A new season of the most iconic animal television show of all time returns tonight.

'Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom,' a staple of the Sunday nights of my childhood, airs tonight at 7pm on Animal Planet.

'Wild Kingdom,' which debuted in 1963, may no longer be narrated by that picture of calm, Marlin Perkins, while Jim Fowler thrashes around with vicious animals in the brush. But the show still has plenty of excitement, and it still takes viewers all over the globe to chronicle the struggles and triumphs of some of the world's most endangered and most fascinating creatures.

Things begin tonight with the remarkable story of a female sea otter in Northern California who inexplicably leaves her home in the open seas for a marina in Monterey Bay. Watch as boat slip owner Jim Capwell makes it his personal mission to save the otter mom and her pups. 

In tonight's season finale (that's season finale, Animal Planet, not series finale) of 'Must Love Cats,' host John Fulton finally brings his nationwide exploration of interesting cats to Raleigh. Still not sure how this happened and my cats were not involved...

But before he hits the City of Oaks, Fulton stops in the Western part of the state to meet Leroy, a heroic Maggie Valley cat who saved his family from a house fire in 2009. I admit that kind of overshadows my cat's ability to open cabinet doors and bags of potato chips.

I find Mike Tyson fascinating. His mix of menace, sweetness, crudeness, shyness, gallant and studied speech, humor, tragedy...it's all riveting. Forget his prowess in the ring, the fact that he's still alive and functioning shows his champion strength.

And so, because he's at the center of "Taking on Tyson" (Animal Planet, 10 tonight), I'm all in. The series chronicles the retired boxer's return to competition in the form of pigeon racing in the New York area.

Tyson has long kept a coop and the birds; birds (although not racing them) were his passion before boxing. Indeed, Tyson reveals that the first punch he ever threw was after a bully killed one of his pigeons and threw the bloody carcass in his face.

In a new three-part series airing tonight, Dave Salmoni and Animal Planet examine the three deadliest spots in the world where animals and people collide in mortal combat.

In other words -- they tell you the three places on earth where you're most likely to be eaten alive.

"World's Deadliest Towns" features real-life scenarios in which people live in constant fear for their lives. Salmoni goes to Indian and African villages where rogue elephants, killer hippos, and man-eating tigers are a constant threat to the people who live among them.

Eyeborgs (6:30pm, Syfy) - This original Syfy thriller about an FBI agent battling an army of weaponized security cameras hacked by terrorists has some pretty strong North Carolina roots. It was written and directed by former North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking faculty member Richard Clabaugh, and was shot by UNCSA students and faculty in the Winston-Salem area in 2007. The film also features UNCSA School of Drama faculty member Dale Anthony Girard. Additionally, ten other alumni of the school served on the film's stunt team.

Must Love Cats (8pm, Animal Planet) - The premiere episode of a great new series that focuses on felines. Tonight, songwriting host John Fulton travels to San Francisco, where a cat is suspected of multiple burglaries, and then to Los Angeles to try some coffee made from beans scooped out of cat poop. I love cats but I can't get behind that last thing...

The Sunset Limited (9pm, HBO) - Tommy Lee Jones directs this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 2006 play, which follows interaction between two men: a white, atheistic professor (Jones) and a black, religious ex-con (Samuel L. Jackson), who saved the former from committing suicide by throwing himself in front of a subway train. Check out our review.

Accidentally In Love (9pm, Hallmark) - A kids show actor (Ethan Erickson) and a single mom (Jennie Garth) butt heads after the two are in a car accident. But while dealing with the fallout from the crash, the pair begin to make a connection. But, the actor's secrets threaten to ruin the romance.

Stand Up for Family (9pm, Showtime) - Family-friendly stand-up comedy sets by Earthquake, Doug Williams, Will Sylvince, Pat Brown, Nikki Carr, and D'Lai. Bill Bellamy is the host.

Saturday Night Live (11:30, NBC) - Russell Brand hosts, music guest is Chris Brown.

Animal Planet is finally showing some decent cat love. It's not exactly equal time, because we all know it's a dog-eat-pit bull world, but it's a step in the right direction.

"Must Love Cats," a new series hosted by songwriting and cat-loving John Fulton,  premieres on the network tonight at 8pm.

For the series, Fulton travels across America searching out the country's most interesting cats and cat owners. Some of the cats are extremely talented, some are mischievous, and some are adorably quirky. All are exceptional (I subscribe to the Lake Woebegon school of cat criticism).

The Wizard of Oz (7pm, TNT) - The classic story of a Kansas girl's adventures in a magical fantasy world starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr. Repeats at 9:15pm.

Miracle on 34th Street (8pm, AMC) - Edmund Gwenn (left) won an Oscar for his portrayal of the ultimate department store Santa who goes on trial to prove he's the real Kriss Kringle. A  true classic also starring Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood (left). It doesn't feel like Christmas until you've seen this at least once. Repeats at 10:15pm.

Battle of the Bulbs (8pm, Hallmark) - A new Hallmark movie about neighbors Bob (Daniel Stern) and Stu (Matt Frewer) who launch a Christmas-decorating battle, and it's not long before the competition turns ugly.

WWE Tribute to the Troops (9pm, NBC) - Top wrestlers and divas perform in Fort Hood, Texas, in the WWE's annual tribute to the US Armed forces. Sherri Shepherd and Miss USA will also appear.

Ricky Gervais: Out of England 2 - The Stand-Up Special (10:30pm, HBO) - Ricky Gervais performs at the Chicago Theatre and talks about Noah's ark, the recession, famine in Africa, gay marriage and acts of God.

Pit Bulls and Parolees (10pm, Animal Planet) - Tia's daughters go to New Orleans, where a pit bull that had been tied to a post for days is rescued. Tia also saves an injured pit bull from the side of the road, and parolee Cameron makes a big decision.

Downsized (10pm, WeTV) - Todd learns of a job opportunity that could both hurt and help his family in the first-season finale.

Saturday Night Live (11:30pm, NBC) - Jeff Bridges is the host and Eminem and Lil Wayne are the musical guests.

Woodstock: Now & Then (8pm, History) - This documentary marked last year's 40th anniversary of the three-day long musical festival that has come to symbolize the 1960s and the baby boomer generation. The retrospective recalls the event from the perspective of performers, fans, and promoters, and examines the planning and logistical problems presented.

Bee Movie (9pm, NBC) - Animated misadventures of a worker bee (voiced by Jerry Seinfeld) who alights from the hive to befriend a human (Renee Zellweger). Seinfeld co-wrote the script and was one of the producers. Other voices featured: Sting, Ray Liotta, and Larry King.

Downsized (9pm, WeTV) - The kids pitch in to produce a video for Todd to use during his job search, but creative differences soon turn the project painful. Elsewhere, Laura cancels the family's cable service and works to get her cleaning business off the ground, while Todd has to suspend his job hunt to find the missing Dylan.

Pit Bulls and Parolees (10pm, Animal Planet) - Tia (right) travels with her son to New Orleans, where a dog rescued during Hurricane Katrina is slated to be adopted. While there, Tia saves a stray during a lightning storm. Back at Villalobos, the parolees deal with an onslaught of rattlesnakes.

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas (8pm, Hallmark) - A calendar snafu causes Santa (R.D. Reid) to leave the North Pole a day early and crash his sleigh into the home of a disconnected family led by work-obsessed parents (Jennifer Beals and Rick Roberts). Santa has amnesia following the accident and loses his magic gift bag, threatening to ruin Christmas unless the family can pull together and save the day.

America's Cutest Dog (9pm, Animal Planet) - Last week Animal Planet featured "America's Cutest Cats" (which repeats tonight at 8pm) and tonight we get the dogs. A countdown of the top web videos featuring canines. 

Celebrity Ghost Stories (9pm, Bio) - It sounds silly but this show always gives me the creeps. Tonight, Don Most (Ralph Malph on "Happy Days") tells about a ghost that haunted his girlfriend's house, and Fred Willard talks about a spirit that once warned him about a disaster. Also featured, stories from Gina Lee Nolin and Lolita Davidovich.

The Locator (10pm, WeTV) - Two new episodes tonight. In the first Troy Dunn helps a woman find the mother who abandoned her as a toddler. In the second episode, a man looks for his sister after promising his dying mother that he'd find the long-lost sibling. Gear up for the sob-fest by watching clips from those episodes.

Saturday Night Live (11:30, NBC) - Anne Hathaway (left) hosts, with musical guests Florence and the Machine.

Austin City Limits (12midnight, UNC-TV) - John Legend and the Roots perform a set that highlights songs from their joint album, "Wake Up!" which features covers of soul classics from the 1960s and 1970s.

Horror Movie Marathons - On Turner Classic Movies, the classic horror fare begins before dawn with Boris Karloff in "The Devil Comands," and continues with scary movies from Joan Crawford, Charles Laughton, Bette Davis, and Peter Lorre.  AMC starts the creepy cinema cavalcade at 9am with "Blood of Dracula." Also airing on AMC, zombie flick "28 Days Later" and "Evil Dead 2," which was filmed in North Carolina and features Bruce Campbell's infamous chainsaw hand.

World Series (6:30pm, Fox) - Game three of the World Series has the San Francisco Giants at the Texas Rangers. If the game ends by 9:30, Fox will show the hilarious Halloween episode of "Raising Hope."

Red: Werewolf Hunter (9pm, Syfy) - Red (Joss Whedon fave Felicia Day), a descendant of "Little Red Riding Hood," brings her fiance home to meet the family, where he learns that they hunt werewolves. When a werewolf bites her betrothed, it's up to Red to save his life. I'm not making that up.

Pit Bulls and Parolees (10pm, Animal Planet) - In the Season 2 opener, Tia searches for two puppies reported loose in a trucking yard. Elsewhere, Tia must decide if former parolee Jake can return to the ranch.

Saturday Night Live (11:30pm, NBC) - The dreamy (and funny) Jon Hamm (aka Don Draper on "Mad Men") hosts for the third time in three seasons. They really like him -- and so do we. Rihanna is the musical guest.

Austin City Limits (12midnight, UNC-TV) - Texas singer-songwriters Robert Earl Keen and Hayes Carll perform.