"The Borgias," a grandiose costume drama that returns tonight for its second season on Showtime, is definitely at a "time of reckoning."
In Season 1, Rodrigo Borgia, aka Pope Alexander (Jeremy Irons), and his less than saintly family lied, cheated, fornicated and murdered their way to power. Now, will they be able to stave off their enemies without turning on each other? Or will there be hell to pay?
Whatever the case, it's painfully obvious that more decadence -- and bloodshed -- is in the offing.
• Also tonight: "The Big C" returns for its third season on Showtime and, just for a change, Cathy (Laura Linney) receives some hopeful news about her diagnosis. The episode immediately follows the Season 4 opener of Edie Falco's dark comedy, "Nurse Jackie." ... Jennifer Love Hewitt returns to prime time in "The Client List," a steamy drama full of eye candy and hard bodies. She plays a financially strapped single mom who takes a job at a day spa, only to discover that it doubles as a brothel. Oops. (Lifetime) ... You've seen "Mad Men." Now comes "The Pitch." It's a reality series that focuses on four actual advertising agencies as they formulate concepts and compete for accounts. In the opener, the ad people pitch ideas to executives from Subway restaurants. (AMC)
• Monday: The chaos continues on "Smash" as the producers finally land a certifiable star -- played by Uma Thurman -- to lead their Marilyn Monroe musical. But problems arise when she gets stuck in Cuba. (NBC)
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• Tuesday: The wait is over, "Glee" fans. The show finally returns from hiatus with an episode that features Matt Bomer ("White Collar") as Blaine's (Darren Criss) older brother. More importantly, we want to learn the fate of Quinn (Diana Agron), who was last seen getting into a brutal car accident. (Fox) ... Yet another gripping season of "Justified" comes to an end tonight as an incensed Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) goes on a vengeful rampage against those responsible for the death of his friend. The title of the episode is "Slaughterhouse," which may tell you just how brutal things get. (FX)
• Wednesday: "Don't Trust the B_ in Apartment 23" is a female odd-couple comedy about a naive young woman from the Midwest (Drema Walker) who moves to New York and hooks up with a cold, ruthless nightmare of a roommate (Krysten Ritter). (ABC) ... "America Revealed" is a more-fun-than-it-sounds series about the various networks that keep our country running. In tonight's opener, host and former "Survivor" champ Yul Kwon examines food growth and delivery, with a stop in California's bountiful Central Valley. (PBS)
• Thursday: On a new episode of "Missing," Becca (Ashley Judd) is getting frustrated by the lack of leads in her search for Michael (Nick Eversman). So it's on to Prague, where she'll undoubtedly kick some more bad guys in the head. (ABC)
• Friday: The chiffon hits the fan in Season 2 of "Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids" as a maid of honor puts a lifelong friendship at risk. How? She vehemently disagrees with the bride-to-be over the color of the bridesmaids' frocks. Only in America do we call this entertainment. (TLC)
• Saturday: You'll find no trace of Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet in this "Titanic." It's a new, four-part miniseries about the famous nautical disaster. Spoiler alert: The ship sinks. (ABC)
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(c)2012 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
Distributed by MCT Information Services
