Must See HDTV (December 12th - 18th)

This week sees even more shows saying goodbye before a holiday break, but as usual cable and reality TV are around to try to pick up the slack. While Fear Factor returns on network TV, Discovery fans can check out the season premiere of Dirty Jobs. The Blu-ray release schedule has a little something for everyone as well, with cult classic The Rocketeer joining City of God and two very different 3D flicks in Kung Fu Panda 2 and Fright Night. Check below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listings of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

City of God
When Lionsgate announced its deal to distribute Miramax's movies in the US, long delayed Blu-ray releases like Pulp Fiction (deservedly) received a lion's share of the attention, but this week another one of our favorites, City of God, emerges from the vaults at last. Released in 2002 and previously available in HD internationally, this Brazilian flick tells the story of two boys growing up in Brazil's slums as one grows up to lead one of the local gangs and the other becomes a photographer. A crime epic on par with any of the other classics, it has characters that will stick with you long after the movie is over, and has a story that unfolds with more layers than can be described in this space. If you're not familiar, check out the trailer after the break.
(December 13th, $14.99 on Amazon)

Fear Factor
One of the shows that started off the reality TV craze is back this week, as Fear Factor returns on NBC. Airing for the first time in HD, host Joe Rogan will once again cajole, encourage and tease a group of contestants through a series of increasingly gross / thrilling / dangerous stunts until they are eliminated. High-brow entertainment it ain't, but it can still be a fun watch. Check out a trailer showing what's in store this season embedded after the break.
(December 12th, NBC, 8 & 9PM)


Always Sunny in Philadelphia
This week sees the season finale of Always Sunny, and as usual the gang is up to no good. This is the second of a two-part episode as they attend a high school reunion, and to recap, Dennis misguidedly believes he was one of the cool kids and is ducking his dead-toothed ex wife, Dee unsuccessfully tried to infiltrate the cool table by slinging insults around, Mac's real name has been revealed and Charlie is unconscious after huffing chemicals. So, they're up to their usual antics.
(December 15th, FX, 10PM)

Blu-ray & Games

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes

• Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)

• Fright Night (3D)

• City of God

• The Rocketeer (20th Anniversary Edition)

• Heavenly Creatures

• Velvet Goldmine

Monday

• Fear Factor (season premiere), NBC, 8 & 9PM

• Stephen King's Bag of Bones Part 2 of 2 (series finale), A&E, 9PM

• Enlightened (season finale), HBO, 9:30PM

• Rams/Seahawks Monday Night Football, ESPN, 8:30PM

• 2 Broke Girls (fall finale), CBS, 8PM

• Two and a Half Men (fall finale), CBS, 9PM

• Mike & Molly (fall finale), CBS, 9:30PM

• Hawaii Five-0 (fall finale), CBS, 10PM

• Terra Nova, Fox, 8PM

• The Closer, TNT, 9PM

• WWE Raw, USA, 9PM

• American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior, Discovery, 9PM

• You Deserve It, ABC, 9PM

• Rizzoli & Isles, TNT, 10PM

• American Guns, Discovery, 10PM

• Rock Center with Brian Williams, NBC, 10PM

Tuesday

• Dirty Jobs (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM

• Good Morning Killer (special presentation), TNT, 9PM

• Knights of Mayhem (season finale), National Geographic, 9PM

• Last Man Standing (fall finale), ABC, 8 & 8:30PM

• NCIS (fall finale), CBS, 8PM

• NCIS: LA (fall finale), CBS, 9PM

• Unforgettable (fall finale), CBS, 10PM

• Glee, Fox, 8PM

• New Girl, Fox, 9PM

• Raising Hope, Fox, 9:30PM

• Flashpoint, Ion, 10PM

• Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan, G4, 10PM

Wednesday

• The Real World (season finale), MTV, 10PM

• Psych (fall finale), USA, 10PM

• Criminal Minds (fall finale), CBS, 9PM

• CSI (fall finale), CBS, 10PM

• Debra DiGivoanni: Single, Awkward, Female (special presentation), Showtime, 10PM

• America Caught on Camera, Travel, 10PM

• Survivor, CBS, 8PM

• The X-Factor, Fox, 8PM

• Inside The NFL, Showtime, 9PM

• I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Fox, 9:30PM

• State of Play, BBC America, 10PM

• Moonshiners, Discovery, 10PM

• American Horror Story, FX, 10PM

Thursday

• It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (season finale), FX, 10PM

• Rules of Engagement, CBS (fall finale), 8:30PM

• Person of Interest (fall finale), CBS, 9PM

• Burn Notice (fall finale), USA, 10PM

• The Mentalist (fall finale), CBS, 10PM

• Jaguars/Falcons Thursday Night Football, NFL Network, 8PM

• The X-Factor, Fox, 8PM

• The Year The Earth Went Wild (special presentation), Discovery, 9PM

• Less Than Kind, DirecTV 101, 9PM

• Call Me Fitz, DirecTV 101, 9:30PM

• Prime Suspect, NBC, 10PM

• Beavis & Butt-head, MTV, 10 & 10:30PM

• Big Shrimpin', History, 10PM

• Good Vibes, MTV, 11, & 11:30PM

• The League, FX, 10:30PM

Friday

• Christmas in Washington (special presentation), TNT, 8PM

• Chuck, NBC, 8PM

• Grimm, NBC, 9PM

• WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM

• The Take (part 3 of 4), Encore, 9PM

• Sanctuary, Syfy, 10PM

• Invention USA, History, 10PM

• X-Men Anime, G4, 11PM

Saturday

• Cowboys/Buccaneers football, NFL Network, 9PM

• Earth's Final Hours (special presentation), Syfy, 9PM

• Primeval (season finale), BBCA, 9PM

• WWE Salute to the Troops (special presentation), NBC, 9PM

• Saturday Night Live: Jimmy Fallon / Michael Buble, NBC, 11:30PM

Sunday

• Survivor (season finale), CBS, 8PM

• Allen Gregory (season finale), Fox, 8:30PM

• Dexter (season finale), Showtime, 9PM

• Homeland (season finale), Showtime, 10PM

• Luck, HBO, 10PM

• Ravens/Chargers football, NBC, 8:15PM

• 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM

• Leverage, TNT, 9PM

• Hell on Wheels, AMC, 10PM

• Pan Am, ABC, 10PM

• Survivor: The Reunion, CBS, 10PM

• All-American Muslim, TLC, 10PM