Season Premiere of "Burn Notice" on USA Network and More TiVoWorthy TV for the Week of July 6

 

 

If you’re a fan of Spike’s MXC, then elements of a certain broadcast network’s current obstacle course competition series might have struck you as vaguely familiar. Apparently the similarities have struck the staff at Spike as well. Here is the first line of a press release the network sent out on Thursday promoting this marathon: “Spike TV realizes that in the summer, some broadcast networks might be “lost” like a “desperate housewife” or an “ugly betty” in search of “bachelor” so they turn to imitating shows on cable.” If you can’t get enough of MXC, note that Spike will run a second batch of episodes tomorrow afternoon from 3:30-5 p.m.

 

Premiere. Luke Perry – who has stated for the record that he is not interested in reprising the role of Dylan McKay on The CW’s 90210 sequel series this fall – stars in this emotionally complex western. He plays Matt Austin, an ex-lawman who accidentally kills an innocent man while hunting the outlaw who killed his family. Poor Matt can’t catch a break: He pledges to the dying man that he will return his body to his sister Amaya at their family farm, but when he does he becomes caught up in a nasty dispute between Amaya and a mean-spirited businessman who is trying to force her to sell the property to him. Unbeknownst to Matt, the businessman has hired the man who killed Matt’s family as part of his posse. C. Thomas Howell, Jaclyn DeSantis and Kim Coates co-star.

 

 

 

 

Monique Coleman (High School Musical) and TRL host Damien Fahey are the celebrity contestants. Regis Philbin is the host.

 

Series Premiere. Seventeen contestants from the hit VH1 trash-fests Rock of Love, I Love New York and Flavor of Love travel to a beachfront mansion in Mexico, where they divide into two teams and compete in outrageous challenges (each based on infamous moments from their previous series). The motivation: a grand prize of $250,000! It all starts with an exciting strip down, and once the contestants are in their underwear they jump into a money booth. The two people who grab the most money (and stuff their undies to maximum capacity) will be team captains. Craig J. Jackson is the host.

 

 

Premiere. This edition of Nick News, titled Coming Home: When Parents Return from War, features children from around the country whose parents have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the issues discussed: The inability of some soldiers to connect with their families after returning home from the horrors of war, kids taking on adult responsibilities when one of their parents is deployed, the impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on soldiers and their families and dealing with the death of a parent in combat.

 

 

 

 

 

Season Finale. Two Hours. DeAnna makes her choice: Will it be Jason or Jesse? But first the guys must travel to Georgia to meet her family, and those folks are justifiably wary of the whole Bachelor thing after Brad Womack broke DeAnna’s heart in a previous season. The recap special The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose will follow at 10 p.m.

 

Following the disappearance of a rich socialite during a shipping trip, The Middleman and Wendy learn that peaceful exiled aliens that are addicted to plastic surgery are being hunted by an unknown entity. Also, Wendy discovers that Ben posted their break-up video on the Internet. Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales star.

 

Series Premiere. Film critic and journalist Elvis Mitchell (who made a sweet guest appearance on Entourage last season) talks with celebrity guests about how classic films influenced their lives. His first guest is producer, director and actor Sydney Pollack, who passed away shortly after taping this interview.

 

Live. The remaining eight contestants perform. Billy Ray Cyrus is the host.

 

Nancy the Queen of Questionable Choices has killed the ailing Bubbie. As with everything Nancy does, unexpected complications follow. Mary-Louise Parker and Albert Brooks star.

 

 

 

 

One week from today the most eagerly anticipated Internet event of the summer will begin: The first chapter of the madcap musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blogwill debut on drhorrible.com, which is currently offering a sneak preview. (Parts 2 and 3 will premiere on July 17 and 19, respectively.) Written and directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly), Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives).

 

Amy’s secret is getting harder to keep: She’s having morning sickness. Shailene Woodley, Molly Ringwald and Mark Derwin star.

 

David Hasselhoff almost killed sword-swallower Dan Meyer on last week’s show, when he inexplicably mashed his reject buzzer while Meyer had a sword all the way down his gullet, causing Meyer to flinch. “I almost punctured my stomach when he did that!” Meyer declared. Jeepers! What stoopid thing will the Hoff do tonight?

 

The guys discuss their criteria for a great bar. Denis Leary stars.

 

Season Finale. Morgan Spurlock lives for one month with an extended Native American family in a traditional Navajo dwelling on a reservation near Window Rock, New Mexico, and experiences first-hand the economic hardships of reservation life.

 

 

 

 

Two Hours. The Top 12 dancers do their thing.

 

Season Premiere. The GH International squad begins a second season of investigating and attempting to debunk claims of supernatural activity in foreign lands. In the weeks ahead they’ll head to legendarily haunted hot-spots in England, New Zealand and South Africa.

 

Premiere. Ted Koppel examines the people and the economy of China in this four-part documentary, which was filmed almost entirely in the southwestern industrial hub of Chongquing. Tonight’s opener, Joined at the Hip, looks at how the American and Chinese economies are increasingly and irreversibly intertwined. Did you know that some economists say the United States is $70 billion richer each year because of its relationship with China and the availability of inexpensive Chinese labor? (WalMart and Apple benefit enormously.) The series continues tomorrow night with MAOism to MEism, on Friday with The Fast Lane and on Saturday with It’s the Economy, Stupid.

 

Season Premiere. Two episodes. This sometimes disturbing hidden camera prank series that places unsuspecting people in terrifying situations for big laughs returns for its third season with Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) as host. Watch for the pranks Satan’s Baby, 3:10 to Hell and Blood Bath!

 

 

 

 

Series Premiere. Twelve teams of dogs and owners compete in challenges that put the owners’ abilities to train their pets to the test in this new reality series. One dog and owner are eliminated each week, and the last remaining team will win $250,000 and bragging rights to the title Greatest American Dog. Zoologist Jarod Miller is the host. Wendy Diamond, Allan Reznick and Victoria Stilwell are the judges.

 

Live. Two more dancers are sent home. Cat Deeley is the host.

 

Season Premiere. One of television’s most entertaining dramas begins its second season in typical high gear, as former CIA operative Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) finds himself contending with a mysterious woman named Carla, who may be behind the maddening burn notice (sudden unexplained termination) that brought his life to a halt. Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) joins the cast in the recurring role of Carla. Bruce Campbell, Gabrielle Anwar and Sharon Gless co-star.

 

Second of Four Parts. Ted Koppel’s in-depth look at the people and economy of China continues with MAOism to MEism, a report on the government’s efforts to redistribute the country’s population. The result has been a migration that will ultimately be the largest in human history, as millions of peasants leave China’s countryside for its booming industrialized cities. How is this massive shift impacting the traditional values, religion, sexuality and political freedom of China’s people? Find out tonight.

 

 

 

 

Series Premiere. Call it a meanness intervention. Seven perfectly dreadful, self-centered girls move into a house together under the mistaken impression that they are going to compete to be the biggest diva in the group. But they have actually been nominated by their families, friends and boyfriends for much-needed personality makeovers under the guidance of a relationship expert known as Dr. Michelle. Much self-examination and emotion follows, in part because a grand prize of $25,000 is available to the pain in the behind that changes the most. America’s Next Top ModelSeason 2 winner Yoanna House is the host.

 

Series Premiere. Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars) and Amy Jo Johnson (Felicity) star in this Canadian action-drama about an elite team of cops known as the Strategic Response Unit (inspired by Tornoto’s Emergency Task Force). Tonight the SRU team works to save a woman who has been taken hostage by a disturbed man in an office building.

 

Season Premiere. International Oversight Committee rep Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo) assumes control of the Atlantis expedition and learns to cope with his new responsibilities as Season 5 begins.

 

Series Premiere. Laila Ali hosts this new reality series in which 12 out of shape students from rival high schools in Decatur, IL, compete to become physically fit and win a cool $25,000 for their school. Student Body will move to its regular night and time period on Sunday at 8 p.m.