The Doctor Is In, Again

Anxious to find out what happened to the Doctor (David Tennant) after the TARDIS crashed into the Titanic at the end of last season's finale of "Doctor Who?"

Wait no more. Season four of the new series of "Doctor Who" (Sci Fi, 8:30 p.m.) begins tonight with the 90-minute Christmas Special "Voyage Of The Damned." No creepy Father Christmas robots or homicidal Christmas trees this time around, though they are fondly remembered.

As we last left the Doctor, he had just left Earth after Martha Jones stayed behind after their run-in with The Master. Moments later, the Titanic breaks through one of the TARDIS walls. Needless to say, the Doctor needs to investigate how this crash occurred. Turns out, the Titanic he boards isn't remotely the same one dramatized by Kate and Leo. On board, he meets a colorful cast of characters caught up in the same mystery and danger, including a waitress named Astrid (Kylie Minogue).

Though much of the humor and whimsy that is a hallmark of "Doctor Who" is still present, the episode also has a tinge of sadness to it as the Doctor is lonelier than ever.

The Doctor will spend much of the early part of the season with Donna (Catherine Tate), the woman he rescued in the last Christmas special. Donna provides a striking contrast to his normal companions, in that she isn't the typical starry eyed girl overwhelmed by the Doctor's adventures in time and space.

The Christmas special airs after a new "Sarah Jane Adventures" at 8 p.m. and precedes a new "Battlestar Galactica" at 10 p.m.

'DOLL HOUSE' NEWS: The cast of the new Joss Whedon series, set for next season and starring Eliza Dushku, continues to get more intriguing as TVGuy fave Amy Acker ("Angel") has joined up. She signs on with a cast that already includes Tahmoh Penikett ("Battlestar Galactica") and Olivia Williams ("Rushmore"). As if there was little doubt, this is the show I'm most looking forward to next season.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: The season, and possibly series, finale of "Canterbury's Law" (Fox, 9 p.m.) airs tonight.

On Saturday, the other "Doctor Who" spinoff, "Torchwood" (BBC America, 9 p.m.) wraps up its second season in which the team, which barely survived the assassination attempt by Capt. John (James Marsters), has to prepare for another assault.

On Sunday, the fine miniseries "John Adams" (HBO, 9 p.m.) wraps up at the same time "The Tudors" (Showtime, 9 p.m.) continues. Also, "Masterpiece" (PBS, 9 p.m.) tells the tale of Rudyard Kipling and his son (Daniel Radcliffe), who goes missing in action during World War I.

The Other Boleyn Biopic

While "The Other Boleyn Girl" is currently on the big screens in theatres around the country, I've been catching up with "The Tudors" on Showtime. As a history buff, it's nice to see series like "The Tudors" and HBO's "John Adams" receive such lavish treatments. (Maybe someone could something on the Norman invasion of England; hm, that'd be a thought).

"The Tudors" (Showtime, Sun., 9 p.m.) returns to the air this Sunday with its second season. It's an interesting series, to be sure, though it moves a tad slowly for me. Also, the writers take some liberties with actual history, which I'm never a fan of.

But what makes "The Tudors" worth watching is the performances. Jonathan Rhys-Myers is solid as the young Henry VIII, and Natalie Dormer is a rising star as the conniving Anne Boleyn. The supporting cast is very strong, with Sam Neill (not back for Season 2), Jeremy Northam, and others, plus is adding Peter O'Toole. But for me, the real revelation has been Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon, an Emmy-worthy performance if I've ever seen one.

"The Tudors" does a good job of trying to explain the complicated politics of dealing with both the church and the state, and Season 2 will deal with the fallout of Henry's divorce in Season 1.

Meanwhile, I've found "John Adams" (HBO, Sun., 9 p.m.) to be pretty satisfying, thanks to its terrific cast of Paul Giamatti in the title role, the always-terrific Laura Linney as Abigail Adams, and a scene-stealing Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin. I confess I haven't read the biography that the series is based upon, but the miniseries is a good insight into the formation of this country.

WHY CAN'T DEAD PEOPLE JUST STAY DEAD?: As I've stated in this blog a lot, my biggest pet peeve is when writers and directors insult the intelligence of viewers by basing plots around the implausible.

Hence, I bring you "Prison Break," a Fox show that was exciting for its first season, had wasted potential in its second, and is now just a caricature. How can I say that after I stopped watching two episodes into Season 3? I can because of the news that Sarah Wayne Callies, whose character was FRAKKIN' DECAPITATED this season, is back. Full-time. Not in a flashback. I'm not making this up.

You can read TVGuide.com's Michael Ausiello's interview with PB's showrunner here: http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Ausiello-Scoop-Prison/800036399

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: OK, so the mystery of "Canterbury's Law" has been solved. It's been moved to Friday's at 9 p.m. on Fox, not a good sign for any series in terms of survival. But tonight's episode should be new.

Stoked for next week's "Battlestar Galactica" season premiere? (If you aren't, you're probably reading the wrong blog.) Anyway, Sci-Fi is airing a half-hour recap of the first three seasons tonight at 10 p.m., followed by a behind-the-scenes special at 10:30 p.m.

On Saturday, "Torchwood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.) is all-new.

On Sunday, if you aren't into historical drama (and why aren't you?), there's a new "Simpsons" (Fox, 8 p.m.) and "King of the Hill," while CBS delivers its first new post-strike "Cold Case" at 9 p.m., followed by "Dexter" at 10 p.m.

After The Tudors, Showtime is also debuting Tracey Ullman's "State of the Union" at 10 p.m.

Finally, the NCAA basketball tournament is running throughout the weekend on CBS, while the Braves and the Nationals kick off Sunday Night baseball on ESPN, beginning at 8 p.m.

All Things Britney

In case you have missed the 8,000 promos for it, tonight is the guest appearance from Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother." (CBS, 8:30 p.m.)

It's a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, HIMYM is always one of those bubble shows, and anything that helps improve the ratings for what I consider to be the best sitcom on the air right now is a good thing.

But, geez, do I hate stunt casting at the best of times, and to do it with the world's most over-exposed (in many different ways) schizophrenic is not really the direction I want to see HIMYM go.

At least in the snippets they are showing as promos, Brit seems to be mostly sane-looking. And in a side note, they are auctioning off her wardrobe from the episode for charity. You have to wonder who would bid on it.

All of the rest of the CBS sitcoms - "Big Bang Theory," "Two & A Half Men" and "Old Christine" - are also new, though Spears-less. "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) joins them with its first new episode since the strike.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Canterbury's Law" (Fox, 8 p.m.) is following the "Rescue Me" format of mixing individual cases with a season-long arc, not really a surprise since both shows are produced by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico. It's followed by a new "New Amsterdam," which has surprised me by already getting the two main characters together in a romance just four episodes in.

ABC airs its monster reality lineup of "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.), followed by "The Bachelor" at 10 p.m. That runs against a new "Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.)

The second season of "Greek" (ABC Family, 8 p.m.) kicks off tonight.

Finally, PBS' "Frontline" examines the Iraq war, beginning at 9 p.m.

Laying Down The 'Law'

Juliana Margulies marks her return to TV tonight as the lead in "Canterbury's Law." (Fox, 8 p.m.)

The series is being done by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico of "Rescue Me" fame, and not surprisingly, "Law" focuses on a self-destructive anti-heroine who often travels into legal gray areas to free her clients.

Fox disappointed me again by not sending me a DVD screener, so I can't tell you if it is any good or not, but Margulies is always a reliable actress, and with the "Rescue Me" guys behind it, the show is definitely worth checking out.

The series also fits in to Fox's strategy of backloading everything into the second half of the TV year for overall ratings success. While the other networks, for the most part, have struggled during the strike months and post-strike last few weeks, Fox has been able to launch "American Idol," "New Amsterdam" and "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" to keep things fresh. "Canterbury's Law" got delayed in the fall when Margulies became pregnant, but with the strike, it turned out to be serendipitous.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Canterbury's Law" will be followed by "New Amsterdam" (Fox, 9 p.m.) as it settles into its regular timeslot. This show has turned out to be a bit better than expected, so do check it out.

If you decide to go against my advice, there's always "The Bachelor: Where Are They Now?" (ABC, 8 p.m.), which traces what has happened to previous contestants. Here's a hint - almost none of the couples have stayed together. It's followed by a doubleshot of "October Road."

Speaking of doubles, CBS gives us a double helping of "Old Christine" at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Anything that gives us more Julia Louis-Dreyfus and less "Welcome To The Captain" is a good trend.

NBC has a new "Medium" at 10 p.m. On cable, both "Kyle XY" and "Wildfire" are new on ABC Family, beginning at 8 p.m.