Two weeks ago I was watching the premiere episode of Lifetime's pretty good new cop drama "Against the Wall." About a quarter of the way through the episode, the show's star, Rachel Carpani (who spookily resembles a young Meg Ryan), takes a cake to her father, who is played by Treat Williams. She's buttering up her dad because she has some tough news for him: she has to tell her cop father that she, also a cop, has taken a job in the much-despised Internal Affairs division. The conversation doesn't go well.

It was an intense scene, full of drama. But my attention was on the retro aluminum cake carrier Det. Abby Kowalkski was toting. I'd never seen anything like it.

Instant wanting.

I guess it's just a coincidence that the intro of "Russian Dolls" (10:30 tonight, Lifetime) features hyphenated-American women in furs walking arm in arm, which is the same way that VH1's "Mob Wives" begins.

And yet, it's kind of perfect because like "Mob Wives," "Russian Dolls" is about corruption; the corruption of values, morals and the American dream.

OK, I don't want to get too heavy; this is meant to be candy not spinach. We know that reality shows of this ilk aren't looking to deliver a serious assessment of a culture, in this case the lives of men and women "who live fully, love passionately and work hard as only they can in Brooklyn’s historic Russian-American neighborhood, Brighton Beach." They are about elevating stereotypes and girl fights. You know, drama.

The cop show is TV staple, yet despite its abundant selection of women in jeopardy, it's taken awhile for Lifetime to get one on the air.

Now suddenly, it has two. "The Protector" with Ally Walker and Tisha Campbell-Martin is pretty lame. But happily "Against the Wall" (Lifetime, 10 tonight) is better. Not fantastic, but solid and promising.

It starts with the star. Rachel Carpani plays Abby Kowalkski, a Chicago cop from a family of cops. She wants a promotion and a faster ticket to becoming a homicide detective; she discovers that the only way there is through a position in Internal Affairs, the division that investigates other cops. This does not please her dad (Treat Williams), and two of her three brothers (Brandon Quinn, James Thomas and Steve Byers); one is mostly supportive. Her only refuge is her mother, played by Kathy Baker. Abby also has a pregnant partner played by Marissa Ramirez.

It's easy to mock Hugh Hefner (Joel McHale does a great job on "Talk Soup") but on "Hef's Runaway Bride" (Lifetime, 10 tonight) you might feel a little guilty for doing so. He comes across kind of sweet and sincere, the wronged party.

OK, it would be hard to believe the blonde, young Crystal Harris was madly in love with the octogenarian (Viagra-enhanced) lover, but this behind-the-scenes look at the-wedding-that-wasn't shows that maybe it wasn't about two people using each other for their purposes. What the show reveals is that something more typical happened: they were both doing what they thought the other wanted.

Yes, there were some machinations going on (after all, this was designed to be a reality show to promote the Playboy brand), but in "Hef's Runaway Bride" the relationship between the two seems sincere. Even Hef's sons, Cooper and Marston, speak about liking Harris, despite their concerns about their dad getting married.

If you know the story of J.K. Rowling, you know it's perfect fodder for a Lifetime movie. And while her life may not have played out exactly as portrayed in "Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story" (Lifetime, 8 tonight) -- it's an unauthorized biopic -- the movie is a perfectly pleasant, if basic overview of the famed author.

The movie opens with already successful Rowling (Poppy Montgomery), riding in a limo to a premiere with her fiance, then flashbacks to a very young Jo, playing a witch game with a friend in the forest.

From there the movie moves ahead quickly, focusing mostly on her deep love of writing from an early age, and her even deeper love of her mother, who gets multiple sclerosis and dies young. (Rowling has said she's estranged from her father, and in the film, her father's remarriage is touched upon as point of contention.)

Roseanne Barr is smart and funny and honest and abrasive and more, all in a kind of unsettling way. Which makes her pretty interesting.

She's self aware too, as the title of her new reality show "Roseanne's Nuts" (Lifetime, 9 tonight) proves, and in just one episode you get a glimpse at her special brand of crazy, landing you dead center in her world, and making for a half-hour of jittery fun.

We meet Roseanne in her new life; she's chucked Los Angeles living to move to Hawaii with her boyfriend Johnny to run a macadamia nut farm and lead a more peaceful, simple life. Of course, because she has gobs of money, it's a big piece of land, but still.

Nora Roberts' Carnal Innocence (8pm, Lifetime) - A famous violinist (Gabrielle Anwar of 'Burn Notice,' left) goes to Mississippi for some rest and relaxation, but instead finds the third victim of a serial killer on her grandparents' property. Her involvement in the case deepens when the man she's seeing (Colin Egglesfield of 'All My Children,' left) becomes a suspect.

The Bachelorette (8pm, ABC) - [Inhales deeply] Ah, life after Bentley. Ashley and the 12 remaining guys visit Thailand were she and 10 of them visit an orphanage for children who lost their families in the 2004 tsunami.

Single Ladies (9pm, VH1) - Val's boutique gets a lift from her new intern, and April plays matchmaker for Val. Meanwhile, Keisha meets some eligible rich bachelors and April's marriage crumbles in the wake of a scandal.

MasterChef (9pm, Fox) - The field of 100 is winnowed down to 38.

Switched at Birth (9pm, ABC Family) - Kathryn, John and Regina adjust to their new living arrangements, while Daphne spends time with Liam.

Teen Wolf (10pm, MTV) - Scott is excited for his first date with Allison, until it becomes a confusing group date with Lydia and Jackson in tow. Also, a mysterious animal attack occurs, putting Stiles' dad, Sheriff Stilinski, on high alert.

It was just the other night when I watched Catherine Bell in a Lifetime movie featuring a woman who could kick butt and be a perfect mom too.

Somebody at the network must be determined to make moms feel like super heroes because there's a similar vibe on "The Protector" (10 tonight), a new series that starts tonight.

The show stars Ally Walker ("Profiler") as Gloria Sheppard, a homicide detective and recently divorced mother of two sons who has moved in with her recovering brother (Chris Payne Gilbert). Her partner is played by Tisha Campbell-Martin and her boss is played by Miguel Ferrer.

It's clear from the beginning that Gloria has a rep for being "difficult" which is TV talk for "smarter than everyone else," "always right," and "does things her way." Despite that, the people she works with, even her partner, question her every move. She's also supposed to be quirky, which doesn't really play out. The closest she comes to that is when she lets her kids throw knives at a target, which seems more like irresponsible. Although she has this demanding job, she still has time (and the ability!) to stay up all night making her youngest son a costume for a school play.

MasterChef (8pm, Fox) - One hundred amateur cooks arrive in Los Angeles to compete for a spot on the second season of 'MasterChef,' a cooking competition show for amateur cooks, judged by Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot Bowles, and Joe Bastianich.

The Bachelorette (8pm, ABC) - A comedy "roast" takes a bite out of Ashley, who is devastated by some of the remarks. Here Ashley learns that Evil Bentley (left) came on the show hoping to meet Charlotte's Emily Maynard, who became engaged to Brad Womack on the last season of 'The Bachelor.' Previews show Ashley having a meltdown that would make any 14-year-old girl proud.

Last Man Standing (8pm, Lifetime) - A suburban wife (Catherine Bell) must confront her secret past as a CIA agent when her husband (Anthony Michael Hall) is kidnapped and the crime is connected to the death of a fellow agent. Read our review.

Great Performances: Jackie Evancho - Dream with Me in Concert (8pm, UNC-TV) - Eleven-year-old soprano Jackie Evancho from "America's Got Talent" performs at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.

Switched at Birth (9pm, ABC Family) - The premiere of a new series about two teens who were switched at birth. One teen is rebellious and being raised by a rich couple, the other is a sunny teen being raised by a single mother. Stars Vanessa Marano, Katie Leclerc, and Lea Thompson.

Teen Wolf (10pm, MTV) - In the second episode of this new series, Scott struggles to balance his new life as a werewolf and the pressures of being a teen, all while avoiding werewolf hunters and trying to score a second date with Allison. A repeat of last night's 11pm series premiere airs at 9pm.

Unsung (10pm, TV One) - Season 4 opens with a profile of singer Deniece Williams. We've got a review.

On the big screen, there's been a mini-trend of women butt-kickers, young female action heroes (think "KickAss" and "Hanna") who can serve it up like the guys.

"Last Man Standing" (Lifetime, 8 tonight) brings that trend to the small screen, and because this is Lifetime, the ante is upped. This woman is not only a butt-kicker, she's a mom!

Yep, as Abby Collins, an ex-soldier who served in Afghanistan, Catherine Bell can not only take a punch, deliver one, and shoot big guns, but she can do all that and still make time to tell her young daughter a bedtime story. One she makes up on the spot!