FRIDAY
Best bet on broadcast: NBC, “1 vs. 100,” 8 p.m. Season debut. The game show gets called back up as NBC continues its week-long run of premieres.
Best bet on cable: TLC, “Miss America Reality Check,” 10 p.m. Series debut. This four-episode reality series, leading up to the pageant’s TLC debut on Jan. 26, asks viewers to vote on one of the finalists online.
Top sporting event: ESPN, “NBA: Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors,” 7 p.m. Can the 25-7 Pistons extend their winning streak to 11 with a victory over the 17-15 Raptors?
SATURDAY
Best bet on broadcast: ABC, “ABC News Coverage of the New Hampshire Debates,” 7 p.m. Following yesterday's Iowa caucuses, another round of presidential ’08 chatter.
Best bet on cable: Nickelodeon, “Goodbye Zoey,” 9 p.m. Perhaps for good, as Nickelodeon is rumored to have nixed the pregnant teen star. This season ender was filmed before news of her pregnancy came out and could be a convenient way to end the show.
Top sporting event: NBC, “Jacksonville at Pittsburgh,” 8 p.m. The first of two AFC wild card games.
SUNDAY
Best bet on broadcast: ABC, “Cashmere Mafia,” 10 p.m. Series debut. Like “Sex and the City” but with less swearing and fewer nude scenes – this is broadcast, after all.
Best bet on cable: HBO, “The Wire,” 9 p.m. Season debut. The final season of the critically acclaimed series begins. Media hounds take note, this year’s arc will focus partly on the (fiscally) embattled Baltimore Sun.
Top sporting event: Fox, “NY Giants at Tampa Bay,” 1 p.m. An NFC wild card game, the second of two.
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A look at this week’s top TV draws
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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7 a.m.
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ESPN
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“NBA Basketball” (S)
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The Pistons take on the Raptors in Toronto.
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8 p.m.
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NBC
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“1 vs. 100” (G)
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Season premiere. A battle-of-the-sexes theme graces tonight’s premiere.
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8 p.m.
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Sci Fi Channel
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“Flash Gordon” (D)
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Flash and Aura are kidnapped.
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9 p.m.
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ABC
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“Women’s Murder Club” (D)
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The women look into a wine broker who’s found decapitated.
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10 p.m.
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NBC
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“ Las Vegas” (D)
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Danny and Mike head to Wyoming to buy a horse for Cooper.
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10 p.m.
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TLC
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“Miss America Reality Check” (R)
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Series premiere. New reality series focusing on the 52 Miss America contestants.
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 5
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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4 p.m.
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CBS
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“College Basketball” (S)
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In-state rivalry game between Louisville and Kentucky.
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4:30 p.m.
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NBC
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“NFL Football” (S)
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Wild card playoff game between the Redskins and Seahawks in Seattle.
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7 p.m.
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ABC
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“ABC News Coverage of the New Hampshire Debates” (N)
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The title basically explains it all. Both Republican and Democratic debates are featured.
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8 p.m.
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Fox
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“Cops” (R)
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A traffic stop in a drug-riddled area of Florida gets messy.
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8 p.m.
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NBC
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“NFL Football” (S)
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An AFC wild card game between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh.
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9 p.m.
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Nickelodeon
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“Goodbye Zoey” (K)
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Special takes on new meaning after star Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy announcement.
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 6
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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1 p.m.
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Fox
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“NFL Football” (S)
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The second NFC wild card game of the weekend between the Giants and Buccaneers.
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4:30 p.m.
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CBS
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“NFL Football” (S)
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The last of the weekend’s wild card playoff games, this one between Tennessee and San Diego.
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8 p.m.
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Fox
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“The Simpsons” (C)
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Homer burns down the fast-food district of Springfield.
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9 p.m.
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ABC
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“Desperate Housewives” (D)
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The residents of Wisteria Lane begin to rebuild after the tornado.
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9 p.m.
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NBC
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“American Gladiators” (G)
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Series premiere. An all-new version of the show with hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali.
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10 p.m.
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ABC
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“ Cashmere Mafia” (D)
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Series premiere. Four female friends help each other through life in Manhattan.
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10 p.m.
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E!
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“The Girls Next Door” (R)
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Hef’s personal secretary lets the girls hang at her house while he hosts a guys’ night.
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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.
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