» TV Picks

'Dancing With the Stars' (9PM, ABC) season 9 finale
Are you on Team Kelly, Team Mya or Team Donny? One sure thing's for sure as the show limps -- literally, considering all the injuries this season -- to its conclusion: We'll have a winner after tonight's live finale, after the celebs and their pro partners' performances of the Tango Tap-Out, Freestyle and their favorite dances of the season last night.

'Jon & Kate Plus 8' (9PM, TLC) series finale
While the family's trips to a dairy farm and a firehouse might have seemed charming when the show first began, the tabloid magnets that Mister and Missus Gosselin have since become preclude us from finding anything to enjoy about the episode -- save for the fact that (phew!) it signals the end. The end of the constant pics of the party Hardy-ing Christian Audigier fan Jon in our weekly mags? Probably not, but we at least now we have hope. Now we have hope ...

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (Sun., 9PM, HBO) season 7 finale
We'll be sad to see Larry and his pals go, not only because there's no official word yet on an eighth season, but also because this season has been, arguably, the show's best. Larry let his freak flag fly high, and tonight his machinations with the 'Seinfeld' reunion seem to be ready to pay off, as he plans to get some face time with Cheryl. Of course, things don't always go the way Larry plans, but we're sure the finale will be pretty, pretty good anyway.

'General Hospital' (3PM, ABC)
He may just be the best thing to happen to daytime TV since the invention of the back-from-the-dead and evil twin storylines: Former 'Freaks and Geeks' and big-screen 'Pineapple Express' star James Franco makes his debut on 'GH' today, playing a mysterious character named -- wait for it -- Franco. Is he a killer? Is he a graffiti artist? Is he going to seriously complicate Jason's life? A big yes on that last one, as Franco (the actor and the character) will be a central figure in a two-month-long murder mystery storyline.

'Project Runway' (10PM, Lifetime) season 6 finale
After that twist in last week's episode -- the three finalists were challenged, with the assistance of cast-offs Gordana, Christopher and Logan, to come up with a "cohesive" 13th piece for their collections -- the drama and the stress are at a high in tonight's finale. There would seem to be a clear-cut winner from the work we've seen throughout the season (Irina, right?), but something tells us you can't count Althea and Carol Hannah out just yet.

'Modern Family' (9PM, ABC)
How can this fresh new sitcom get any better? How 'bout with a pair of great guest stars? First up, Claire, who has a history of giving Phil bad gifts, decides to surprise him with a performance by their favorite musician, Izzy LaFontaine (guest Edward Norton). Meanwhile, new papas Mitchell and Cameron need a night on the town, and call up their best female friend, Sal (guest Elizabeth Banks) to show them a good time.

'Melrose Place' (9PM, The CW)
She's back, and not a moment too soon. Just as she turned what was a lackluster original 'Melrose' into a guilty pleasure classic, Heather Locklear joins the cast of the 'Melrose' remake as Amanda Woodward, and hopefully makes it a show worth watching. True to form, Amanda shakes things up right away; as the owner of WPK, she fires half the staff (including Caleb), and warns the rest (including Ella) that they need to make a success of the Anton V party lest they follow their cohorts out the door.

'Gossip Girl' (9PM, The CW)
So, that much ballyhooed threesome ... that was lame, huh? As it turns out, the fallout of the ménage à trois with Dan, Olivia and Vanessa is much more dramatic, as the three work on a play together, but can't get over the jealousies that have popped up. Is Vanessa really in love with her BFF Dan, as Olivia accuses? Duh. Meanwhile, Blair is still trying to regain her queen bee status, and she thinks a performance by Lady Gaga will impress her new college classmates.

MONDAY, NOV. 9
'Lopez Tonight' (11PM, TBS) series premiere
What will be different about funny guy George Lopez's new nightly talk show? There'll still be musical acts, performances by Lopez's fellow comics and celeb interviews – including tonight's guests Eva Longoria Parker and Kobe Bryant – but Lopez says his show's vibe will be less stuffy talk-show set and more like a party in your backyard. Nothin' wrong with that.

'Gossip Girl' – Nate and Chuck try to force a Serena and Blair reunion (9PM, The CW)
'Lincoln Heights' – Charles and Cassie get engaged (9PM, ABC Family) season 4 finale
'Two and a Half Men' – Waking up in bed together: Charlie, Alan and a woman they don't remember (9PM, CBS)
'Castle' – A wealthy family of New Yorkers is involved in the murder of a bike messenger (10PM, ABC)
'CSI: Miami' – Laurence Fishburne guest stars in a crossover episode that will carry over to 'CSI: NY' and 'CSI' this week (10PM, CBS)
'The Soup Presents: Best Talk Show Moments' – Including clips from Oprah, Tyra, Rachael Ray and, of course, Wendy Williams (10PM, E!)

MONDAY, NOV. 2
'Greek' (9PM, ABC Family)
Rusty and Dale are resorting to battlebots to settle their science project rivalry and Cappie and Evan are trying to smooth things out between the Omega Chi and Kappa Tau houses, but the best reason to tune in to this midseason finale for the show's third season: We finally find out whether or not Cappie and Casey get back together.

'Heroes' – Hiro gets another chance with Charlie (8PM, NBC)
'How I Met Your Mother' – Barney's cockiness about his relationship with Robin leads to trouble for Marshall (8PM, CBS)
'For the Love of Ray J' – Brandy's little bro looks for love again (9PM, VH1) season 2 premiere
'The Big Bang Theory' – Sheldon tries to teach Leonard about football (9:30PM, CBS)
'Cake Boss' – Buddy bakes a roller skate-themed cake ... and delivers it on skates (10PM, TLC)