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TV This Week

Best tube bets this weekend

The top draws on broadcast and cable and in sports

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

January 18, 2013

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FRIDAY

Best bet on broadcast: Fox, “Fringe,” 8 p.m. Series finale. The team prepares for its final battle against the Observers.

Best bet on cable: OWN, “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” 9 p.m. The second half of Oprah’s two-parter with Lance Armstrong.

Top sporting event: ESPN, “NBA Basketball,” 8 p.m. Good Eastern Conference matchup between the Bulls and Celtics.

SATURDAY

Best bet on broadcast: NBC, “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m. Actress Jennifer Lawrence hosts with musical guest the Lumineers.

Best bet on cable: TBS, “Wedding Band,” 10 p.m. Season finale. To get back at the band, Roxie hires a Def Leppard tribute group. That’ll show ‘em.

Top sporting event: ESPN, “College Basketball,” 4 p.m. No. 6 Syracuse takes on No. 1 Louisville in a Big East battle.

SUNDAY

Best bet on broadcast: CBS, “NFL Football,” 6:30 p.m. AFC Championship between the Ravens and Patriots will no doubt dominate primetime.

Best bet on cable: Disney Channel, “Good Luck Charlie,” 8 p.m. In an hour-long episode, Spencer considers going to college early, while Amy starts a blog about being a mother.

Top sporting event: Fox, “NFL Football,” 3:30 p.m. Championship game on the NFC side, this between San Francisco and Atlanta.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CW	“Nikita” (D)	Nikita finds out the identity of the mole from Birkhoff.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Fringe” (D)	Series finale. Olivia sets off on an extremely dangerous mission.
9 p.m.	History	“The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents” (N)	The fourth and final installment picks up in 1945.
9 p.m.	Investigation Discovery	“Desperate Measures” (N)	Series premiere. Looking at people who commit desperate violent crimes.
10 p.m.	VH1	“Best Week Ever” (C)	Examining the latest goings on in pop culture.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Real Time with Bill Maher” (C)	Season premiere. The political comedy show begins its 11th season.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	NBC	“NHL Hockey” (S)	The league returns after its extended player lockout.
8 p.m.	ABC	“20/20″ (N)	A special Saturday edition of the newsmagazine.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	“Prosecuting Casey Anthony” (M)	A movie version of the murder case involving Casey Anthony.
9 p.m.	FX	“UFC Fighting” (S)	Live coverage of fighting from Sao Paulo in Brazil.
9 p.m.	Syfy	“Tasmanian Devil” (M)	Five people parachute into a remote and dangerous part of Tasmania.
9:45 p.m.	HBO	“Boxing” (S)	Among the bouts is a featherweight title fight between Orlando Salido and Miguel Angel Garcia.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 20
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	Fox	“NFL Football” (S)	The NFC championship game between San Francisco and Atlanta.
6:30 p.m.	CBS	“NFL Football” (S)	AFC title game between New England and Baltimore will set up this year’s Super Bowl.
9 p.m.	PBS	“Downton Abbey” (D)	With Tom wanted in Ireland, he and Sybil head to Downton.
9 p.m.	E!	“Kourtney and Kim Take Miami” (R)	Season premiere. This is nothing new–Kim is concerned about her sister’s relationship with Scott.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Hawaii Five-0″ (D)	Should perform well on a special night following the AFC championship game.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Girls” (C)	Hannah loses confidence after Sandy criticizes her essay.
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.