Tonight on Smash Ivy's voice starts to fail her. Tuesday night Body of Proof returns with a new episode. Wednesday night on American Idol the finalists compete again. Thursday night is the Pilots of Missing and Touch. Friday night Nikita is back with a new episode. Saturday night on The Firm Mitch takes on the case of a death row inmate. Sunday night on the Season Finale of The Walking Dead there's a frantic scurry for survival.
US television highlights for the week of March 12, 2012. Times are ET, shows are new unless noted as repeats. Tagged for your pleasure: tvtw .
Monday
Alcatraz, Clarence Montgomery. 9:00pm, Fox.
The only innocent man in Alcatraz returns to present day, but now he is committing crimes and it's up to Rebecca, Hauser and Dr. Soto to figure out why.
Smash, Chemistry. 10:00pm, NBC.
When Ivy's voice starts to fail her, she has to face major consequences; Julia tries her hardest to avoid Michael; Eileen explores her inner hipster when she joins Ellis at a dive bar; Karen books an unusual side gig at a bar mitzvah on Long Island.
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Tuesday
Cougar Town, A One Story Town. 8:30pm, ABC.
Jules and the gang have a powwow to discuss Bobby's future with Angie and decide that he needs some help romancing her, so they come up with "Operation: Kiss-the-Girl"; Ted and the Peons come through town on their way to audition at Disney World.
The River, The Experiment. 9:00pm, ABC.
The Magus crew is in a predicament as they're stalked by a cannibalistic terror while searching through an abandoned research facility following clues that suggest Dr. Emmet Cole may still be alive; Kurt is forced to make a personal sacrifice.
Ringer, What We Have Is Worth The Pain. 9:00pm, CW.
Bridget fears the worst when she cannot reach Malcolm and is surprised to find out that Andrew was the last person to see Malcolm; Juliet discovers more details about the attack on Tessa; Siobhan reveals the secret behind her faked death to Henry.
Fashion Star, Pilot. 9:30pm, NBC.
Fourteen new designers are granted the chance to create new looks with the help of fashion industry veterans, hoping to sell a look to professional fashion buyers; winning designs are granted a sale and plan to be carried in stores nationwide. 1½ hrs.
Body of Proof, Identity. 10:00pm, ABC.
When two girls are in a car accident, one of them is found dead; as Megan and her team investigate, they realize there has been a mistake; not only was the wrong girl pronounced dead, but the car accident may not have been the cause of death.
Justified, Loose Ends. 10:00pm, FX.
Raylan sees a perfect opportunity to potentially put away Quarles when he begins tracking a member of the Dixie Mafia; a young prostitute finds herself in the path of danger, so Ava unleashes her own fury in order to save her.
Southland, Risk. 10:00pm, TNT.
Ben is forced to deal with a pimp while he tries to aid a struggling prostitute with her daughter; Lydia and Ruben investigate a case in which a gang member was killed over graffiti; Officer Tang has her chances of being promoted jeopardized.
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Wednesday
ABC Comedies, All New. 8pm - 10pm, ABC.
The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, and Happy Endings are all new.
Survivor: One World, A Bunch of Idiots. 8:00pm, CBS.
Deception plays a pivotal role while determining new alliances after Jeff makes a shocking announcement; two castaways devise the perfect scheme to parlay their competitors into believing their commands; a new group emerges, with far-fetched goals.
American Idol, Finalists Compete. 8:00pm, Fox.
The remaining 12 finalists must embrace their inner rockstar as they are expected to perform with confidence and talent on stage, but several find it difficult to embody confidence in front of the judges and millions of voters at home. 2 hrs.
Criminal Minds, I Love You, Tommy Brown. 9:00pm, CBS.
The BAU team searches for a killer with a maternal-yet-murderous instinct when married couples fostering young children end up being killed in Seattle; Garcia fears that a possible proposition from Kevin is coming in the near future..
Top Chef, Reunion. 9:00pm, Bravo.
Andy Cohen hosts the judges from Top Chef's season 9 as they discuss what took place over the course of filming, including drama that didn't make it to air; the judges reveal which recipes from the past competition truly stood out.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Trends with Benefits. 10:00pm, CBS.
The CSI team are brought in to investigate the case of a recently murdered student whose death photo ends up trending on social media websites.
psych, Shawn and the Real Girl. 10:00pm, USA.
When a personality from a reality television show is nearly murdered by an anonymous enemy, he decides to hire Shawn and Gus to help keep him alive by uncovering the identity of the individual that wants to see him dead.
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Thursday
Missing, Pilot. 8:00pm, ABC.
A mother is determined to find her son after he vanishes in Europe and as a former CIA operative, it is a mission she takes to extreme lengths; a woman's agent husband was murdered 10 years ago, and she does not want to lose the rest of her family.
The Vampire Diaries, 1912, 8:00pm, CW.
Damon tries to help Liz investigate the murders in Mystic Falls when he realizes they remind him of a similar crime spree from 1912; Elena and Matt go to extremes in their search for evidence against Dr. Fell; Rebekah searches for an old landmark.
NBC Comedies, All New. 8pm - 10pm., NBC.
30 Rock, Park & Rec, The Office and Up All Night are all new.
American Idol, One Voted Off. 8:00pm, Fox.
The 12 remaining singers look to hear their name called as they anxiously await their fate on stage; Idol alum Chris Daughtry takes the stage to perform his hit "Outta My Head"; one finalist will be eliminated as their fellow competitors move on. 1 hr.
Touch, Pilot. 9:00pm, Fox.
After discovering that his mute, autistic son has the ability to relate patterns between seemingly unrelated events using numbers, a man is determined to decipher these numbers and connect them to the people who's lives they will affect.
The Secret Circle, Lucky, 9:00pm, CW.
Adam suspects Blackwell of searching for a way to drain the witches' powers after Cassie catches Blackwell sneaking around the abandoned house; Faye wants to invite Lee to the school fundraiser but is shocked when Eva claims to be his girlfriend.
Awake, Guilty, 10:00pm, NBC.
In one reality, Hannah is upset that Michael cannot attend an event honoring their late son because he is searching for a missing teenage boy, while in the other reality a convict whom Michael arrested 10 years ago escapes and kidnaps Rex.
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Friday
Nikita, Doublecross. 8:00pm, CW.
After a string of Division agents' assassinations, Amanda realizes that Percy is responsible for the murders because he wants to undermine her authority within Division; Nikita receives a plea and an offer from Amanda that is hard to resist.
Merlin, The Hunter's Heart. 10:00pm, Syfy.
While Arthur is distracted by the arrival of a princess whom he is to marry, Morgana works with a Southron warlord to plan a sneak attack on Camelot; Guinevere becomes the kingdom's last line of defense when she overhears the malicious plot.
Real Time with Bill Maher, 10:00pm, HBO.
Scheduled guests: journalist Alexandra Pelosi; TV host Dylan Ratigan; Mayor Mick Cornett; news anchor Amy Holmes; and actor Ed Helms.
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Saturday
Betty White's Off Their Rockers, Episode 1, 10:30pm, NBC.
Renowned comic and actress Betty White leads an irreverent group of senior citizens who go out into the world to pull shocking pranks and well-crafted comedic stunts on younger generations, recording their reactions with hidden cameras.
Saturday Night Live, Repeat from January. 11:30pm, NBC.
Former NBA player Charles Barkley hosts and musicial guest Kelly Clarkson performs.
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Sunday
60 Minutes. 7:00pm ET, CBS.
SpaceX, Elon Musk was the first private citizen to launch a space vehicle into orbit and bring it back to Earth. Now, the founder of SpaceX is competing against larger, more entrenched aeronautical companies to become the first private venture to put a man into orbit. Scott Pelley reports.
Face Blindness, Lesley Stahl reports on a little known condition that prevents people from recognizing faces, even those of family members. Some studies estimate that as many as one in 50 people are afflicted with face blindness. Remarkably, Stahl found others who are the opposite when it comes to face recognition. "Super recognizers" never forget a face, no matter how long ago they saw it.
The Amazing Race 20, Uglier Than A Mud Rail Fence (Bavaria, Germany). 8:00pm, CBS.
The teams are tested when they must delicately search King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, Germany; during a labyrinth challenge, several teams squander due to the snowy weather; tempers flare as several pairs argue over travel logistics.
The Simpsons, Them, Robot. 8:00pm, Fox.
After Mr. Burns decides to replace all of the power plant workers with robots, with the exception of Homer, the robots begin to turn on the community and the former real-life employees come to the rescue, realizing robots can't replace human friends.
Once Upon a Time, Heart of Darkness 8:00pm, ABC.
Mary Margaret hires Mr. Gold as her attorney when Emma is forced to arrest her for the suspected murder of David's wife, Kathryn; Prince Charming sets out to stop Snow White, whose memory is still clouded, from assassinating the Evil Queen.
Harry's Law, Les Horribles. 8:00pm, NBC.
When a client thinks his sister was murdered and a principal expels a student for having anxiety attacks, Harry must juggle two cases at once; Tommy hopes he will win Trial Lawyer of the Year at a gala; a former schoolmate comes to Adam for help.
Frozen Planet, The Ends of the Earth. 8:00pm, Discovery & TLC.
During the polar region's most extreme seasons, animals that call the area home exhibit surprising behavior, including polar bears fighting for mates and penguins stealing from each other, and killer whales that hunt collaboratively. 2 hrs.
The Good Wife, Gloves Come Off. 9:00pm, CBS.
Alicia must once again face off against Louis Canning in court, but her recent financial situations cause her to think about his tempting job offer and leaving the firm; Diane reconnects with the enigmatic Jack Copeland.
Desperate Housewives, Women and Death. 9:00pm, ABC.
On the day of the funeral of a Wisteria Lane resident, each lady thinks back on how this person had affected them; believing that the investigation was over, Bree is shocked when she is called in for questioning about the murder of Gaby's stepfather.
Family Guy, Forget-Me-Not. 9:00pm, Fox.
When a seemingly innocent guy's night out takes a sudden turn, Peter, Joe, Brian and Quagmire wake up in a hospital and discover that their memories have been completely erased and they discover that Quahog has been deserted.
The Celebrity Apprentice, I'm Going to Mop the Floor With You. 9:00pm, NBC.
Each team puts together a viral video for a new product, but during the planning process, the men quickly become divided against the project manager's decisions; the women step outside of the box, hoping to catch attention from shoppers. 2 hrs.
Luck. 9:00pm, HBO.
When Smythe makes a play for the track, Ace retaliates with his own move; Walter enters his horse in a high-stakes race against Ace and Gus's horse; while Leon suffers a devastating loss, Rosie is able to profit from his misfortune.
Shameless, A Great Cause. 9:00pm, SHO.
Steve and Lip help Estefania sneak in her ex-boyfriend into the country via a shipping container, hoping to reunite the two; Shelia takes in a homeless patient with a crack addiction and tracheotomy hole; Veronica confides in Kev.
CSI: Miami, At Risk. 10:00pm, CBS.
When a beloved tennis coach is nearly killed, Calleigh discovers that she has a personal connection to the case she is investigating.
GCB, Love is Patient. 10:00pm, ABC.
Amanda is forced to confront her past during a church relationship seminar; Heather goes after a new client and former high school nerd; Carlene gets involved in both Sharon's and Cricket's marriages to deflect from her own marital dissatisfaction.
Breakout Kings, Double Down. 10:00pm, A&E.
While working to apprehend a police informant that has escaped, the team discovers their fugitive could help them capture a powerful criminal, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when one of their own becomes a victim.
The Walking Dead, Beside the Dying Fire. 10:00pm, AMC.
* * * Season Finale * * * In a frantic scurry for survival, the group at the farm is separated from one another as they desperately attempt to fend off a dangerous threat, which leads to the remaining survivors questioning Rick's ability to lead them.