BLASTS FROM THE PAST IGNITE THREE RETURNING SERIES

-- Nostalgia sells. Few series incorporate viewers' memories of past sitcoms quite as much as "Hot in Cleveland" (10 p.m., TV Land, TV-PG), a genial, if aggressively old-school comedy with a cast (Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White) handpicked to generate moments of recognition. If this collection wasn't evocative enough, the show has been shot through with guest stars (Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Sean Hayes, Carl Reiner and Wayne Knight, to name a few) from beloved past sitcoms. 

While regularly filmed before a live studio audience, tonight's episode, the summer season premiere, will air live on the East Coast, and repeat on the West Coast, live-to-tape, at 10 p.m. PST. 

Tonight's live offering doesn't stint on retro cameos. William Shatner ("Star Trek") will be on hand. Brian Baumgartner will also guest-star. He's best known (make that, only known) as Kevin from "The Office," which aired its series finale just last month. So he barely qualifies as a star from television's past. 

-- The jokey legal procedural "Franklin & Bash" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-14) also relies on casting familiar faces. Look for Heather Locklear as a hotshot lawyer who humiliates both men on Piers Morgan's (as himself) CNN talk show and then marches into their professional lives as their new boss. 

For the uninitiated, Breckin Meyer plays Elmo Jared Franklin, a shoot-from-the-hip lawyer given to embarrassing asides about nerdy obsessions. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is Peter Bash, his more buttoned-down buddy. Both men call each other "dude" without apparent irony. Their pop culture-saturated bickering is neither as silly, nor as believable as that between Gus and Shawn on USA's "Psych." But this series is much more whimsical than other fare on TNT. Some of the familiar faces in the regular and recurring cast include Malcolm McDowell as a legal senior partner and Beau Bridges as Franklin's father. 

-- While William Shatner joins the fun on "Hot in Cleveland," his "Star Trek" cast mate George Takei will guest-voice during this season of "Futurama" (10 p.m., Comedy Central), beginning the second part of its seventh and final season tonight. The last episode will air on Sept. 4. 

Other guest-voices to cameo this season include Larry Bird, Dan Castellaneta, Emilia Clarke, Sarah Silverman, Adam West and Burt Ward.

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins meet in Game 4 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals (8 p.m., NBC). 

-- The remaining contestants work on foreign menus and visit the set of "Glee" on "MasterChef" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

-- Molly Shannon guest-stars as Frankie's sister on "The Middle" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG). 

-- Deathstroke joins Oliver on the island on "Arrow" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).

-- Claire's history of Halloween horrors mobilizes the neighbors on "Modern Family" (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG). 

-- An Arkansas family suspects that a neighborhood bungalow may be haunted on "Ghost Hunters" (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-PG). 

-- Adam and Jamie use duct tape to test their desert survival skills on "MythBusters" (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG).

-- A news anchor dies during a live broadcast on "CSI" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14). 

-- "Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman" (10 p.m., Science, TV-PG) ponders alien intelligence. 

CULT CHOICE 

A widow (Katharine Hepburn) guards her late husband's reputation as a hero from a reporter (Spencer Tracy) in the 1943 drama "Keeper of the Flame" (10 p.m., TCM), directed by George Cukor. The film was controversial for its wartime depiction of pro-fascist Americans. 

SERIES NOTES

Bread making on "The American Baking Competition" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Jack and Darren hash it out on "Family Tools" (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). 

A killer escapes and resumes his carnage on "Criminal Minds" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... The gang battles Crowley and his demons on "Supernatural" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... Elaine feels ignored on "How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... Consumer news on "ABC's The Lookout" (10 p.m., TV-14). 

LATE NIGHT 

Dawn Porter is scheduled on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... George Stroumboulopoulos is booked on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!) ... The Postal Service performs on "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Jeff Daniels and Jim James appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes David Gregory and the winner of "The Voice" on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC). 

Craig Ferguson hosts Rosie Perez on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS) ... Kevin Hart, Olivia Munn and Chvrches visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

BIRDS AND BEES, "BLOOD AND OIL"

-- A winner emerges on the fourth-season finale of  "The Voice" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG). But even those who haven't followed the competition may stick around for the invited talent. Look for Florida Georgia Line and Nelly, Bruno Mars and a special guest who has been in the pop business for nearly half a century. According to NBC, Cher will make her first live TV appearance in more than a decade. She'll be promoting a new single, something she's been doing since at least 1965. 

-- How's this for an attention-getting series: "Sex: How it Works" (8 p.m., National Geographic). This provocatively titled two-hour special examines the biological and chemical forces behind human attraction. Experts, including behavioral psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos, discuss the very different ways that men and women become aroused. News flash: guys are obvious. Men, she contends, tend to be much more stimulated by the visual than women. 

Other experts also discuss the biological factors that lead some men to become sexually adventurous "players" while other men remain so afraid of women that they remain virgins well into midlife. 

"How it Works" also looks at reasons physical, psychological and societal for sexual dysfunction and aversion.

The results, planned and unplanned, of all this activity, are on ample display all over the dial. Look for "19 Kids and Counting" (8 p.m., TLC, r), "Pregnant & Dating" (8 p.m. and 9 p.m., WE, r) and "My Teen Is Pregnant and So Am I" (10 p.m., TLC, TV-14). 

-- The new series "Blood and Oil" (10 p.m., Discovery, TV-14) follows the Cutter family, heirs to a small Ohio oil business founded by their late father, Chuck. While the Cutters' business dominated their state's petroleum scene for some time, a recent oil boom has attracted representatives of big oil companies who threaten to squeeze the Cutters out of their home turf. 

This sets up a "David vs. Goliath" drama, explained in the opening credits. Much of the action involves misunderstandings between older brother C.J. and his more thoughtful brothers. C.J. is not above wildcatting on his own property based only on a hunch. The fact that he proposes to do it in his own sister's backyard causes no end of family squabbles.  

While this series purports to celebrate blue-collar characters and their values, "Blood" often portrays C.J. as a gun-toting hothead afflicted with a poor impulse control. 

-- While not available on regular television (whatever that is anymore), the website espnW.com has scheduled a digital short film celebrating female athletics. It's part of a larger documentary film series titled "Nine for IX" that ESPN will begin airing in July. Web viewers can catch the short, "Coach," profiling basketball coach Vivian Stringer, streaming on the website starting today. Look for "Venus vs." the first of the "Nine for IX" series on July 2. 

TV-themed DVDs available today include "The Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes."

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS 

-- An early edition of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (8 p.m., ABC) anticipates the NBA Finals. "NBA Countdown" (8:30 p.m., ABC) follows. 

-- Contestants hope to avoid the dreaded X on "America's Got Talent" (8 p.m., NBC).

-- Mrs. DiLaurentis continues to stir the pot on "Pretty Little Liars" (8 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14).

-- Two hours of auditions on "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG). 

-- If required, the Heat and the Spurs will meet in Game Six of the NBA Finals (9 p.m., ABC).  

-- A grief counselor attends to mourning students on "Twisted" (9 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14). 

-- Tommy Lasorda appears on "American Restoration" (10:30 p.m., History), the series' 100th episode. 

CULT CHOICE 

-- Three women search for love in Rome in the 1954 romance/travelogue "Three Coins in the Fountain" (8 p.m., TCM). 

SERIES NOTES

Murder on the high seas on "NCIS" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) ... Ruby's intentions remain a mystery on "Hart of Dixie" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG).  

A terror survivor becomes a suspect on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... "America's Next Top Model" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... "Brooklyn DA" (10 p.m., CBS).

LATE NIGHT 

Jim Gaffigan is scheduled on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Heather Locklear is booked on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!) ... Jeremy Scahill sits down on "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Don Rickles and Nick Cannon appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes   Kathy Griffin, Billy Gardell and Grouplove on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC).  

Jerry Seinfeld and Ice Cube visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Angie Harmon and Ben Mezrich on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

 ADD 'LOVE' TO THE MARILYN MONROE STUDIES DEPARTMENT

-- Fifty-one summers after her death, audiences continue to search for the meaning of Marilyn Monroe. The 2012 documentary "Love, Marilyn" (9 p.m., HBO) assembles an impressive cast of performers, including Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Hope Davis, Viola Davis, Jennifer Ehle, Ben Foster, Paul Giamatti, Jack Huston, Stephen Lang, Janet McTeer, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, Uma Thurman, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, to read passages from her diaries and letters. There is also commentary from friends and associates who knew, or tried to know, the real woman behind the bombshell persona. 

Much of "Love" concerns the actress' strenuous, if occasionally desperate, attempts at self-improvement. As a contract player for 20th Century Fox, she attended far more classes, workshops and training sessions than her self-satisfied peers. And well after achieving super-stardom, she started all over as an actress, attending sessions with acting coach Lee Strasberg, along with dozens of virtually unknown New York theater actors. This, despite the fact that many of her new classmates held the Hollywood blonde in low esteem. 

Her marriages to baseball great Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller can also be seen as adventures in validation and reinvention, as can her many relationships with coaches and therapists. 

"Love" more than succeeds at making us think twice about the icon. But then again, people have been contemplating her meaning for decades now. The 1970s and '80s brought dueling Marilyn books from both sides of the debate over feminism. And passages of those books by Norman Mailer and Gloria Steinem are recited here. Since then, the actress has been the subject of a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, she was portrayed by Michelle Williams in the movie "My Week With Marilyn" in 2011, and she became the subject of the Broadway musical within the TV show "Smash." An adaptation of Oates' "Blonde" is in development. 

Much like Elvis and JFK, two other midcentury icons who died young, Marilyn continues to fascinate. But neither man left behind a history of reflection and remorse as tortured and revealing as she did.

-- "Independent Lens" (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG) ends its season on an upbeat note. "The Revolutionary Optimists" profiles a Bengali activist who rescues children from grinding poverty in India's slums and educates them to work on behalf of their neighbors -- turning garbage dumps into playing fields and bringing fresh water and education to residents long consigned to child labor. 

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- Remaining artists offer their final performances on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG). 

-- Callie's homework assignment hits close to home on "The Fosters" (9 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14). 

-- Plague descends on the town on "Defiance" (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).

-- Rusty receives threatening correspondence on "Major Crimes" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-14). 

-- "Burger Land" (9 p.m., Travel, TV-PG) examines the theory that the cheeseburger was invented in Connecticut. 

-- Nick Lachey hosts "The Winner Is ..." (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

-- Residents of an exclusive community suffer peculiar symptoms on "Warehouse 13" (10 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).

-- Michelle becomes a person of interest after an assassination attempt on an old client on "King & Maxwell" (10 p.m., TNT, TV-14). 

CULT CHOICE

Brendan Fraser plays a naive man-child, raised in a nuclear bomb shelter by paranoid parents (Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken), who emerges into a very changed Los Angeles in the 1999 comedy "Blast From the Past" (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Fox Movie Channel), starring Alicia Silverstone. 

SERIES NOTES

Shellfish and indifference on "How I Met Your Mother" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Don't ask, don't tell on "Raising Hope" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... A trip to the Boardwalk on "The Bachelorette" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) ... "Oh Sit!" (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) ... Joyce reconsiders on "Mike & Molly" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Jimmy misses his daughter on "The Goodwin Games" (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

The diner gets robbed on "2 Broke Girls" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... A lost weekend on "New Girl" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... Sebastian's shocking past on "The Carrie Diaries" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... Nutrition on "Mike & Molly" (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Charlie takes the stand on "Anger Management" (9:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... A dancer's last luau on "Hawaii Five-0" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Moving violations on "Mistresses" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14). 

LATE NIGHT 

Linda Cardellini is scheduled on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Sean Hayes is booked on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!) ... Olympia Snowe sits down on "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Bill O'Reilly, Greta Gerwig and Quadron appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes Billy Crystal and Pitbull on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC).  

Howard Stern and Alyssa Milano visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Carson Kressley and Rachelle Lefevre on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

SATURDAY'S FEARS; SUNDAY'S FANTASIES

-- Not even the arrival of Father's Day on Sunday keeps Saturday programming from catering to women in fear, women scorned and women betrayed by other women. The ID network specializes in such fare and offers up the new series "Poisoned Passions" (10 p.m. Saturday, TV-14). 

"Passions" offers a refresher course on a memorable tabloid tale of the 1980s, a story of lust, money and proximity to power. Vicki Morgan, a beautiful longtime Los Angeles fixture, had settled down as the mistress of married financier Alfred Bloomingdale. Upon receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, Bloomingdale cut Morgan off from his largesse, sparking a palimony suit.

Details of their private affair and salacious stories of sadomasochism provided gossip columnists fodder for months, if not years. Bloomingdale and his wife's social connections to President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan added to a tabloid bonfire that reached conspiratorial conflagration when Morgan was found murdered in 1983. 

Theories have abounded about Morgan's demise. The story would inspire a number of books, including Dominick Dunne's 1990 novel, "An Inconvenient Woman," which inspired a 1991 ABC miniseries of the same name that starred Jason Robards and Rebecca De Mornay. "Passions" is a good example of how cheaper video technology and "re-enactments" by largely unknown actors have replaced the glitzier guilty pleasures of the network miniseries. 

Other Saturday night entries in the female fear genre include a repeat "48 Hours" (10 p.m., CBS) about a single highway that has witnessed the murder of 20 women. For those who prefer their paranoia in scripted form, there are television movies galore, including "Gone Missing" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG) and "A Mother's Nightmare" (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14). There are also "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story" (8 p.m., Lifetime Movie Network, TV-PG) and "Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter" (10 p.m., Lifetime Movie Network, TV-PG). 

-- "True Blood" (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO, TV-MA) enters its sixth and final season. Like "Game of Thrones," "Blood" is based on a series of popular books of genre fiction. But there the similarity ends. "Thrones" is frequently baffling to those who have not read the novels, or to those who don't follow the overlapping plot lines with a spreadsheet or flowchart. But for all its complications, "Thrones" is epic; most scenes unfold with a grandeur rarely found on television or on the big screen. 

For its part, "Blood" seems to have climbed out onto ever-more arcane branches of make-believe hierarchies, and straddles that fine line between merely confusing and entirely pointless. For those still following, "Blood" will play out its final season in 10 episodes.

-- Fantasy appears to have trumped fact. At a time when viewers will flock to the latest screen incarnation of "Superman," all but inhabit the fictional kingdoms of "Game of Thrones" and can't get enough of the bloody paranoia of "The Walking Dead," interest in real events (news) and past events (history) appears to have declined.  

So it's little surprise that those series flourish while "The Borgias" (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA), a gorgeously produced, well-acted melodrama based on actual people and events, has been canceled. On tonight's finale, Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons) encourages his son, Cesare (Francois Arnaud), to succeed him and turn the papacy into a dynasty. TV viewers may never see how that plan turns out, but there are plenty of other ways (caution: some require reading) to follow the story. 

-- Steve Harvey, Bethenny Frankel, Betty White, Wayne Brady, Alex Trebek, Kris Jenner and Todd Newton are among the presenters at The 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards (8 p.m., HLN), live from Beverly Hills, Calif. 

-- A former professional wrestler lends his macho persona to the sport of fishing on "Off the Hook: Extreme Catches" (8 p.m. Sunday, Animal Planet, TV-PG). The host tends to shout every line, as if screaming over the music at a loud bar or shouting over the roar of a motorcycle's engine.  

SATURDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

-- Major League Baseball (7 p.m., Fox). Check local listings for regional coverage. 

-- On two unaired helpings of "Zero Hour" (ABC, TV-PG): Laila schemes her escape (8 p.m.); Hank has doubts (9 p.m.). For those who don't recall, "ER" star Anthony Edwards appeared in this short-lived series as a professional skeptic ensnared in a mystical conspiracy after the disappearance of his wife. 

-- Actor Michael Rapaport recalls his Brooklyn high school, where tales abounded that deceased students stalked the corridors on "The Haunting Of ..." (10 p.m., BIO, TV-PG). 

SUNDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

-- Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): the world's largest drug cartel; Italy's eyewear giant and Barcelona's soccer dynasty. 

-- The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in Game 5 of the NBA Finals (8 p.m., ABC). 

-- Tensions mount before a mock trial on "The Good Wife" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

-- Giuliana Rancic and Nick Jonas host the 2013 Miss USA Competition (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

-- "Inspector Lewis" returns for a sixth season on "Masterpiece Mystery!" (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings). 

-- Sarah and Holder focus on "the voice" on "The Killing" (9 p.m., AMC, TV-14).

-- Dan hopes to work both sides of Selena's feud with Danny Chung on "Veep" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

-- Consensus proves elusive on "Mad Men" (10 p.m., AMC, TV-14).

-- Tom arrives in Los Angeles on "Family Tree" (10:30 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE 

How often is the filming of a combat movie interrupted by a genuine war? The 1969 World War II saga "The Bridge at Remagen" (8 p.m. Saturday, Military Channel) was in production in Czechoslovakia when Soviet troops invaded that country in August 1968. The cast and crew, including stars George Segal, Robert Vaughn and Ben Gazzara, were ferried out of harm's way in a fleet of taxis. Filming was completed in Italy and Austria.

SATURDAY SERIES 

Homicide and horticulture on "The Mentalist" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Working overtime on "Chicago Fire" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) ... Witness protection on "Blue Bloods" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Serious allegations on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) ... "Saturday Night Live" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) ... Barely dressed and hardly memorable on "Mistresses" (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14). 

SUNDAY SERIES

A philanthropist catches an incurable disease on "Elementary" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Fall Out Boy performs on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) ... Marge feels maternal on "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... Synchronized swims on "Bob's Burgers" (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... On two helpings of "Family Guy" (Fox, r, TV-14): Quagmire screws up (9 p.m.); larceny (9:30 p.m.) ... Jane recalls meeting the team for the first time on "The Mentalist" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

THE RETURN OF 'MAGIC CITY'

-- The mobster series "Magic City" (9 p.m., Starz, TV-MA) returns for a new season. "Magic" is all about style. And true to the gangsters it depicts, it's not terribly subtle. It's "Mad Men" meets "The Godfather" in Miami at the dawn of the 1960s. 

"Magic" also recalls HBO's movie-making style of the 1980s and '90s, when that premium network was more likely to make movies about John Gotti and the Rat Pack than Liberace. Gunplay, the F-word and beautiful women, clothed and unclothed, are on ample display here. Those used to be the ingredients that set HBO apart from mere television.

Ironically, it was "The Sopranos" and its rich character development and novelistic storytelling that announced HBO's evolution and reflected a shift in cable television drama that would lead to shows like "Mad Men," created by "Sopranos" alumnus Matthew Weiner. On the surface, "The Sopranos" was a gangster soap opera. But it was about so many other things, including family dynamics, business arrangements, navigating life in the suburbs, the passing of the "Greatest Generation" and the aging of baby boomers. "Magic" does not strive to be so textured or nuanced. There's not terribly much beneath the surface. 

As season two begins, mobbed-up hotelier Ike Morgan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is behind bars, and his occasional partner, the violent Ben Diamond (Danny Huston), worries that he'll squeal under pressure. Ike's gorgeous wife, Vera (Olga Kurylenko), and family will do anything to spring the patriarch. And it's not certain if that means another deal with Diamond, aka "The Butcher," or an arrangement with Ike's sister-in-law, Meg Bannock (Kelly Lynch). 

Season two will involve Ike's efforts to reconcile Cuba's new radical leadership with the casino owners he sent into exile. It will also return Vera to the stage, practicing the Cuban dance routines that made her famous and caught Ike's attention when he became a grieving widower. 

Ike does a lot of brooding and wears plenty of good-looking suits. Any character development is difficult when a show this expensive is produced more like a fashion shoot than a drama. 

Fans of "The Godfather" will enjoy the casting of James Caan as volatile gangster Sy Berman. Alex Rocco, who played Mo Green in "The Godfather," makes the most of his smaller role as Ike's father, a radical communist, atheist and a former bookmaker. 

-- Networks aimed at female viewers who stayed home on a Friday night used to entertain them with helpings of "Pretty Woman" or "Under the Tuscan Sun." Should we be amused or alarmed that Lifetime has determined that its audience will be pleased with a "Hoarders" marathon (6 p.m. to 11 p.m.)? And is this any more or less depressing than the thought of a "guy" audience spending their Friday nights at home watching "Sons of Guns" (8 p.m., r, Discovery) and an installment of "How We Invented the World" (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG), which are entirely focused on the advances in guns and firepower? 

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- An archaeologist with a shaky past makes a remarkable discovery on the eve of his death on "Bones" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14). 

-- A plump stowaway accompanies a wistful widower on a balloon ride of a lifetime in the 2009 Pixar adventure "Up" (8 p.m., Disney).

-- A dangerous disciple emerges on "The Following" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14). 

-- The gang creates an aquarium based on Houdini's legend on "Tanked: Unfiltered" (9 p.m., Animal Planet). 

-- Malaysian criminals target a decorated officer on "Blue Bloods" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14). 

-- On "Treehouse Masters" (10 p.m., Animal Planet):  Demanding Texas clients envision a spa in the branches that creates tricky plumbing issues. 

CULT CHOICE 

Teens have trouble adjusting to a new town's social scene, dominated by punk vampires in the 1987 comedy/horror movie "The Lost Boys" (8 p.m., VH1), starring Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim and Dianne Wiest. Another stylish generational touchstone from director Joel Schumacher.

SERIES NOTES

Well-done, medium and rare on "Undercover Boss" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) ... "Dateline NBC" (8 p.m.) ... A greener take on dry-cleaning on "Shark Tank" (8 p.m., ABC, r) ... Nikita stays undercover on "Nikita" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14). 

"What Would You Do?" (9 p.m., ABC) ... Dean dislikes zombies on "Supernatural" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... A pre-election sex scandal seems contrived on "Hawaii Five-0" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... "Rock Center With Brian Williams" (10 p.m., NBC) ... "20/20" (10 p.m., ABC). 

LATE NIGHT

Amy Adams, Mary McCormack, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Whitney Cummings appear on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!, r) ... Jack Hanna and Benedict Cumberbatch appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) ... Jay Leno welcomes Armie Hammer, Dave Salmoni and Boxer Rebellion on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Will Smith and Seth Rogen appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (11:35 p.m., ABC, r).

Adam Levine, Cedric the Entertainer and Ariana Grande featuring Mac Miller visit on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Emily Mortimer and Barry Rothbart on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

'SULLIVAN & SON,' FRESH FROM 1982

Is there a place for comedy comfort food? 

The most startling aspect about "Sullivan & Son" (10 p.m., TBS, TV-14) is its audacious antiquity. Lines arrive as if on a comedy conveyor belt and are all but shouted, as if to reach the cheap seats and inspire a near-deafening gale of laughter. 

The show's premise is also aged in comedy wood. Comic Steve Byrne plays the title character, Steve Sullivan, a Korean-Irish lawyer who returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh to run the family bar. Even after a year, he's still regaling his pals (or rather the audience) about the joys of leaving his high-pressure job behind. Brian Doyle-Murray exults in his role as the resident bigot and barfly.

Many of the jokes are forced and arrive without reason, as if chosen from some lottery of topicality. Look for plenty of ethnic jokes, "cougar" desperation and a torrent of innuendoes about bodily parts and fluids. 

Clearly inspired by "Cheers," the sitcom seems much older, and perhaps that's on purpose. But not everybody minds the series' throwback nature. According to TBS, season one averaged an audience of 2.7 million viewers, a number rivaling that of some network sitcoms.

-- TCM salutes the late Esther Williams with a 24-hour marathon of her movies, beginning with "Bathing Beauty" (8 p.m.) and followed by "Neptune's Daughter" (10 p.m.). 

Movie buffs can forever argue about the greatest director, screen lover, leading man, comedian or femme fatale. But Esther Williams remains unique and memorable for having inspired her own movie category. At a time when some movies were getting grittier, millions sought cinema escapism in her films' peculiar blend of Busby Berkeley choreography, synchronized swimming and the dazzling, distracting use of water, color and light. 

The plots to "Million Dollar Mermaid" (11:45 p.m.) or "Dangerous When Wet" (1:45 a.m.) could be dismissed as forgettable and interchangeable. People went to Esther Williams movies for the spectacle. This put a damper (so to speak) on her efforts to branch out into more serious roles set on dry land.

Still reeling from World War II and worried about another, moviegoers in 1946 avoided Williams in "The Hoodlum Saint" (9:15 a.m., Friday). They wanted something like "Pagan Love Song" (5 p.m., Friday). And who could blame them? 

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- On two episodes of "Save Me" (NBC, TV-PG): a delicate decision (8 p.m., r), too much virtue (8:30 p.m.).

-- Grace under pressure on "Hell's Kitchen" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

-- "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) anticipates the NBA Finals with guest Jack Black. "NBA Countdown" (8:30 p.m., ABC) follows. 

-- The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in Game 4 of the NBA Finals (9 p.m., ABC). 

-- A subject is linked to combat tragedy on "Person of Interest" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).

-- Two hours of "Intervention" (8 p.m., r, and 9 p.m., A&E, TV-14) unfold. 

-- Michael's secrets unravel on "Burn Notice" (9 p.m., USA, TV-PG).

-- A line crossed on "Anger Management" (9:30 p.m., FX, TV-14).

-- An attacker leaves few clues on "Elementary" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).

-- Hannibal lies about Will on "Hannibal" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14). 

-- Moral hazards abound on "Graceland" (10 p.m., USA, TV-14). 

-- Jennifer Lopez, David Mitchell, Freddie Flintoff and Once appear on "The Graham Norton Show" (10 p.m., BBC America, TV-14). 

CULT CHOICE 

A dog show competition attracts eccentric owners in the 2000 ensemble comedy "Best in Show" (8 p.m., Encore). 

SERIES NOTES

Valentine's Day on "The Big Bang Theory" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... In disguise on "The Vampire Diaries" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).

Christmas on "Two and a Half Men" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Paper airplanes on "The Office" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) ... Contrived discord on "Does Someone Have to Go?" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) ... Dumpster-diving on "Beauty and the Beast" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... Last-minute efforts on "Parks and Recreation" (9:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG). 

LATE NIGHT 

Fareed Zakaria is scheduled on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Usher and She & Him appear on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS) ... Ross Mathews guest-hosts Melissa Joan Hart, Thomas Dale, Loni Love and Ryan Stout on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!) ... Kjerstin Gruys sits down on "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Harry Connick Jr. and Dylan Moran appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes Carson Daly, Betty White and Timeflies on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Shakira, Jay Baruchel and Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (11:35 p.m., ABC). 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Val Kilmer and Nate Bargatze visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Seth Rogen and Elisabeth Moss on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)

'BANG' GOES THE 'GUY' THEORY

-- As a fan of the ridiculous, I'm fascinated by the Guys Choice Awards (9 p.m., Spike). If only because many assume that real "guys" don't watch award shows.

While it may be less than macho to insist on grammar, shouldn't this be the Guys' Choice Awards? I guess real men don't use apostrophes. 

And just what is a "guy" anyway? Didn't "dude" supersede "guy" some time back? If so, "The Dude" himself, Jeff Bridges, will be on hand at the Guys Choice Awards. Can you win a Best Picture Oscar and still be a "guy"? Ask Ben Affleck when he comes by to pick up his Guy of the Year award. Vince Vaughn, who has been ring-a-ding-dinging ever since "Swingers," will be on hand to receive a Guycon award, which, I presume, means "guy icon." And that sounds kind of lame to me. Just to prove there are only manly men on hand, Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones") will accept the Holy Grail of Hot award. 

While clearly a tongue-in-cheek affair, awards like this, and the Spike Network in general, always seem to project a certain desperate overcompensation in the masculinity department. And Spike is hardly alone. From "Deadliest Catch" to "Ice Road Truckers," cable is awash with hyper-macho "real life" characters engaging in dangerous jobs, serious hijinks and other manly man stuff. 

It's worth noting that the most consistently popular comedy on network television is "The Big Bang Theory," a show steeped in geek culture, advanced degrees and jokes about quantum physics. None of the characters on that show would qualify as "Guy of the Year," even if one -- Howard Wolowitz -- did become an astronaut. 

The first season of "Bang" had an audience of just less than 10 million viewers. Its sixth season attracted roughly 20 million. That large and growing viewership may be an indication of mass acceptance and preference for male characters who don't fit into the "guy" stereotype. 

-- "Royal Pains" (9 p.m., USA, TV-PG) returns for a fifth season, with Hank (Mark Feuerstein) almost fully recovered from the bomb blast and the Hamptons fully engaged in the charity-circuit season. 

Filled with pretty people in nice locations, plenty of blue skies, medical crises and occasional criminal mishaps free of overt violence and ghastliness, "Pains" and many of its fellow USA dramedies remain remarkably old-fashioned, engaging fare. Seriously, how different is "Pains" from "Diagnosis Murder"? In some ways, they have only the slightest whiff of urban sophistication to separate them in tone and style from Hallmark Channel romantic comedies. Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

-- On that note, John Stamos joins the cast of "Necessary Roughness" (10 p.m., USA, TV-PG), now entering its third season. How often do ex-spouses kick off new shows in the same week? Rebecca Romijn's series "King & Maxwell" debuted Monday on TNT. 

-- "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central) expands to an hour. The fake newscaster will go down a long and winding road with his guest, Paul McCartney, who also performs. 

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- Deadshot takes aim on "Arrow" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).

-- Luke is less than enchanted by Phil's magic lessons on "Modern Family" (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG). 

-- Civil War buffs move dirt on "Dig Wars" (10 p.m., Travel, TV-PG). 

-- "Ghost Hunters" (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-PG) haunts a Louisiana rockabilly shrine, the Shreveport Auditorium. Will there be a whole lotta shakin' goin' on? 

-- A small plane crash claims five lives on "CSI" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).

-- Cindy's pregnancy takes a bad turn on "Chicago Fire" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14). 

-- Vacation woes on "ABC's The Lookout" (10 p.m.). 

CULT CHOICE 

Lana Turner and Sandra Dee star in the 1959 weepy "Imitation of Life" (8 p.m., TCM). 

SERIES NOTES

Baking cakes on "The American Baking Competition" (8 p.m., CBS) ... "Dateline NBC" (8 p.m.) ... Cooking for firefighters on a two-hour "MasterChef" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) ... Scapegoats on "The Middle" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) ... Jack schools Mason on "Family Tools" (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). 

A time capsule recalls grisly events on "Criminal Minds" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Serious allegations on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) ... Organ recipients share the same grim fate on "Supernatural" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... A lesson in persistence on "How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)" (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG). 

LATE NIGHT 

Mavis Staples is scheduled on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Tom Brokaw and Darlene Love appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes Kevin Hart, Trace Adkins and Colbie Caillat on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Chris Christie and Jennette McCurdy visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Adam Ray on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)