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What to Watch on Wednesday: Welcome to 'Suburgatory'

The X-Factor (8pm, Fox) - Auditions continue tonight and tomorrow night.

H8R (8pm, CW) - Tonight, Kim Kardashian meets a hater. In other words, Kim Kardashian meets America.

Suburgatory (8:30pm, ABC) - A new comedy about a single dad (Jeremy Sisto) who moves his teenage daughter (Jane Levy) from Manhattan to the suburbs so that she might be exposed to more wholesome influences. It's very funny (my short review). Also stars Cheryl Hines and Ana Gasteyer.

Happy Endings (9:30pm, ABC) - In the Season 2 premiere, Penny ponies up to buy  her first home, which she hopes will be just the thing to turn her life around. Meanwhile, it's the one-year anniversary of Alex and Dave's aborted wedding and Jane thinks the two exes should engage in an honest dialogue about the non-event.

Luther (10 pm, BBC America) - Idris Elba returns as the tortured British detective John Luther for four new episodes. When we last saw them, Luther; his homicidal stalker Alice; and Luther's wife lover are standing on a train platform, after Alice blew away Luther's best friend, a dirty detective. (We hear Alice has a smaller presence this time.) This season, Luther hunts down a masked killer.

Revenge (10pm, ABC) - Emily goes after the hedge-fund manager who helped get her father thrown in prison, and she and Daniel have their first date.

Nova (10pm, UNC-TV) - Survivors of the 2011 Japanese tsunami reflect on decisions that saved their lives. Features professional and amateur video of the disaster as it unfolded.

Extreme Couponing (10pm, TLC) - Two episodes tonight, but the 10:30 episode features a North Carolina woman. Read more about that controversial episode.

What to Watch on Sunday: American Music Awards, 'Luther' finale

American Music Awards (8pm, ABC) - Winners at this 38th annual awards gala are determined by fan votes. The most interesting/saddest performance tonight could be New Kids on the Block performing with Backstreet Boys. Also scheduled to perform: Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Bon Jovi, Miley Cyrus, Diddy-Dirty Money, Ke$ha, Ne-Yo, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Usher.

Sandra Brown's Smoke Screen (8pm, Lifetime Movie) - A reporter (Jaime Pressly) and a fireman (Currie Graham) work together to clear their names after finding themselves, years apart, in the similar situation of waking up next to a dead body and having no recollection of what happened. See our review.

Undercover Boss (9pm, CBS) - The director of development for Subway restaurants goes undercover to finally fulfill his dream of being a sandwich artist.

Sarah Palin's Alaska (9pm, TLC) - The Palins take a road trip to Homer, Alaska, and later, Sarah and Bristol go deepsea fishing. Here's a gallery of outdoorsy photos from the show.

Boardwalk Empire (9pm, HBO) - Nucky circles the wagons in his escalating feud with Arnold Rothstein, who rebukes the D'Alessio gang for a recently botched assassination attempt on Nucky. Also, Van Alden shows signs of cracking as his investigation begins to unravel, and Margaret celebrates the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Dexter (9pm, Showtime) - Dexter and Lumen (Julia Stiles) are on the hunt for a new victim but get sidetracked by the arrival of a surprise visitor. Meanwhile, as a result of fallout from the Santa Muerte case, Debra gets reassigned to the file room, where she is still able to dig up new evidence in the Barrel Girl investigation.

Luther (10pm, BBC America) - Luther is framed for murder in the Season 1 finale, and crazy Alice (left) is the only person he can turn to for help. But he's still not sure he can trust her. Because she's crazy.

The Walking Dead (10pm, AMC) - Things are getting so good! Rick's mission to return to Atlanta may need to be aborted when he runs into some unforeseen problems (problems in addition to the, you know, flesh-eating zombies). Back at camp, Jim appears to be losing it.

What to Watch on Sunday: Time to get behind "Sherlock"

Sherlock: The Blind Banker (9pm, UNC-TV) - If this is half as good as last week's premiere episode, I'll be happy. Tonight, Holmes and Watson investigate a bank break-in that resulted in nothing stolen, but strange graffiti left behind. But the case leads to the discovery of a dead banker inside his locked flat that the police, though not Holmes, suspect was a suicide. Meanwhile, Watson applies for a part-time job and goes on a date, but thanks to Holmes, the evening doesn't go as planned. 

Boardwalk Empire (9pm, HBO) - Nucky decides to renovate his childhood home after his father is injured in a fall, but the memories it dredges up are hard to handle. Also, a fellow veteran helps Jimmy get even with one of Charlie Sheridan's henchmen.

Dexter (9pm, Showtime) - Striving to bring some normalcy back into his life, Dexter figures the answer lies in finding a new serial killer to bring down. His quest gets thrown off course when his troubled new acquaintance (Julia Stiles) requires his help. For me personally, the jury is still out on this Julia Stiles storyline. Meanwhile, Quinn gets a tip about Dexter but isn't sure he can trust his source.

Brothers & Sisters (10pm, ABC) - When Kevin's relationship with Scotty is rocked by Scotty's admission of infidelity, the entire family is drawn into a dramatic confrontation. Also, Sarah and Jean Luc unveil their surprising news.

The Walking Dead (10pm, AMC) - A really superb new horror series from AMC that focuses on survivors in a world overrun by zombies. In this first episode, a sheriff's deputy (Andrew Lincoln, right) emerges from a coma to find flesh-eating "walkers" have taken over. With the help of a few living survivors, the lawman sets out to find his missing wife and son. It's remarkably well-done, but not for the squeamish. Here's more about how good -- and gross -- it is.

Luther (10pm, BBC America) - A young mother is abducted and Luther (Idris Elba) realizes it's the work of an occult writer who was suspected but never charged in the murder of another woman ten years earlier.

"Luther": A tortured cop and a haunting series

By its barest description, "Luther" (BBC America, 10 p.m. Sundays) sounds like you've seen it a thousand times.

It's about a troubled brilliant cop (played by Idris Elba aka Stringer Bell on "The Wire") whose questionable tactics give him the right results with murky morality. But "Luther" offers so much more than that description. This is an intense, complex, creepy ride.

When we meet John Luther, he's chasing a man who has killed several children. He's got him cornered, and in forcing him to give the location of his latest victim, Luther makes a choice that provides the subtext for nearly everything that happens in the six-part series. (I've seen three and I already want more than six.)

What to Watch on Sunday: Who will survive the "Mad Men" finale?

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8pm, ABC) - The man who created the "Move to the Groove" dance program to help combat childhood obesity gets help rebuilding his family home. Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Tony Dovolani, Chelsie Hightower, and Anna Trebunskaya from "Dancing with the Stars" help out.

Dexter (9pm, Showtime) - Dexter catches a mysterious woman (Julia Stiles, right) who may have witnessed him in the act of killing a serial killer who was also her captor. Deb has a frightening experience with a murder suspect in the Santa Muerte homicides, and Quinn uncovers more striking similarities between Kyle Butler and Dexter Morgan.

Boardwalk Empire (9pm, HBO) - Failing to get an audience with Nucky, who is preoccupied with the upcoming St Patrick's Day festivities, Margaret goes to Van Alden with a tip about secret shipments of beer. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jimmy takes care of his girl, who was brutally attacked by gangsters in revenge for Capone's attempts to take over their territory. A preview of tonight's episode.

Rubicon (9pm, AMC) - In the season finale, Will finally discovers the missing link between Truxton and Hadas' death, and Katherine learns the real truth behind her husband's suicide. No word yet on whether AMC will pick this up for a second season.

Mad Men (10pm, AMC) - In the Season 4 finale a surprising opportunity rears its head for both Don and Peggy, leaving them with life-altering decisions to make. Michael Auisello over at EW (for now) is worried that a major character will attempt suicide tonight. Ack! 

Luther (10pm, BBC America) - A new series starring Idris Elba (Stringer Bell from "The Wire") as a detective who investigates a seemingly perfect double murder while also trying to win back his wife, who has already moved on. Adrienne has a review.

Bored to Death (10:30pm, HBO) - A professor (F. Murray Abraham) in a financial bind asks Jonathan to retrieve an item of great value. George panics when his new employers demand that he take a drug test, and Ray's comic book succeeds beyond his expectations.

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