While the major broadcast networks have seen a drop in viewers, the cable networks have been busting ratings records all year, culminating with USA not only having the best year of any cable channel in 2008, but having the best year in the history of cable television.

But what does that mean for television, in general? Is it just the continuing evolution of a drastically changing medium? Considering the state of the economy and its impact on the networks, it's definitely worth noting that someone on the airwaves is apparently doing something right, and it's these cable channels. Ironically, many of those same success stories in cable are sister stations to the broadcast networks, even going so far as to lend them shows during that pesky writer's strike. But how can it be that while the Big Four are going down, the cable networks are on the rise?

In a time when networks are so quick to pull the plug on new series, it is absolutely stunning that two of this season's newest cable series have already been picked up for a second season. What's even more surprising is that one renewed show is Stephen Bochco's terrible Raising the Bar. After setting a record for a series debut on basic cable with 7.7 million viewers, 2.2 million people asked themselves what the hell they were watching, and the series settled into an average of 5.5 mil. But it's only been three weeks?

Surely, more of its viewers will realize that the show is absolutely terrible? From Gosselaar's bleeding heart crying to the bitching between his friends and Jane Kaczmarek's crazy judge, there's more leaps in logic and good sense than in Prison Break. The show makes Boston Legal look like a courtroom documentary. TNT also picked up Holly Hunter's Saving Grace after a respectable summer run.