As you watch the first episode of "Political Animals" (10 p.m. Sunday, USA), the core characters might seem familiar. The soapy and satisfying limited series features a no-nonsense secretary of state, married to a cheating, popular Southern ex-president.

Yes, you are supposed to be reminded of Hillary and Bill which is part of the fun of this show. Haven't we always wanted to know what was really going on with those two?

In this fictionalized version, we meet Elaine Barrish (Sigourney Weaver), just as she is losing an election. The defeat clarifies things for her, especially that she wants out of her marriage to Bud Hammond (Ciaran Hinds). Fast forward and she's serving as the chief diplomat to President Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar), the man who defeated her; her family is dealing with its own issues.

The appetite for the buddy cop genre is voracious or at least that's what TV folk seem to think. Certainly it's a fav of the USA network.

So the home of "Psych" and "White Collar" brings us "Common Law" (10 tonight, USA), a too cute, too blah show about police partners with a relationship so difficult the department sends them to couples therapy.

That's where we meet Travis (Michael Ealy) and Wes (Warren Kole); their therapist, Dr. Ryan (Sonya Walger), is having a session with them and other married couples. Naturally, there comes a point where they have to explain they aren't in that kind of partnership.

It's good to have another gal squarely at the center of a TV show (like Julianna Marguiles of "The Good Wife"), and it's good that the gal is Callie Thorne.

Thorne has an appealing authenticity and weary wisdom, and in "Necessary Roughness" (USA, 10 tonight), she gets to showcase both qualities to great effect with a good cast. It's a delightful show.

Thorne plays Dr. Dani Santino, a married psychotherapist and mother of two, who discovers her husband has been cheating. She tosses him out, but can't afford to divorce him until a one-night stand (Marc Blucas) turns out to be a trainer for the local pro football team. When she uses hypnotherapy to help him stop smoking, he recommends her to his boss to help get an expensive and hot-headed football star (Mehcad Brooks) to start catching the ball again. Scott Cohen plays the team's security who stays in Dr. Dani's face and life.

"Suits" (10 tonight, USA) is one of those shows that you've seen before, but you might enjoy anyway.

Indeed, you've probably seen it on USA; plot-wise it's kin to "Burn Notice," "White Collar" and "Covert Affairs" (it shares that last show's two executive producers).

Like those shows, "Suits" is the story of a nice guy stuck in a bad situation; Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) is bright and has the ability to remember anything he reads. Still, because of bad choices, he's reduced to making money by taking tests for those who aren't as smart. Meanwhile, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) is a wealthy, arrogant attorney, who will close a deal by any means necessary. He's about to make senior partner, much to the chagrin of his nemesis Louis (Rick Hoffman).

"Royal Pains" returns for Season 2 on USA Network on Thursday (June 3). The most exciting thing about that news is that Henry Winkler (aka Fonzie) is joining the cast as the no-good father of Hank (Mark Feuerstein) and Evan (Paulo Costanzo). This awesome video promoting the new season features not only The Fonz rapping, but also other "USA boys" Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) of "Burn Notice" and Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) of "White Collar." Check it out...

As if I weren't upset enough about the series finale of "Monk" airing tonight, and the possibility that USA is doing something dastardly with the show's beloved main character, Randy Newman has gone and written a new song for the show that nearly sends me to blubbering every time I hear it.

Newman wrote and performs the current "Monk" theme song ("It's a Jungle Out There"), which for me is the greatest TV theme song of all time. It's funny and upbeat, and fits Monk's personality perfectly. For the finale, Newman penned a somber tune in which he laments, "Though many hearts are broken, we must somehow carry on. I think you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

Damn you, Randy Newman and your mournful singing voice! I'm still hoping that by "gone" they only mean "new episodes gone from my TV set," but it's not looking good (read the recap of part one of the "Monk" finale). I like closure, "Monk" writers, but not like that.

In advance of the "Monk" series finale Friday night, USA is showing a "Monk" marathon starting tomorrow morning, featuring episodes dealing with Monk's previous efforts to solve his wife Trudy's murder.

The "Trudy Mythology" marathon begins at 6am with "Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" and ends with parts 1 and 2 of the series finale.

Part 1 of the finale repeats at 8pm (read our recap of the first part of the finale, but only if you're okay with spoilers). The final installment of "Monk" airs at 9pm and again at midnight, and promises to solve Trudy's murder and bring her killer to justice.

Here's a full list of the episodes in the "Trudy Mythology:"

Friday night was the first part of the "Monk" two-part series finale, a finale in which USA has promised fans closure in the way of solving the murder of Monk's beloved wife Trudy.

The finale opened with a flashback to the day Trudy died 12 years ago, and it's obvious to viewers, who have only seen rare glimpses of Trudy through the years, that something is wrong with her. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) senses it too, but he's so deliriously happy that he shrugs it off, giving fans an even rarer glimpse of a happy, carefree Monk. It's delightful.

But the happy mood of the show doesn't last. The flashback ends with Trudy being chased through a parking deck and blown up in her car, and Monk hearing the news from Capt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine). You can practically hear Monk's world crashing to pieces in that instant. Then, back in the present, Trudy appears to Monk (in a dream? hallucination?) and ominously comforts him by telling him, "It won't be much longer." Wait. What?

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

To help us celebrate/mourn/process this coming Friday's series finale of "Monk," USA Network is having an all day Viewer's Choice marathon beginning first thing Sunday morning. (Read about part one of Monk's two-part finale).

Some of the classic episodes include Mr. Monk and the Rapper (with Snoop Dogg), Mr. Monk and the Three Pies (with John Turturro), Mr. Monk and the Naked Man (with Alfred Molina), and Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico.

The marathon begins at 9am and runs till 11pm. So fire up the DVR, get your box of wipes and some Sierra Springs bottled water and settle in for the day. And remember, if you miss something, it's "picture go back" and when you get to commercials, it's "picture go fast."  

You'll thank me later.

USA has just given you another reason not to watch "The Jay Leno Show" at 10pm

The "Characters Welcome" network has taken that often tired "buddy cop" subgenre and added a splash of USA's signature wit and quirk to create their latest show, "White Collar" -- a comfortable cousin to "Burn
Notice," "Monk," and "In Plain Sight."

In the new show, which premieres tonight at 10pm, imprisoned white collar master criminal Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer, whom you may know as Bryce from NBC's "Chuck") escapes from prison with only four months to go on his original sentence. Why? Let's just say he's a romantic. FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim Dekay), who put Caffrey behind bars the first time, is sent to track him down again -- which of course, he does.

Caffrey is sent back to prison but negotiates his release so that he can help Burke catch the elusive "Dutchman" criminal. (No spoilers here, folks -- this all happens in the opening minutes of the show as a way of setting up the show's premise.)