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Conan O'Brien takes over "The Tonight Show" starting tonight on NBC @ 11:35pm
The TV Junkie is still on vacation but we've put together highlights of the week. The TV Junkie will be back next Monday.The big story this week is Conan O'Brien taking over "The Tonight Show" with a new set and hopefully a new take on the show as Jay Leno's tenure, while stable, seemed a little dated by the time he signed off last week. It will be interesting to see if "The Late Show With David Letterman" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will actively compete with "The Tonight Show" this week to try to woo viewers who are still longing for Jay Leno, or will Letterman and Kimmel let Conan have his spotlight for the week.
From the looks of it (check out the entire week's schedule of programs of note after the jump) it appears that Letterman is presenting a challenge to "The Tonight Show", starting the week with Bill Cosby and ending it with Steven Wright - whereas Conan starts strong with Will Ferrell but is ending with Ryan Seacrest, feh.
Congrats Conan, we wish you success.
Tonight
8:00pm I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here NBC - Series Premiere. Yeah, this is the one that disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was supposed to be on.
10:00pm Medium NBC - Season Finale (and series finale for NBC but the show is moving)
10:00pm Here Come the Newlyweds ABC - Dr. Ruth Westheimer gives the contestants relationship advice
11:35pm The Tonight Show NBC - Now with Conan O'Brien!. Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam are the premiere guests.
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actor Bill Cosby; race car driver Helio Castroneves; Melody Gardot performs.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actors Anne Hathaway, Will Forte and Jon Favreau; chef Mario Batali.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actress Mary-Louise Parker; director Guillermo del Toro; Tori Amos performs.
Tuesday
8:30pm According to Jim ABC - Season Finale
9:15pm You Can't Take It With You TCM - (1938) An eccentric patriarch (Lionel Barrymore) meets the stuffy parents of his granddaughter's (Jean Arthur) fiance (James Stewart)
10:00pm Law & Order: SVU NBC - Season Finale
10:00pm Man vs. Wild Discovery - Will Ferrell gets dropped into the Arctic Circle with Bear
10:00pm Paris Hilton's My New BFF MTV - Season Premiere
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Animal handler Jack Hanna; actor John Krasinski.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien NBC - Actor Tom Hanks; Green Day performs.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actors Steve Martin and Vanessa Williams; Paul Simon performs.
Wednesday
8:00pm Wipeout ABC - Contestants face obstacles such as Plank in the Face, Fender Bender, Aqua Launch and the Raging Rapids
8:00pm So You Think You Can Dance FOX - Dancers compete in the Las Vegas callbacks.
9:00pm MythBusters Discovery - Adam and Jamie test if it's possible to cling to the roof of a speeding car; Kari, Tory and Grant try to solve some jailbreak myths.
9:30pm Tyler Perry's House of Payne TBS - Season Finale
10:00pm Law & Order NBC - Season Finale
10:00pm The Cougar TV Land - Season Finale. Check out our video interview with Stacey the Cougar.
10:00pm Make Me a Supermodel Bravo - Season Finale
10:30pm Reno 911! Comedy Central - Season Finale
11:00pm The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Comedy Central - Michael Lewis, Author, "Home Game"
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Actress Jessica Biel; comic Zach Galifianakis; Steve Earle performs.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien NBC - Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus; actor Bradley Cooper; Sheryl Crow performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actress Heather Graham; actor Lance Krall; Katie Melua performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor Jeffrey Tambor; actress Gabrielle Anwar.
Thursday
7:45pm Wild Strawberries TCM - (1957) In case you want to be depressed (by an excellent film) An old Swedish professor (Victor Sjostrom) sees his life pass by in a series of nightmarish flashbacks.
9:00pm Burn Notice USA - Season Premiere
10:00pm The Listener NBC - Series Premiere
10:00pm Royal Pains USA - Series Premiere
10:00pm Tosh.0 Comedy Central - Series Premiere
10:00pm Bridget's Sexiest Beaches Travel - Season Finale. Is this an actual program or is it just an excuse for softcore pornography?
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien NBC - Actress Gwyneth Paltrow; comic Joel McHale; John Mayer Trio performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Thomas Haden Church; actor Ed Helms; 311 performs.
Friday
7:00pm Real Time With Bill Maher HBO - Fmr. Ambassador John Bolton; Fmr. Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM); Hill Harper , actor; Michael Pollan, author and professor
9:30pm In the Motherhood ABC - Returns from hiatus, only to be killed later
10:00pm The Soup E! - You must watch "The Soup"
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Celebrity Paris Hilton; jockey Calvin Borel; comic Steven Wright.
Saturday
9:00pm The Children's Hour TCM - (1961) Based on Lillian Hellman's play about the effect of a student's malicious lie at an exclusive boarding school.
10:00pm The Graham Norton Show BBC America - Kurt Russell; Jenny Eclair
Sunday
8:00pm The 63rd Annual Tony Awards CBS - god help us
8:00pm True Blood Marathon HBO - Check your cable schedule for when this starts.
10:00pm Army Wives Lifetime - Season Premiere
10:00pm Kendra E! - Series Premiere
10:30pm Brooke Knows Best VH1 - Season Premiere
11:00pm Denise Richards: It's Complicated E! - Season Premiere
