NBC's 30 Rock, TV Land's I Pity the Fool and Other Watercooler TV

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

Little People, Big World (TLC, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Two Episodes. The Roloffs -- little people parents Matt and Amy, their three average-height children Jeremy, Molly and Jacob, and little person son Zach (Jeremy's twin) -- return for a second season of this engaging documentary reality series. Members of the family will leave their Oregon farm more frequently in season two, traveling to Hawaii for vacation, to the Little People of America national conference and the Dwarf Athletic Association of America Games in Milwaukee, and to New York City on a business trip, among other locales. Two episodes will premiere every Saturday. In tonight's first episode, Matt and Amy take twins Zach and Jeremy and their friends on a beach weekend to celebrate their 16th birthdays. In the second, Matt gives Amy a surprising Mother's Day gift, one that could backfire and aggravate her.

Grand Ole Opry Live (GAC, 8 p.m. ET) Live. Performers include Dierks Bentley, Loretta Lynn and this year's Nashville Star winner Chris Young.

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Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m. ET) Live. Jaime Pressly is the host, with musical guest Corinne Bailey Rae.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

Desperate Housewives (ABC, 9 p.m. ET) Susan and Ian leave town for a weekend in the country; Gaby is reunited with her former boy-toy John (Jesse Metcalfe).

Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed (Discovery Channel, 9 p.m. ET) The second installment of Discovery's lavish high-definition travelogue presents six stories about people living in different regions of Italy.

Eye of the Leopard (National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Award-winning husband and wife filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert track one great cat named Legadema over a three year period, from her first days as a cub through her development as a hunter to her adulthood, when she becomes one of the most feared predators in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Narrated by Jeremy Irons.

Dexter (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) Our favorite serial killer's attention is split between his dogged pursuit of an uncaring drunk driver who has killed many times, the brutal murder of a police officer who was investigating a notorious crime boss, and the discovery of the Ice Truck Killer's vehicle, the contents of which further captivate Dexter.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 9

The CW Comedy Block (The CW, 8 p.m. ET) The Sunday comedy block that debuted two weeks ago on The CW has been relocated to Monday from 8-10 p.m. ET. Tonight, the network will repeat the season premieres of Everybody Hates Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends and The Game. Look for new episodes of all four series next week. (7th Heaven and Runaway, by the way, have moved to Sunday from 8-10 p.m.)

Off the Leash (Lifetime, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Two Episodes. Determined to put themselves on the map by producing the next Lassie, the owners and operators of the Le Paws Hollywood pet agency groom seven promising dogs for stardom in this six-episode reality series. The women who own the dogs and are determined to see their beloved pets become stars also play a key role in this show. Next Monday Off the Leash will move to its regular time period, 6:30 p.m. ET.

Heroes (NBC, 9 p.m. ET) Cheerleader Claire, perhaps the most tragic klutz in primetime, suffers a horrific accident that leads to one of the most startling things you will see on television this year. Leave your windows open during this episode -- you might hear the collective gasp of millions of shocked viewers when Claire's big moment arrives.

Engineering an Empire: Egypt (History Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Consider this: Beginning five thousand years ago and continuing for several millennia under a succession of pharaohs, the ancient Egyptians constructed one architectural marvel after another, many of them among the most impressive structures ever built. They include pyramids, temples, fortresses and incredibly sophisticated canals, created without benefit of computers, cranes, trucks or power tools. How did they do it? Find out in this first installment of History Channels' new series Engineering an Empire. Upcoming topics include The Aztecs, Greece, Greece: Age of Alexander, The Maya, China, Russia, Carthage, Great Britain, The Persians, The Byzantines and Napoleon's Empire. Actor and art historian Peter Weller is the series' host.

House of Carters (E! 9 p.m. ET) As long as the Carter kids keep fighting, we're there. When Nick and Aaron tear into each other, it's like having a little bit of The Jerry Springer Show in primetime. Looks like there will be more good times with the boys in tonight's installment, as Aaron throws a wild house party while Nick is at a Backstreet Boys meeting. Want to guess what happens when temperamental Nick comes home?

What About Brian (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. The ratings weren't robust, but anecdotal research at ABC indicated that women were responding to this show during its short run last spring. So the network renewed it, executive producer J.J. Abrams and his crew made some changes in the cast and behind the scenes, and tonight's season premiere reflects the end result. Brian is still a total chick show, but that should make it compatible with lead-in The Bachelor. In tonight's episode, Brian (Barry Watson) returns to town six months after fleeing in heartbreak, just in time to muck up the wedding of his obnoxious best friend Adam (Matthew Davis) and bland Marjorie (Sarah Lancaster), the woman they both love. Frankly, it's hard to understand why Brian and Adam are friends, or why they are both head over heels in love with this woman. Jason George joins the cast as Jimmy, a lawyer in Adam's firm, and Amanda Foreman (Felicity) portrays his wife, Ivy. Read what J.J. Abrams has to say about Brian here.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10

Friday Night Lights (NBC, 8 p.m. ET) Quiet, unassuming second-string quarterback Matt Saracen is thrust into the spotlight following the tragic paralysis of Dillon Panthers golden boy Jason Street. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on new coach Eric Taylor to turn nervous Matt into a confident star player and regroup the team after their terrible loss. Kyle Chandler, Scott Porter, Zach Gilford and Connie Britton star.

The Fashion Team (TV Guide Channel, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. David Evangelista (the style expert on CBS' The Early Show) and Daphne Brogdon (of the unfortunate reality effort Playing it Straight) host this weekly look at fashion on television, featuring interviews with designers, magazine editors, celebrity stylists and television stars who make news with what they wear.

Veronica Mars (The CW, 9 p.m. ET) Have you recovered from last week's shocking murder? Didn't see that coming, did you? Neither did Keith, who runs for his life through desert terrain for much of this episode. Meanwhile, in her continued pursuit of the serial campus rapist, Veronica goes undercover at a sorority dressed in the style of the house -- mid-'50s vacuum mom.

Boston Legal (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) Alan is increasingly attracted to Shirley, Denny is increasingly attracted to little person Bethany, and Jeffrey continues his defense of Scott Little, the young man accused of murdering a judge. Betty White returns as Catherine Piper.

Nip/Tuck (FX, 10 p.m. ET) Christian experiences yet another creepy sexual encounter, this time involving millionaire Burt Landau (Larry Hagman), the new owner of McNamara/Troy. Meanwhile, Dr. Faith Wolper (Brooke Shields) reveals a disturbing secret. (No, she isn't a man, or a former man, or a knife-wielding maniac, or an organ thief, or a plastic surgery addict. Guess again.)

Scream Awards 2006 (Spike, 10 p.m. ET) Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan and Marley Shelton -- stars of the upcoming thriller Grindhouse -- host Spike TV's first annual Scream Awards, taped at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood on October 7. The Scream Awards honor achievements in horror, science fiction and fantasy-themed movies, television shows, music and comic books. Performers include My Chemical Romance and Korn. Also appearing: Fergie, Marilyn Manson, Eva Mendes, Tobin Bell of the Saw movies, Jay Hernandez of Hostel, Rob Zombie, Josh Duhamel and the cast of Battlestar Galactica.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11

30 Rock (NBC, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Former Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update anchor Tina Fey, legendary SNL guest host Alec Baldwin and former SNL regular Tracy Morgan star in this highly anticipated sitcom about the behind the scenes chaos at a weekly network variety program titled The Girlie Show. Fey, who created this series, stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer of the show who continually clashes with network executive Jack Donaghy (Baldwin), who bullies her into hiring unpredictable and unbalanced movie star Tracy Jordan (Morgan) as part of her cast. Jane Krakowski (Ally McBeal) and Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live) co-star.

Twenty Good Years (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun) and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) return to television in this somewhat silly comedy about two lifelong best friends who decide to live their golden years to the fullest. Heather Burns and Jake Sandvig co-star.

NOVA: Monster of the Milky Way (PBS, check local listings) Something else to keep you up at night: Many scientists believe that a super-massive black hole -- one of the most destructive objects in the universe -- is positioned smack dab in the center of our galaxy. If it flares up it could devour Earth and everything around it. Check out this edition of NOVA and learn all about it.

Lost (ABC, 9 p.m. ET) Henry makes a tempting offer to Jack, Sayid's plan to locate the missing castaways puts Sun and Jin in danger, and Kate and Sawyer are forced to work in harsh conditions.

Ghost Hunters (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Rhode Island plumbers Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who in their off hours gather their friends to investigate apparent supernatural phenomena, return for a third season of this spooky reality series. Tonight Hewes, Wilson and the rest of The Atlantic Paranormal Team (TAPS) investigate a hospital that seems to be haunted.

Sci Fi Investigates (Sci Fi Channel, 10 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Forensic technician Deborah Dobrydney, scientist Dr. Bill Doleman, historian Richard Dolan and annoying reality television star "Boston" Rob Mariano investigate timeless mysteries, including life after death, the winged apparition known as the Mothman, the secrets of Roswell and the truth about Voodoo in this new series one might loosely describe as a real-life X-Files.

Project Runway (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET) Season Finale. First of Two Parts. It's down to Laura, Jeffrey, Michael and Uli. Who will make it to the top two? We're guessing Michael and Uli.

I Pity the Fool (TV Land, 10 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. During a press conference for this series at the July 2006 Television Critics Association tour, critic Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel asked a question of its star that millions of people have pondered for decades: "Mr. T, why do you pity the fool?" "That's a good question and a legitimate question," the star of the television classic The A-Team replied. "You pity the fool because you don't want to beat up a fool. You know, pity is between sorry and mercy. See, if you pity him, you won't have to beat him up. That's why I say fools you gotta give another chance because they don't know no better. That's why I pity them." They may not all be fools, but in this new series T is on a mission to motivate people by dispensing his own customized advice.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

Ugly Betty (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) When Betty uses her neighborhood connections to lure a top photographer (and Queens native) to shoot for Mode, and the photographer insists that he wants to meet Betty at a fancy restaurant, she feels the sudden need for a makeover. Meanwhile, Bradford continues to investigate the "death" of former Mode editor Fey Sommers.

Smallville (The CW, 8 p.m. ET) Seeking to make reparations to the citizens of Metropolis for the destruction he caused when Zod took control of his body, Lex throws a charity costume ball -- with entertainment by the All-American Rejects. Meanwhile, a creature that uses human males as potting mix (don't ask) threatens Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane agrees to be Oliver Queen's date to the ball. Justin Hartley guest stars.

Performer & rapper Kevin Federline (L) guest stars as an arrogant teenager who harasses Nick (George Eads) at a crime scene.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) Trash-master Kevin Federline guests in tonight's episode.
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Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 9 p.m. ET) Addison doubts her abilities as a doctor, one of the interns suffers a medical emergency and Izzie receives a shocking surprise.

Supernatural (The CW, 9 p.m. ET) Sam and Dean meet a fellow demon hunter (Sterling K. Brown) who is determined to kill all vampires, even those that are peaceful and survive on cattle blood. Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) guest stars.

Naked Science: Forensics Under Fire (National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. CSI would have you believe otherwise, but forensic scientists make their share of whopping big mistakes. This documentary examines long-accepted flaws in the forensic disciplines of fire investigation and firearms analysis and how the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is working to improve its all-important standards. As ATF Fire Investigator Steven Avato notes, "If you make the wrong call an innocent person may get accused of a crime they didn't commit or a murderer might go free." Included: Interviews with experts seeking to expose and correct unsound forensic science.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13

Doctor Who (Sci Fi Channel, 8 p.m. ET) The Doctor encounters an old friend while he is investigating a London school haunted by strange bat-like creatures, while Rose learns what really happens to people who become companions of Time Lords. And Rose's boyfriend Mickey -- the most patient and understanding man on Earth -- joins the crew of the Tardis.

Foxworthy's Big Night Out (CMT, 8:30 p.m. ET) Guest star Billy Currington appears in one of Foxworthy's recurring Family Reunion sketches as a young man trying to keep his redneck cousins from helping themselves to his money. He also sings his new song Good Directions.

1 vs. 100 (NBC, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Bob Saget hosts this version of the hit international game show that pits one lone player against 100 other contestants in a demanding trivia challenge.

Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET) In the first of a two-part episode, Admiral Adama prepares to rescue the human population of New Caprica while the Cylons, aware that they are losing control of the humans, consider annihilating the colony.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (Starz, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. If the names Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers matter to you, you won't want to miss this comprehensive documentary about the history of the slasher film, from Halloween and Friday the 13th to The Devil's Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses. Interspersed between tons of clips from classic and current fright flicks are interviews with such legends of the genre as directors Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Rob Zombie; actress Betsy Palmer (the monstrous Mrs. Voorhees), and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone.

Saxondale (BBC America, 11 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Steve Coogan (I'm Alan Partridge) stars in this outrageous comedy about an ex-roadie with anger management issues who now operates a pest-control business.