Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 19 - 25, 2013 in PDF format

This week's TV Movies  

The Voice The first of two new episodes offers a recap of performances by the top 10 artists. 8 p.m. NBC. In a second episode, following at 9, the artists face elimination.

The Bachelor This new episode showcases goofs, gaffes and funny moments from both "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." Chris Harrison hosts. 8 p.m. ABC

So You Think You Can Dance Auditions continue. 8 p.m. Fox

Dancing With the Stars The entire celebrity cast returns for a season finale that features performances from Pitbull, Wynonna, Psy and Jessica Sanchez. Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet announce the winning couple. 9 p.m. ABC

Constitution USA With Peter Sagal This new episode examines the far-reaching changes of the 14th Amendment of 1868 led to new notions of citizenship, equal protection, due process and personal...

Kings Island, an Ohio amusement park, doesn't get the headlines and attention of Disneyland and Disney World, but for a shining moment in 1973 it was the center of the pop culture universe. Why? Because those lovable Brady kids from "The Brady Bunch" traveled to Ohio in an episode of the show for a romp through the park, attempting to find misplaced plans for a park addition.

This weekend, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the episode, three of the Brady kids, actors Christopher Knight, Susan Olsen and Barry Williams, reunited at the park, located in Mason, Ohio.

According to MSNBC, the onetime Bradys appeared on stage at the theme park for four shows, during which they sang, danced and told "Brady Bunch" anecdotes. The episode, "The Cincinnati Kids," was filmed just a year after the park opened in 1972.

Fans packed the 844-seat theater inside the park for the shows.

One highlight was Williams rapping his own version of Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" rewritten as "The Real Greg...

Monday's Oklahoma tornado has already affected prime time, with CBS pulling the season finale of the sitcom "Mike & Molly."

Titled "Windy City," the episode uses a fictional tornado that threatens Chicago as a plot point. "[A]s a tornado descends on Chicago, Mike and Molly each confess important news to each other," is how the plot summary on TVRage.com describes it. 

But viewers will have to wait. A tornado on Monday afternoon struck an Oklahoma City suburb, causing massive devastation.

PHOTOS: Tornados hit Oklahoma

"Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight's season finale of 'Mike & Molly,' which has a related story line," CBS wrote in a statement. "A repeat broadcast of 'Mike & Molly' will run in the time period. The season finale will be broadcast at an appropriate date."

The practice of delaying shows due to current events has become more common lately.

NBC's "Hannibal" and ABC's "Castle" both had episodes pulled following the Boston...

They've been waiting underground for 17 years, and now cicadas are emerging en masse to take over the eastern half of the United States.

Right now, billions of the Brood II cicadas are emerging from the ground and are making big noise all up and down the East Coast. While some people are dreading the coming onslaught of creepy-looking red-eyed bugs, and others are polishing up their storehouse of cicada recipes, Science Channel is planning to dedicate much of its Memorial Day weekend programming to the little fellas.

Will cicadas do for Science Channel what sharks have done for Discovery? Hardly, since the bugs crop up only every 17 years, we can't expect a "Cicada Week" every year. But when it comes to getting the willies and educated at the same time, it would be hard to pass up Science Channel's weekend lineup.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

"Swarm Chasers" premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. PT and provides handy information about the three-brained cicadas and their habits, lifecycle and...

"Do I get paid for this?" says Mel Brooks at the end of Robert Trachtenberg's biographical documentary, "Mel Brooks: Make a Noise," premiering Monday as part of the PBS series "American Masters." "If this program was called 'Dutch Masters,' I'd have boxes of cigars. But I had to be foolish and settle for 'American Masters.'"

Writer, director, comedian, actor, producer, songwriter and drummer (because, as a drummer, you "made the most noise"), Brooks, who turns 87 this year, is in the midst of a long public moment. On June 6, Martin Scorsese will present him with the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award (to be broadcast June 15 on TNT and July 24 on TCM, along with his first two films, "The Producers" and "The Twelve Chairs"). The DVD/CD set "The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy," a motley array of Brooks' short films, TV works, guest shots and interviews, was released by Shout Factory late last year. In April, Judd Apatow interviewed...

Because anchoring  “CBS This Morning” five times a week in addition to hosting his own nightly talk show apparently isn’t enough for Charlie Rose, the ubiquitous TV personality will launch a new show this July on PBS, the network announced Monday.

The 30-minute “Charlie Rose Weekend” will air Friday nights at 8:30. According to a statement from PBS, the prime time show will draw on conversations from his late-night program and will “capture the defining moments in politics, science, business, culture, media and sports in a fresh, engaged, and smart presentation.” The program also promises to make use of social media and technology.

“Bringing Charlie Rose to Friday nights on PBS provides a natural bridge between our Friday evening news and public affairs programming and our arts and culture programming,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive, in the statement.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Rose, 71, has a long history...

Just days before the new season of "Arrested Development" finally debuts on Netflix, the re-creation of the Bluth's Original Frozen Banana stand that cropped up in New York City last week is making its way to the West Coast.

The frozen banana stand will be set up in downtown Culver City at 9300 Culver Blvd. on Monday from noon until 7 p.m. and will be handing out free frozen bananas to anyone willing to stand in line for one. To sweeten the deal, cast member Judy Greer will be on hand to help pass the bananas out from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.

The banana stands appeared in New York City last week during the network upfronts, at which NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and the CW unveiled their new shows for advertisers and the media. As a promotion for Netflix's revival of the series, the stand has served as a strong reminder of online's increasing competitiveness with the networks.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Cast members such as Will Arnett and Jason Bateman were on hand at the New York City...

Well, where to begin after an episode like that?

How about this?: Maybe the least surprising thing in “The Crash” is the discovery that teenage Don Draper lost his virginity to a prostitute.

Virtually everything else in “The Crash,” which in my book easily qualifies as the most unsettling  installment of “Mad Men” to date, is unexpected, disorienting, terrifying or some combination thereof. The title, of course, refers to the events that bookend the episode: First, there’s the so-called “joy ride” Ken is forced to take with a pack of sadistic Chevy executives. I initially assumed it was a dream sequence, but then Ken shows up at the office, cuts all over his face and walking with a cane.

EMMYS 2013: Buzzmeter - Who will win?

It’s a sign of the brilliant insanity of “The Crash” that Ken’s never-entirely-explained car crash is all but forgotten by the time Don, 72 sleepless, cranked-up hours later, lands with a...

"The Goodwin Games" is family comedy debuting as a late midseason replacement with only a seven-episode order.

So even at Fox, a network not known for hit comedies, hopes are not high.

On the other hand, there is a lot of talk these days of rethinking the old models of American television, including making the standard network season (22 to 24 episodes) more like the cable model of 10 to 12. At this year's upfronts, where networks roll out their new fall lineups for advertisers in New York City, Fox discussed several "limited" or "event" series.

FULL COVERAGE: Television reviews

On British television, a three- or four-episode season is not unheard of, although more customary on government-funded BBC. A shorter season, the argument goes, takes the pressure off, allowing writers and actors to create more intricate and vivid stories.

Which, it must be noted and quickly, is not what's happening with "The Goodwin Games."

The story, however, does seem particularly well suited for a finite...

There is really only one reason to watch ABC's Canadian-import place-holder crime drama "Motive" — Kristin Lehman.

Seen most recently as the political aid/abuse victim/classic schemer on AMC's "The Killing," Lehman swaggers into Daniel Cerone's series not just like she owns the joint but as if there were a joint to own. With her square jaw and nimble wisecrack timing, Lehman radiates the knowing yet secretly hopeful energy of a '40s female film star — Barbara Stanwyck, say, by way of Rosalind Russell.

Unfortunately, it's not quite enough to support a show born of shtick — here, the killer and victim are identified almost immediately in each episode; the trick is discovering the, well, motive.

FULL COVERAGE: Television reviews

That's Lehman's job, of course, via the tough but tender Angie Flynn. The way-cool but still firm single mom is a homicide detective with a gut instinct that just won't quit and a partner, Oscar (Louis Ferreira), whose skepticism is outweighed...

Seemingly invincible Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) accelerates her quest to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms in "Game of Thrones" Episode 28: "Second Sons." The Second Sons are mercenaries contracted to defend the slaver city of Yunkai from Daenerys, her fearsome army and three rapidly growing dragons. Tough gig!

Daenerys believes she can win over these "sellswords," figuring "a man who fights for gold can't afford to lose to a girl." So she negotiates with Mero (Mark Killeen), the company's vile commander.

"A fortnight ago I had no army. A year ago I had no dragons," says Daenerys of her meteoric rise to power. And the Mother of Dragons barely mussed her blond locks while sacking Astapor.

PHOTOS: 'Game of Thrones' cast without their costumes

Ruthless Mero spurns the offer to switch allegiances, however, and orders Lt. Daario Naharis (Ed Skrein) to eliminate Daenerys, special-ops style. Making his move while Daenerys is bathing, Daario puts a blade to the throat of aide-de-camp...

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 19 - 25, 2013 in PDF format

This week's TV Movies  

SERIES

The Voice Maroon 5 performs (as do the contestants) in this new episode. 8 p.m. NBC

Rules of Engagement It's Adam and Jennifer's (Oliver Hudson, Bianca Kajlich) wedding day, but Jeff and Audrey (Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price) are a bit distracted and Brenda (Sara Rue) is in labor in the comedy's series finale. 8:30 p.m. CBS

The Goodwin Games In this new comedy three estranged siblings who return home after the loss of their father and unexpectedly find themselves poised to inherit more than $20 million — but only if they can adhere to their late father's wishes. 8:30 p.m. Fox

American Masters: Mel BrooksThe comedy giant behind "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein." and other classics shares never-before-heard stories about his life and career in this episode featuring new interviews with...

Oh, nature, so near and yet so far: the thing we live in and deny, worship and destroy. The nagging conscience of our modern dystopian times!

It is spiritually useful to be reminded that there is a world of animals that -- for the moment, at least -- live their lives independent of human interference, on land that has not been subdivided, strip-malled, strip-mined, plowed up or plowed under. So, although in its framing, editing and analogizing it does impose a human framework on the unknowable intelligences of its subjects, we are thankful (on balance) for the seven-part "North America," premiering Sunday on Discovery Channel.

The latest of Discovery's blockbuster nature documentaries, after "Planet Earth," "Life," "Frozen Planet" and "Africa," it's also the first to be made apart from the BBC, whose Natural History Unit leads the league in such endeavors. Born of the technological marriage of modern cameras and television monitors, these films are gorgeous from first to last; it's...

The season finale of “SNL,” hosted by five-timer Ben Affleck, was a star-studded event commemorating the end of an era for several veteran cast members.

Guest stars included Jennifer Garner, a.k.a Mrs. Ben Affleck, who showed up during the monologue to gently edit Affleck’s Oscar speech, in which he stated that marriage is work (and some took to mean that being married to Garner in particular was difficult.)

Bill Hader’s oddball character Stefon rode off into the sunset in an appropriately silly, nonsensical manner. After fleeing the Weekend Update desk proclaiming he was going to get married, Seth Meyers (who had been joined for the segment by Amy Poehler for a “Really!?!” segment on the IRS scandal), took off after him to interrupt the ceremony “The Graduate”-style, shocking the many weirdos in attendance, like Alf and human Smurfs. After stealing Stefon away from his intended (played by Anderson Cooper), the two run back to the studio...

Candice Glover sounded so serene as she took reporters' questions Friday afternoon, you'd never know that, mere hours before, she'd been declared "American Idol's" Season 12 winner -- the show's first female winner since Jordin Sparks took the win back in Season 6.

But don't let Glover's chill demeanor fool you into thinking she's not excited. The 23-year-old R&B singer from St. Helena Island, S.C., who'd auditioned for "Idol" twice -- in Seasons 9 and 11 -- before returning to go all the way this season, is thrilled to be pulling together her first album. It will be released on July 16, earlier than those of the show's past winners, "while I'm still fresh in people's minds," Glover says. And she can't wait to embark on the "American Idol" tour on June 29 with the rest of the top 11.

"I'm looking forward to singing and not having to worry about being judged or eliminated or getting votes," she says. "Just singing for the fans." Clearly, she has a lot of them.

Here's what else Glover had...

Over the last few years, as ratings for cable networks like AMC and TLC have surged, their brand identities have shifted just as dramatically. History, the channel that five years ago was known for its dusty old World War II documentaries, is now better known for reality shows about swamp-dwellers and the miniseries “The Bible.”

The notable exception to the rule is USA , which has remained the No. 1-rated entertainment network in cable for the last 7 years despite (or perhaps because of) the remarkable consistency of its content. An average of 3 million viewers a night tune in to USA’s so-called “blue skies” programming, series like “Burn Notice,” “Royal Pains” and “Covert Affairs” that combine sunny locales and quirky characters with exotic or otherwise interesting jobs.

It’s a formula that’s worked beautifully for the network, but now, under the guidance of co-presidents Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber, USA...

The 38th season finale of "Saturday Night Live" airs this weekend and with it come more than a few questions about the confirmed departure of one cast member, the possible departure of two others and the unpredicatable nature of the tempermental musical guest.

Here a few things to be aware of as host (and two-time Oscar winner) Ben Affleck closes out the show's season.

Bill Hader is definitely leaving.

The eight-season veteran confirmed this week that this would be his final show as a regular cast member. He's moving with his family back to Los Angeles and saying farewell to characters such as Stefon, the New York correspondent. But don't expect a tear-jerking farewell in the style of Kristen Wiig. He's stated he doesn't want anything emotional to send him off.

PHOTOS: 'Saturday Night Live': 13 memorable stars

Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis may be leaving.

A report in the New York Post states that two veterans aside from Hader may also leave the show after this episode. Both Jason...

Steve Carell, and therefore Michael Scott, did show up after all for "The Office" finale, as no one should ever have doubted, and was probably never in serious question, as often as that question had been raised over the last many months. Who spends seven years as the star of a show, leaves on perfectly good terms and doesn't come back for the goodbye party? If, as had been reported, Carell had been worried about overshadowing his erstwhile castmates, his absence from the finale, for being noticeable, could easily have had the same effect, or a worse one.

And yet, I was as thick as Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute: It was not until the camera turned to him that I realized Michael would be revealed as Dwight's last-minute best man, a substitution engineered by now former best man Jim (John Krasinski).

"Best prank ever," said Jim.

PHOTOS: Memorable TV series finales

Michael, whose hair had literally been let down from the slicked-back way he wore it all those years -- Michael Scott was...

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 19 - 25, 2013 in PDF format

This week's TV Movies  

SERIES

Doctor Who The Doctor's (Matt Smith) greatest secret is discovered in the season finale. With Alex Kingston and Jenna-Louise Coleman. 5 and 8 p.m. BBC America

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives In this new episode Guy Fieri takes viewers behind the scenes. 10 p.m. Food

Saturday Night Live Ben Affleck hosts the season finale with musical guest Kanye West. 11:29 p.m. NBC

SPECIALS

2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Heart, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush, Donna Summer, Albert King, Quincy Jones and Lou Adler. 9 p.m. HBO

MOVIES

For a Good Time, Call... Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor star in this 2012 comedy as former college mates who start a phone-sex business. 6:30 p.m. Cinemax

Moonrise Kingdom Director and co-writer Wes Anderson's acclaimed 2012's independent film stars Jared Gilman and Kara...

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 19 - 25, 2013 in PDF format

This week's TV Movies  

SUNDAY

Respect their longevity! 1980s icons Prince and Madonna are among the honorees at "The 2013 Billboard Music Awards" in Las Vegas. 8 p.m. ABC

Busy guy: Seth MacFarlane lends his voice to "The Simpsons'" season-ender before wrapping another season of his animated sitcom "Family Guy." 8 and 9 p.m. Fox

"Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night" has the country-music hit-maker sharing the stage with the likes of Keith Urban, John Fogerty and Mrs. McGraw, a.k.a. Faith Hill. 9 p.m. CBS

The new series "North America" is a Canada-to-Panama survey of the natural wonders of the continent we call home. Tom Selleck narrates. 9 p.m. Discovery

MONDAY

Mel Brooks, the mirth-maker behind such comedy classics as "The Producers," "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein," is profiled on "American Masters." 9 p.m. KOCE

Poster...

Amazon hasn't yet announced which of the 14 pilots it released last month will be getting series orders, but there's already been one confirmed casualty: "Zombieland."

Co-creator and co-writer Rhett Reese, who also co-wrote the hit film the pilot was based on, took to his Twitter account to break the news to "Zombieland" fans. Though maybe that's not who he wants to speak to right now.

"Our Zombieland series will not be moving forward on Amazon," he wrote. "Sad for everyone involved."

RELATED: Amazon pilots: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

But then he continued: "I'll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans. You guys successfully hated it out of existence."

Despite having a script by the film's original writers and the same producer, as well as some of the same make-up and visual effects people, fans never quite took to the pilot the way they did to the film, which benefited from the performances of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and,...

"American Idol" just ain't what it used to be.

Thursday's two-hour finale, which saw Candice Glover anointed the 12th "American Idol," generated just 14 million viewers, a whopping 7 million fewer than last year. It's also the first time that the finale has generated an audience of under 20 million.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Idol' Finale

While ratings for the aging reality franchise have been down all season, "American Idol" also faced some particularly stiff competition Thursday night, facing off against the 75-minute series finale of "The Office" as well as the season-ender of the invincible "The Big Bang Theory."

ALSO:

Networks send SOS to Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams

2013 TV Upfronts: Media analyst on network presentations: 'Meh'

2013 TV Upfronts: First-place CBS isn't afraid to be 'smug'

Thrusting an intelligent idealist into a leadership position is a time-honored method of chronicling the corruptive nature of power, particularly the political variety. (Please see "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") In recent years, television writers have done a bit of narrative multi-tasking by making that person a woman--in the U.S. it was "Commander in Chief," in the U.K., "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard." For Denmark, in case you were wondering, it's "Borgen," a political drama that's caused a stir for the past several years among American critics seeking to prove that such shows need not devolve into soap, sentiment or satire. (Also that TV critics are not afraid of subtitles.)

One part "The West Wing," one part "The Newsroom," and more dramatically ambitious than either, "Borgen," which debuts Friday at 10 p.m. on KCET follows the career of Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (Sidse Babett Knudsen), a leader of the moderate party who unexpectedly becomes prime minister only to discover many...

Count Jon Stewart among the many thousands of parents and moviegoers unimpressed by Disney’s controversial makeover of “Brave” heroine Merida.

In case you missed it, last weekend Merida was officially inducted into Disney’s “princess collection,” meaning that her image, like that of Ariel, Belle and Cinderella before her, will now appear on a slew of merchandise aimed at young girls.

The problem is that her image will look noticably different than in the hit Pixar film, which celebrated Merida’s independent spirit: Like a quirky starlet who’s submitted to the pressures of Hollywood by cutting carbs and hiring a stylist, the “princess” version of Merida sports tamer hair, a low-cut neckline, and a narrower waistline. Worst of all, she’s abandoned her trademark bow and arrow.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

“Come on, the whole message of ‘Brave’ was that girls don’t have to fit in with society’s...

It's not enough these days to wonder what to watch on your TV; a growing question for many is how to watch.

Just like any device in your life, TVs can now connect to the Internet. This lets you grab shows from the Internet and watch content whenever you want. Most new TVs come with the ability to connect to the Internet, but there are a number of ways to easily turn an existing TV into a so-called smart TV. Here's a primer.

The simplest way to do so is to connect a TV to a laptop or computer using either a VGA or HDMI cable. In most cases, this will give users either a second screen for their computer or it will mirror what they see on their machines. From there they can play digital content they own or they can visit websites with video such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and HBO GO. Of course, using a computer as a TV involves a lot of work by the user, who has to move the mouse and type out each website they want to go to. This is why digital media receivers exist.

PHOTOS: Tech we want...

After many false starts, television is becoming an interactive medium.

In a sense, it's always been one — even two channels require a choice. Long accustomed to the illusion that the screen is a window through which we are sometimes directly addressed, we are well prepared to be actually watched by it: The TV of the immediate future will be pointing a camera at you. It will know your face. It will see you when you're watching, and it will tell you what you want to watch. As you may have already experienced with Netflix or Amazon, it will often be on target.

"Finding something to watch used to take forever," says an actress playing an Average Viewer in a promotional video for Samsung's new latest-generation smart TV. She is happy that her television is fetching back from the overcrowded ether "the kind of stuff I like."

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

A friend of mine wrote recently, "The people I am interacting with today are working on 'empathic algorithms' and 'sentiment...

For decades we've been watching TV. Now a new generation of televisions is beginning to watch us.

Technological advances are giving the old clunky "boob tube" an I.Q. injection. Some of the new breed of smart TVs comes equipped with facial recognition technology of the kind used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to "see" the images flickering on the screen and suggest new shows based on what you've been watching.

Building on advances pioneered by the video game industry, some of the new TVs change channels with the sweep of the hand. Others allow viewers to ask, "What movies are on tonight?" and get an answer.

Instead of turning on the TV in the morning and finding it tuned to the "Today" show because last night you watched NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," you'll see a tile of images presenting options that include shows that you've recorded, shows currently airing and a list of options offered through on-demand services such as Netflix or Amazon Instant Video.

PHOTOS...

Frank Darabont went quiet.        

The writer/producer, whose most recent éclat is as the man who developed cable champion “The Walking Dead” only to be unceremoniously forced out as showrunner ahead of its second season, was seated at a network media lunch in New York earlier this week to promote his forthcoming Los Angeles-set TNT noir crime drama “Lost Angels.”

He was energetic when he talked about the show’s appeal -- “It’s noir on the TV screen, it’s so unlike anything that’s out there!” -- and of filming in L.A. -- “It’s very cool to shoot at City Hall on a Saturday. Nobody bothers you.”

But when asked what lessons he’s learned since his ruffled departure from AMC that he’s applied to his new cable home, the soft-spoken Darabont rested his fork on his plate and paused.

“I’m probably not able to comment on that,” he told The Times, only half-joking. “I will say it&...

Spoiler alert! "Scandal" is the most cynical show on television.

No seriously, don't read any further if you care about what happened on Thursday night's finale but disobeyed the directive to watch it in real time. Because for weeks now, creator Shonda Rhimes has been warning her "gladiator" fans that if they missed watching the final five minutes in "real time," they'd be kicking themselves all summer. One assumes she is referring to the big "What's Up Doc?" rip-off of a final scene in which Olivia (Kerry Washington) is hustled through a braying pack of reporters, who have finally  learned of her affair with the president, and into a waiting limo. There she takes one look at the mysteriously well-connected and dastardly man  (Joe Morton) who has been behind pretty much every terrible thing, including two attempts on Olivia's life,  that has happened this season, and says, "Dad?"

Honestly, it was difficult not to laugh. "Dad?"

Other than that, nothing really happened in the season...

If viewers are losing interest in broadcast TV, what can lure them back? Executives hope they have an answer: stars.

Lifting the curtain on their 2013-14 schedules at the "upfronts" in New York this week, the networks behaved like smartphone-toting fans crashing a red carpet. Stars they craved, and stars they got:

There was James Spader, the former "Boston Legal" headliner tapped for NBC's crime thriller "The Blacklist." Greg Kinnear plays a troubled lawyer on Fox's midseason drama "Rake." Andy Samberg and Rebel Wilson are favorites among millennials and now Fox is touting their comedies "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Super Fun Night." Sitcom wizards of yesteryear Michael J. Fox and Sean Hayes? NBC has built vehicles for both.

VIDEO: New fall TV shows

CBS programming chief Nina Tassler crowed about "the biggest 'get' of the season" — Robin Williams, who rocketed to fame in "Mork & Mindy" a generation ago, returning to TV as an eccentric ad exec in "The Crazy Ones."

Williams, a...

NEW YORK — The CW is increasing its stock in fantastical television.

The network, often overlooked when measured against its larger broadcast competitors, is building on its efforts to broaden its target 18- to 34-year-old audience. It's adding five dramas to its lineup next season, four of which flit around the sci-fi/fantasy genre — a strategic change for a network whose brand seemed aligned with the glitz and glamour of shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "90210."

"You have to make noise," network President Mark Pedowitz told reporters after the CW's presentation to advertisers Thursday at New York City Center. "It's very hard to make noise these days with a smaller, softer show."

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

Change isn't always seamless. The CW was down 13% this season in the 18-to-49 demographic that advertisers prize and down 4% in total viewers, according to Nielsen. The network, of course, downplayed the traditional measurement figures, finding other ways to play up its...

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 12 - 18, 2013 in PDF format

This week's TV Movies  

 

SERIES

Undercover Boss Following last week's "Epic Employees" episode, the season finale catches up with some of the executives who have taken part in the show over the past four seasons. 8 p.m. CBS

Nikita Amanda (Melinda Clarke) forces Nikita (Maggie Q) into a tight spot, where she must choose between saving Michael's (Shane West) life and her own in the season finale. 8 p.m. KTLA

Shark Tank The season wraps up with a pair of new episodes. Women present a line of jewelry inspired by their time at West Point, the Sharks get an update on a cleaning tool from Season 4, and they get an animated pitch. 8 and 9 p.m. ABC

Great Performances at the Met Director Michael Mayer makes his Metropolitan Opera debut with a new production of Verdi's "Rigoletto" that moves the story to the Las Vegas strip circa 1960. 9 p.m....

Candice Glover was crowned the Season 12 winner of "American Idol" on Thursday night, giving us all a lesson in hard work and persistence and proving that talent really can carry the day. She's the first female "Idol" winner since Jordin Sparks in Season 6.

"I can't even …" she said after Ryan Seacrest had named her as the winner and Kree Harrison, her bestie rival, as runner-up. "Three years."

The lush-voiced 23-year-old soul singer from St. Helena Island, S.C., who'd toiled as a travel agent, waiting for her chance to step into the spotlight and show the world what she could do, had auditioned for "Idol" twice -- in Seasons 9 and 11 -- before making it to the live rounds this season. This year, she's said, she came back with a new confidence and a clear sense of who she is.

PHOTOS: 'American Idol' judges through the years

At times, she seemed to want the win more than anyone else in the contest, to be willing to fight for it with performances that blew the competition away and...

"North America" (Discovery Channel, Sunday). The latest blockbuster nature documentary to justify your purchase of an HDTV (see also "Planet Earth," "Life," "Frozen Planet," "Africa") is the seven-part "North America." There are some hectoring musical passages and the narration, delivered by Tom Selleck, foregrounding the folksy creak in his voice, can run to the precious and dramatically over-personified: Why does the continent need to be "she," or the yearning-to-breathe-free behavior of wild animals be taken to somehow express "the American heart"? But you can turn down the sound to eliminate that human element and feel all the power and mystery of the wilderness without distraction. (You'll still know what's happening most of the time.) The real honor the series does the natural world is to pay it witness, and this it is does exceedingly well: It is gorgeous clean through. The episode I've seen hops around the map, from gray whales in the Bering Sea to cute little colorful birds in...

After doing the job on an interim basis, Araksya Karapetyan has officially been given the position of anchor on the "Fox 11 News" shows that air weekdays 4:30-7 a.m. and 10-10:30 a.m. on KTTV-TV Channel 11.

She replaces Jean Martinez, who left last October.

Karapetyan joined KTTV last year as a general assignment reporter after previous stints in Portland, Ore., and Idaho Falls, Idaho. A graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, she launched her TV career as an intern at KABC-TV Channel 7 in L.A.

In a statement released by the Fox-owned station, Karapetyan suggested that adapting to the early-morning newscast had been a challenge. "I used to go to bed at 1:45 a.m.," she said, "not wake up at that time!"

ALSO:

"Thomas & Friends" goes daily on PBS Kids

The Gold Standard: It's time for Emmy to surprise us

Jodi Arias to be subject of Lifetime movie 'Dirty Little Secret'

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The CW rolled out its 2013-14 lineup on Thursday, and just like last year, the schedule has been significantly shaken up. Only "Arrow" and "The Vampire Diaries" will retain their regular slots.

Trailers and clips for five new shows were also released: "Reign," "Star-Crossed," "The 100," "The Originals" and "The Tomorrow People."

"The Originals" is enjoying some buzz thanks to the fact that it's a "Vampire Diaries" spinoff. "Reign" is also attracting attention and has been given the prime slot after "The Vampire Diaries," on Thursday night. The romantic, historical drama stars Adelaide Kane as a young Mary, Queen of Scots.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV trailers

In addition, "Star-Crossed" is about young lovers forbidden to be together; "The 100" focuses on a group of humans returning to Earth after it has been vacant for 100 years; and "The Tomorrow People" stars Robbie Amell, the cousin of "Arrow" star, Stephen Amell, as a young man who is a step above the rest when it comes to evolution.

Traile...

Well, that didn't take long.

Barely a week after being found guilty of murder, Jodi Arias is the subject of a planned Lifetime movie.

The story of Arias will be dramatized in "Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret," which has been scheduled for June 22. The film will star Tania Raymonde as Arias and Jesse Lee Soffer as Alexander.

VIDEO: New fall TV shows

Arias, an aspiring photographer, was convicted May 8 of killing her former lover, Travis Alexander, who was found in his home shower with a slit throat, 27 additional stab wounds and a bullet to his head. Police said she broke off their relationship, stalked Alexander and seduced him one more time before murdering him in cold blood. Arias had pleaded self-defense.

The trial was covered extensively by cable news networks, particularly HLN, which featured host Nancy Grace relentlessly vilifying Arias.

No word yet on who, if anyone, will play Grace in the movie.

In addition, Lifetime plans to air next Wednesday an hour-long documentary, "Jodi...

"Thomas & Friends" is returning for a new season on PBS Kids, and in a nod to the growing popularity of the British tank engine and his pals, the show is getting a big upgrade on the PBS schedule.

After running in syndication on the weekends since 2004, the series is getting bumped up to PBS' national feed on weekdays beginning Oct. 7, where it will begin running daily for a potential audience of 95 million households.

Additionally, a new section of the PBS Kids website (pbskids.org) will be dedicated to Thomas, for parents to stream videos for the kids, when the daily airing of the CG animated series just isn't enough.

VIDEO: Fall 2013 TV preview

The venerable "Thomas & Friends" series, which has aired in the U.S. since 1989, has been enjoying a recent surge in ratings, with the show seeing a 55% audience increase from two years ago and a 33% increase of its target audience, children ages 2-5, over the course of the last year.

The series began airing in the U.K. in 1984 as "Thomas the...

The “blue skies” network is about to get a little more diverse: On Thursday, USA announced series order for two half-hour comedies as well as a WWII drama from “The Walking Dead” producer Gale Anne Hurd.

“Sirens,” from executive producer Denis Leary, will follow three Chicago EMTs and is based on a UK series of the same name. Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham will executive-produce and star in “Playing House,” a single-camera comedy about two best friends --  one single and career-driven, the other expecting a child.

VIDEO: New fall TV shows

They are the first half-hour sitcoms from the network, and will launch early in 2014, several months after USA begins airing repeats of “Modern Family” on Sept. 24.

Another first for the network is an upcoming period piece, “Horizon,” about an FBI secretary set at the height of WWII, from Hurd. The pilot will go into production this summer.

The new projects are the latest...

While most of the media attention is focused on NBC on Thursday as "The Office" comes to a close after nine seasons, CBS plans to throw a major cliffhanger at fans of "The Big Bang Theory."

According to star Simon Helberg, who revealed the sixth season finale plans in an interview with the Associated Press, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) will get a job offer to ship out to sea with Stephen Hawking's crew on a boat in the North Sea for four months. But will that mean leaving Penny (Kaley Cuoco) behind?

And don't forget about Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who also doesn't want to see Leonard leave him for months at a time. But don't think that's because Sheldon's getting all emotional here -- he just doesn't want to lose his personal chauffer.

What will Leonard do?

For a series that signifies such a deep affiliation with nerd culture to its fans, "Big Bang Theory" has had a penchant for tugging at the heart and not the brain for its cliffhangers. Take for instance the season four finale, which had...

"The Middle" -- Too long have the hilarious and down-rent relatable Hecks lived in the shadow of their upscale-yet-seeming-unemployed neighbors on"Modern Family." Patricia Heaton's Frankie and Neil Flynn's Mike remind us on a weekly basis that fatigue and bewilderment are the real resting states of family life and their assorted children -- jock Axl (Charlie McDermott), sweet 'n' goofy Sue (Eden Sher) and oddball bookworm Brick (Atticus Shaffer) -- are the anti-Abercrombie kids most of us once were. The season finale will be chock full o' milestones, Axl graduates high school, Brick moves on to middle school and Sue tries to get her license, for the sixth time. ABC, Wednesday, 8 p.m.

"Borgen" -- Having got out of the PBS biz right before the debut of "Downton Abbey," KCET is playing a bit of catch-up by debuting the Danish political drama that has had critics buzzing long before the show made its way to the U.S. Following the personal and political machinations of Birgitte Nyborg...

Either way you go, America, you can't lose. Kree Harrison and Candice Glover, "American Idol's" two very talented Season 12 finalists, sang for the big win Wednesday night.

In what Ryan Seacrest called a battle between country and soul and the show's first all-female finale since season 3, each singer performed at the top of her game, tackling three songs in three rounds live before the judges, 7,000 fans crammed into the Nokia Theater, and the voters at home who would determine their fates.

In Round 1, each singer sang a song chosen by "Idol" creator Simon Fuller. Round 2 showcased the first single the singer would release, should she be crowned winner. (The song sung by last year's winner, Phillip Phillips, in the finale, "Home," went on to become the best-selling "Idol" single of all time, Seacrest reminded us.) And for Round 3, each contestant chose a song she had sung previously this season.

PHOTOS: 'American Idol': Where are they now?

Harrison had won a coin toss and with it the...