"What is wrong with you people?" a bewildered woman asks tonight on AMC during the two-hour Season 5 opener of the acclaimed drama "Mad Men." "You're all so cynical. You don't smile. You smirk."
She's referring to the hustlers and con artists who populate Don Draper's (Jon Hamm) 1960s-era ad agency, and, of course, she's right, but that's exactly how we prefer them.
Finally back after a brutally long 17-month hiatus, these characters are now wondering what the future holds as they struggle to adapt to the changes brought on by the cultural upheaval of their times. Then again, some things never change: "Mad Men" is still as sleek and seductive as ever. Other TV picks for the week:
• Tonight: What was supposed to be a season finale sadly has become a series finale for "Luck." The plug was pulled on Dustin Hoffman's first-year racetrack drama after three horses died on the set, prompting outrage among animal-rights activists. (HBO) ... In the new reality series, "Leave It to Niecy," the focus is on actor-comedian Niecy Nash, her new husband, their three boisterous children and her very opinionated mother. (TLC)
• Monday: The moody sci-fi prison mystery, "Alcatraz," slams the cell doors shut on its first season with a two-hour finale that promises more answers, more secrets and a pedal-to-the-metal car chase through the streets of San Francisco. (Fox) ... Shailene Woodley returns for a new season of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Her character now has a ring on her finger, but will she really go through with the wedding? (ABC Family)
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• Tuesday: "New Girl" Jess (Zooey Deschanel) hits the town with her new boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney). (Fox) ... In the latest edition of "Frontline," correspondent Lowell Bergman chronicles shocking accounts of bribery, blackmail and phone hacking that have rocked Rupert Murdoch's media dynasty. He also explores the battle over the future of News Corporation and Murdoch's family fortune. (PBS)
• Wednesday: The gripping crime drama, "Whitechapel" returns for its second season. After apprehending a blood thirsty Jack the Ripper clone, Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) and his partners turn their attention to new challenges. (BBC America)
• Thursday: "The Pauly D Project" a spinoff series, has spiky-haired Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio taking center stage for 12 episodes. (MTV) ... "You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't" is a compelling new installment of "Independent Lens" that immerses viewers in the daily experiences of a woman with Alzheimer's who lives with charismatic vitality. (PBS)
• Friday: Guest-star alert: Lee Majors, aka the Six Million Dollar Man, drops in on "CSI: NY" as a retired detective who investigated an unsolved 1950s murder case with eerie similarities to a new crime. (CBS)
• Saturday: Break out the green slime. It's time for "Kids' Choice Awards 2012," the event that honors youthful favorites in all realms of pop culture, including sports. Will Smith hosts the show, which features a performance by One Direction. (Nickelodeon)
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©2012 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
