BY TOM GLIATTO
DRAMA
After a second season thrown off course with outlandish detours—particularly that blonde nun who looked like Renée Zellweger and knew how to wrestle—the third season has recaptured much of the ABC hit's original comic-melodramatic zest. And below the surface there's still the resonance of some darker emotion: The plumbing of Wisteria Lane seems to drain into one big cesspool of discontent. A few major developments are driving along the plot—Mike Delfino (James Denton) has partial amnesia and is connected to yet another buried girl—but by now we know the characters' psychologies, and the main draw is retracing the patterns that steer them into trouble. Gabrielle and Carlos (Eva Longoria and Ricardo Antonio Chavira) alternately love and hate each other to pieces. Lynette and Tom (Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant) gingerly negotiate a domestic setup in which she remains the alpha. The Nov. 5 episode, though, gives everything a bracingly violent shake. It's also a reminder never to give a desperate housewife a gun.
PBS (check local listings)
DRAMA
This British detective series, officially ending with a two-part installment on Masterpiece Theatre, was a landmark when it premiered here in 1992. It felt bitingly raw with its emphasis on procedural detail and precinct politics, and Helen Mirren was unmatchably tough as Jane Tennison, an embattled woman inspector in the thick of it. Over the years, the show has evolved into more of a virtuoso showcase for Mirren. She thunders through the role like a 12-fingered pianist on a caffeine buzz. She drinks, she weeps, she's occasionally a bit much. There's a case: missing girl. But by now you're likely to be more clued-in to Mirren's moods than the mystery.
FOX (Saturdays, 12 a.m. ET)
TALK
Feresten, whose claim to fame prior to this half-hour show was as a Seinfeld writer, makes an odd physical impression: He has Dave Letterman's old blazer-and-jeans look, topped with Ellen DeGeneres's hair. The show, FOX's small-scale assault on late night, has an absurd, blunt sense of humor that usually misses (encouraging sponsors to take out ads on a staff writer's fat back) but occasionally connects: A dogfight movie that uses cheese puffs instead of planes? Liked that quite a bit.
Now 16, the actress who plays Teri Hatcher's dutiful daughter this season gets to flirt (maybe more) with a bad boy played by Josh Henderson: "He's pretty easy on the eyes." Producers, meanwhile, have something else to keep out of sight: Marcia Cross's pregnancy. "We'll be seeing a lot of her wearing a big coat," says Bowen.
Men in Trees (ABC, Nov. 10, 9 p.m. ET) Guest appearance by Jewel, who grew up in Alaska. Meanwhile, Marin (Anne Heche) has trouble because of her new book.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC, Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET) Two-parter of note because the magnificently rumpled John Goodman turns up as a Nevada judge.
CMA Awards (ABC, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET) The 40th annual salute to country. Nominees include Keith Urban, Sara Evans and Kenny Chesney.
The O.C. (FOX, Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET) Now in season 4—or season 1 post-Mischa Barton. Summer (Rachel Bilson) is trying to put the whole Orange County thing behind her at college.
Everybody Hates Chris (The CW, Nov. 6, 8 p.m. ET) Jason Alexander plays Chris's new principal.
Ghost Whisperer (CBS, Nov. 10, 8 p.m. ET) A spirit gets ticked at being accused of arson.
Michael Urie
On ABC's hit Ugly Betty, the 26-year-old Texas native plays Marc, the adorably catty assistant/sidekick to ruthless editor Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams).
ON LIFE BEFORE BETTY I was acting in an off-off-Broadway play that was one step away from off-off-awful.
ON DRESSING AS MARC The clothes aren't uncomfortable, but they're tight. I truly believe if anyone in the world from Dom DeLuise to George Bush were to wear the clothes I wear, they would walk and talk the way Marc does.
ON HIS OWN FASHION SENSE I'm not a fashion expert but I play one on TV. I'm totally into jeans and T-shirts, although I wear more colors now than I used to. My fashion awareness has increased. I'm not sure my fashion sense has.
ON TEAMING WITH WILLIAMS She's the best. She's totally the Wicked Witch and I'm the Flying Monkey.
Cookbook author and actress (The Ten Commandments), the 36-year-old wife of writer Salman Rushdie hosts Bravo's reality contest, which is judged by restaurateur Tom Colicchio.
ON HER FIRST DAY AT WORK I had to taste frog legs, snails and liver. And I was concerned my hair not be in the way of the food, so we really sprayed it a lot. And then they flambéed! All I could think was "My hair is going to go up in flames!"
ON HOW A FOODIE STAYS SLIM I box. It's great exercise and no matter what mood I go into the ring with, I come out feeling better. I don't do yoga. I'm the only Indian on the planet who doesn't.
Are you feeling as if your kids—and you—have sat through an endless loop of the same 12 episodes of (choose all that apply) Sesame Street/Blue's Clues/Dora the Explorer? Check out these new shows, guaranteed not to grate on grown-ups.
Curious George (PBS Kids) This gentle show—narrated by actor William H. Macy—goes down like a glass of chocolate milk: sweetly addictive for kids, wholesome enough for parents not to mind. Just be prepared for some monkey see, monkey do: My 4-year-old wanted candy after George indulged.
Class of 3000 (Cartoon Network) No question, the funkiest theme song of any kids' show on the air. Cocreator André "3000" Benjamin (OutKast) lends his voice as a star turned music teacher for a group of rubbery-looking students. The show may get older kids grooving, but mine were a tad bored.
Handy Manny (Playhouse Disney) "Let's get to work—muy rapido!" says Handy Manny (voiced by Wilmer Valderrama), a kind of younger, Latino version of Bob the Builder (minus the heavy machinery). A cute show that's perfect for tool-crazed tykes—and muy handy for sipping your coffee in peace.
The Upside Down Show (Noggin) Me, I'm not a Little Einsteins mom. Sure, it'd be nice if TV taught my kids to appreciate classical music. But even better is the sound of a bellylaugh coming from the couch, and this show—starring Aussie comedians David Collins and Shane Dundas—is pure slapstick fun.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
