TV This Week Best tube bets this weekend
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Feb 5, 2010 - 1:00:16 AM
FRIDAY
Best bet on broadcast: CW, “Smallville,” 8 p.m. Two-hour episode, with the second directed by star Tom Welling.
Best bet on cable: MTV, “SOS Saving OurSelves: Help for Haiti,” 8 p.m. Diddy, Queen Latifah and Pharrell host another telethon benefitting victims of the Haiti earthquake.
Top sporting event: ESPN, “NBA Basketball,” 10:30 p.m. A showdown between division leaders as the Nuggets take on the Lakers.
SATURDAY
Best bet on broadcast: NBC, “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m. Former “That ‘70s Show” star Ashton Kutcher hosts and Them Crooked Vultures performs.
Best bet on cable: Syfy, “The Cursed,” 9 p.m. A man unleashes a monster in a Tennessee town while doing research for a book. If the book's about how to unleash monsters on an unsuspecting town, well, no worries, research accomplished.
Top sporting event: Fox, “NASCAR Racing,” 8 p.m. A short 75-lap race from Daytona International Speedway.
SUNDAY
Best bet on broadcast: CBS, “Undercover Boss,” 10 p.m. Series premiere. This new reality show gets the cushy post-Super Bowl slot, but how will it hold up in the coming weeks?
Best bet on cable: Animal Planet, “Puppy Bowl VI,” 3 p.m. The annual Super Bowl alternative, with a halftime show featuring kittens.
Top sporting event: CBS, “Super Bowl,” 6:25 p.m. Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. The Colts aim for their second title in four years, while the Saints make their first appearance ever.
A look at this week’s top TV draws
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Time
Network
Program
Description
8 p.m.
CBS
“Ghost Whisperer” (D)
Margaret Cho plays a professor who’s haunted by a ghost secret admirer.
8 p.m.
CW
“Smallville” (D)
The Justice Society of America gets help from Clark, Chloe, John Jones and Green Arrow.
8 p.m.
Nickelodeon
“iCarly” (K)
Freddie gets a little too close to Gibby’s girlfriend.
9 p.m.
CBS
“Medium” (D)
No matter who Allison talks to, she keeps seeing the face of the same man. Maybe someone else has a ghost secret admirer, huh?
10 p.m.
Showtime
“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” (D)
Spartacus plots to battle Crixus in the main event of a festival.
10:30 p.m.
ESPN
“NBA Basketball” (S)
The Nuggets try to take down the Lakers in Los Angeles.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Time
Network
Program
Description
Noon
ESPN
“College Basketball” (S)
Tough Big East matchup between Villanova and Georgetown.
8 p.m.
Fox
“NASCAR Racing” (S)
The Budweiser Shootout from Daytona International Speedway.
9 p.m.
BBC
“Demons” (D)
Season finale. Luke has bad dreams about the car accident that killed his dad.
9 p.m.
Food Network
“Food Network Challenge” (N)
Chefs make chocolate versions of the wonders of the world.
9 p.m.
ESPN
“College Basketball” (S)
Key conference game between Michigan State and Illinois.
11:30 p.m.
NBC
“Saturday Night Live” (C)
Ashton Kutcher hosts and Them Crooked Vultures perform.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Time
Network
Program
Description
Noon
NBC
“NHL Hockey” (S)
The sport’s current golden boys, Crosby and Ovechkin, face off in Washington.
2 p.m.
CBS
“Super Bowl Today” (S)
The season’s biggest game needs its longest pregame show.
2:30 p.m.
ABC
“NBA Basketball” (S)
The Magic travel to Boston for a game against the Celtics.
6:25 p.m.
CBS
“NFL Football” (S)
After all the talk, it’s Colts versus Saints in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.
9 p.m.
HBO
“Big Love” (D)
Bill works endless hours in his attempt to win a state senate seat (and draw people away from the Super Bowl).
10 p.m.
CBS
“Undercover Boss” (R)
Series premiere. Executives pretend to be new low-level hires at their own companies. CBS pretends the show will actually start at 10.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.
