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What to Watch on Wednesday: The final episode of "Undercovers"

Undercovers (8pm, NBC) - This is it. The final episode. Steven and Samantha have to abandon their romantic getaway in Greece to help diffuse a hostage situation at a hotel in Tel Aviv. The pair go undercover (for the last time) to start the mission but soon realize the situation is more complicated than they initially thought.

Extreme Couponing (8pm, TLC) - This is not a documentary about the N&O's Sue Stock. Instead, it's a profile of four (other) shopping addicts who go to extreme measures to find great deals.

Dog the Bounty Hunter (8pm, A&E) - Following Dog and his family on a cross-country trip to promote Dog's book, "Where Mercy is Shown, Mercy is Given," and meet fans -- many of whom ask for advice or for Dog to bring home troubled family members.

Letters from Iwo Jima (8pm, IFC) - Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated companion piece to his "Flags of Our Fathers" film examines World War II from the Japanese perspective. Ken Wantanabe plays Imperial general Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who led the Japanese troops.

True Blood (8pm, HBO) - The Season 3 marathon continues...

Heads up for Thursday: A "Burn Notice" marathon begins tomorrow morning on USA Network at 6am and runs through 4am Friday. Set the DVR!

What to Watch on Wednesday: 'Psych' finale, adoption awareness

A Home for the Holidays (8pm, CBS) - The 12th annual event to raise awareness of adoption features performances by Katy Perry, Melissa Etheridge, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin, and Nelly.

Undercovers (8pm, NBC) - This is random. An unaired episode of the canceled NBC spy drama. In this one, Steven and Samantha go on a mission to track down stolen currency plates that could be used to make counterfeit money, and must work with Steven's estranged brother. I'd opt  for "Human Target" if I were you. Speaking of which . . .

Human Target (8pm, Fox) - When an ordinary middle-class family is inexplicably targeted for murder, the team takes up residence in the suburbs to investigate. Chance and Guerrero go undercover at a stale corporate campus, while Winston joins a book club and Ames supervises a teen party.

Psych (10pm, USA) - In the fifth season finale, Mr. Yin resurfaces and kidnaps a woman. To gain insight on the kidnapper, Gus and Shawn ask Yang (Ally Sheedy, right) to help them investigate.

Top Chef: All-Stars (10pm, Bravo) - The chefs prepare a holiday stuffing dish without kitchen tools or knives, and later cater a bash for the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Canceled: NBC ends "Undercovers"

Surprising no one, NBC has officially ended the J.J. Abrams spy dramedy "Undercovers."

The episode airing next Wednesday night will be the last to air in that timeslot. No word yet if NBC will air the other episodes they have remaining.

Adrienne reviewed the premiere and thought that while the lead characters (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) were beautiful to look at, the show needed more intrigue.

And despite the Abrams credentials, "Undercovers" failed to connect with a large fan base.
 

What to Watch on Wednesday: ABC goes for spooky laughs

The Middle/Better With You/Modern Family/Cougar Town (8pm, ABC) - ABC comedies all have special Halloween episodes tonight. On "The Middle," Frankie and Mike are invited to an adult Halloween party in the neighborhood. On "Better With You" (just picked up for a full season) Maddie is upset that her birthday, which falls on Halloween, is always overshadowed, so Mia and Casey offter to throw her a party. On "Modern Family," Claire's elaborate Halloween plans (evidence at lef) depend on the rest of the family's help with trick-or-treaters, and the holiday conjures up terrible memories for Cameron. On "Cougar Town," Jules reluctantly dons a costume for Halloween when her father (Ken Jenkins, "Scrubs") comes to visit on his favorite holiday.

Undercovers (8pm, NBC) - This show falls under the "watch it while you can" category -- most are expecting it get axed any day now. But for now, you can watch the Blooms try to recover a  painting that's hiding a formula for a biological weapon. Or not.

Criminal Minds (9pm, CBS) - In an especially creepy episode, the team travels to Detroit to catch a killer who, for the past three years, strikes on "Devil's Night," the city's pre-Halloween celebration.

I'd Do Anything (9pm, BBC America) - The premiere of a new series in which hundreds of aspiring stage actors attend open casting calls in London for the lead roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End revival of "Oliver!"

Harry Loves Lisa (10pm, TV Land) - Harry gets some help from Ed Begley Jr. with a a rodent problem, but his preoccupation with the infestation begins to overshadow his upcoming 13th wedding anniversary with Lisa.

Daily Show with Jon Stewart (11pm, Comedy Central) - Stewart is doing his show from DC this week, and tonight's guest is President Barack Obama.

What to Watch on Wednesday: L-O-L-A, LO:LA

Suvivor: Nicaragua (8pm, CBS) - A battle erupts over a hidden immunity idol. Tune in to keep track of how our Tar Heel players are doing, then check back here tonight for our recap of the show.

Undercovers (8pm, NBC) - I'm giving this show one more week to amuse me. Tonight, married spies Steven and Samantha (right) go on the hunt for a kidnapped scientist whose captors plan to force her to make a bomb to be used in an attack.

The Middle is Better With a Modern Family in Cougar Town (8pm, ABC) - ABC's solid two-hour comedy block is simply not to be missed (especially that second hour).

Law & Order: SVU (9pm, NBC) - A woman (Jennifer Love Hewitt) objects to having a rape kit done after she is raped repeatedly by the same man. Benson learns that some precincts don't even process their rape kits, but then an L.A. detective (crossover alert! crossover alert!) played by Skeet Ulrich is able to help her with the case.

Law & Order: LA (10pm, NBC) - The latest spinoff from the now-canceled "Law & Order" mothership takes place in Los Angeles, with Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll as detectives who investigate crimes. Terence Howard and Alfred Molina will alternate as the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. The show will also eventually feature Peter Coyote as their poor man's "Jack McCoy." We have no review (read this instead) because NBC wouldn't send us a screener. I wonder if it has anything to do with all my ranting and raving and name-calling from that time they canceled "Law & Order."  Hmmm....

The Defenders (10pm, CBS) - While we didn't buy for a second that Frank Sinatra Junior is that hard a ticket to get in Vegas, we were still charmed by this show's premiere. Tonight, Nick defends a woman accused of running down a jogger while talking on her cell phone.

Terriers (10pm, FX) - Hank and Britt return to the Lindus case, when Lindus himself hires them to break into one of his offices and steal $25,000 from his safe.

What to Watch on Wednesday: ABC comedies are stars of another big premiere night

Undercovers (8pm, NBC) - The debut of a new show about married former spies (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who reenter the world of espionage. Gerald McRaney stars as their handler. Here's our review.

The Middle (8pm, ABC) - In the Season 2 premiere, the show's star Patricia Heaton faces down her former "Everybody Loves Raymond" mother-in-law Doris Roberts, who guest stars as Brick's overprotective new teacher.

Hell's Kitchen (8pm, Fox) - Season 8 opens with 16 alleged chefs who mostly appear to be crazy and who mostly do not appear to know how to cook. Here's more on this season's crazies.

Better With You (8:30pm, ABC) - A new sitcom about three couples from one family, all at different stages in their relationship. We review it here.

Law & Order: SVU (9pm, NBC) - In a special 2-hour 12th-season opener, a 10-year-old girl runs away and is found with a man (Henry Ian Cusick from "Lost") who denies any wrongdoing. Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss (left) also star.

Criminal Minds (9pm, CBS) - The sixth season opens with the team still trying to find the serial killer who is terrorizing Los Angeles and who now has detective Spicer's daugther as his hostage.

Keep reading for many more premieres, including scoop on Jennifer Aniston's guest role on "Cougar Town."

"Undercovers" has beauty, but could use more intrigue

The semi-trailblazing quality of "Undercovers" (NBC, 8 tonight) is being downplayed by the cast and the network, and perhaps they should. Although it's not common, this isn't the first time black actors have headlined a one-hour network show.

But part of my anticipation for the show was based on seeing Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw play a kind of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" part precisely because black actors routinely should be considered for roles like this, but aren't. Look at them and tell me they aren't as pretty as Brad and Angie.

Unfortunately what they do lack is the Brangelina's flat-out star power, as well as the ease with banter and sweet chemistry of Stefanie Powers and Robert Wagner  from "Hart to Hart." Without those qualities, "Undercovers" is kind of flat.

A look at NBC's new fall shows (VIDEO)

NBC announced their new fall schedule this weekend and released some trailers for upcoming shows. As everyone knows by now, they have canceled their 20-year veteran "Law & Order," but are launching a spin-off called "Law & Order: Los Angeles" (aka LOLA). "Outlaw," a legal drama with Jimmy Smits is on Friday nights at 10pm, which isn't exactly a vote of confidence. Looking better is "Undercovers," about a husband-and-wife spy team who come out of retirement. But if it's good, that usually means NBC will cancel it (pardon my cynicism).

There's more. Check below for the schedule (not including five shows that will air mid-season - more about those here) and videos of extended trailers.

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