Must See HDTV (August 27th - September 2nd)
This is it, the crossover where summer and fall programming mix. College football is back in action, and we say good bye to some of our favorite summer TV shows like Breaking Bad. TV fans should also keep an eye out on the disc releases, as many shows boxed sets are hitting shelves before the new season begin airing soon. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Breaking Bad
This weekend the first half of the fifth and final season of AMC's Breaking Bad comes to a close, before viewers wait for the second half to air in summer 2013. You won't find any spoilers here, but the path Walter White has taken has certainly arrived at places few would have predicted when the show began. The only question now is how many surprises are left before it all comes to an end.
(September 2, AMC, 10PM)
Doctor Who
Also fresh this weekend is a new series of Doctor Who episodes, kicking off with Asylum of the Daleks. The better news as of late has been BBC America closing the gap in airing new episodes and that DirecTV is carrying the channel in HD at last. If you can't wait for new shows, check out the Pond Life preview clip embedded after the break.
(September 1, BBC America, 9PM)
College Football
While preseason week four of the NFL season is skippable pigskin action, the return of college football this weekend will have us planted firmly in front of our HDTVs. The Hawaii/USC and Michigan/Alabama matchups Saturday night should start the season off with a bang and we can't wait. Looking for your favorite team in the listings? We've got many of the nationwide broadcasts covered, but reader Jose Perez reminds us of this comprehensive TV schedule at LSUFootball.net that should let you know who is playing where all season long.
(August 30th - September 1st)
Blu-ray & Games
The Walking Dead (S2)
Battleship
Sons of Anarchy (S4)
Homeland (S1)
Boardwalk Empire (S2)
Think Like A Man
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D)
Madden NFL 13
Rock Band Blitz (Xbox 360, PS3)
Ratchet & Clank Collection (PS3)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PS3)
Psychonauts (PS3)
Monday
Alphas, Syfy, 8PM
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (summer finale), ABC Family, 8PM
Bachelor Pad, ABC, 8PM
WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
Stars Earn Stripes, NBC, 9PM
Single Ladies (season finale), VH1, 9PM
Warehouse 13, Syfy, 9PM
Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
Perception, TNT, 10PM
Grimm, NBC, 10PM
The Inbetweeners, MTV, 10:30PM
Web Therapy, Showtime, 11PM
Tuesday
2012 Republican National Convention, ABC, NBC, CBS, 10PM
America's Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
Pretty Little Liars (summer finale), ABC Family, 8PM
Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
Top Gear (US), History, 9PM
White Collar, USA, 9PM
Hard Knocks, HBO, 10PM
Covert Affairs, USA, 10PM
The Burn, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Wednesday
Patriots/Giants preseason football, NFL Network, 7:30PM
2012 Republican National Convention, ABC, CBS, NBC, 10PM
Oh Sit!, CW, 8PM
Melissa & Joey (season finale), ABC Family, 8PM
Baby Daddy (season finale), ABC Family, 8:30PM
America's Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
Royal Pains, USA, 9PM
Damages, DirecTV, 9PM
Necessary Roughness (summer finale), USA, 10PM
Dirty Jobs, Discovery, 10PM
The Franchise, Showtime, 10PM
Futurama (season finale), Comedy Central, 10PM
The Real World, MTV, 10PM
Thursday
Chiefs/Packers preseason football, NFL Network, 7PM
Broncos/Cardinals preseason football, NFL Network, 11PM
UCLA/Rice college football, CBS Sports Network, 6:30PM
South Carolina/Vanderbilt college football, ESPN, 7PM
Texas A&M/Louisiana Tech college football, ESPNU, 7:30PM
Washington State/BYU college football, ESPN, 9:15PM
Minnesota/UNLV college football, CBS Sports Network, 9:15PM
2012 Republican National Convention, ABC, CBS, NBC, 10PM
Impact Wrestling, Spike TV, 8PM
Wipeout, ABC, 8PM
Rookie Blue, ABC, 9PM
Caught Looking, NBC Sports Network, 9PM
Saving Hope, NBC, 9PM
Wilfred, FX, 10PM
Sullivan & Son, TBS, 10PM
Rock Center With Brian Williams, NBC, 10PM
Awkward, MTV, 10:30PM
Louie, FX, 10:30PM
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, FX, 11PM
Children's Hospital, Cartoon Network, 11:59PM
Friday
Boise State/Michigan State college football, ESPN, 8PM
NC State/Tennessee college football, ESPNU, 7:30PM
WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
Boss, Starz, 9PM
Strike Back, Cinemax, 10PM
XIII, Reelzchannel, 9PM
Lost Girl, Syfy, 10PM
Saturday
Doctor Who (season premiere), BBC America, 9PM
Hawaii/USC college football, Fox, 7PM
Michigan/Alabama college football, ABC, 8PM
Arkansas State/Oregon college football, ESPN, 9:30PM
Saving Hope, NBC, 9PM
Sunday
Belgium F1 GP, Speed, 8AM
Indycar @ Baltimore, NBC Sports Network, 2PM
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Atlanta, ESPN, 6:30PM
ABC Fall Preview Special, ABC, 7PM
Survivorman, Discovery, 8PM
Storm Surfers, 3Net, 9PM
One Car Too Far, Discovery, 9PM
Leverage, TNT, 9PM
Hell On Wheels, AMC, 9PM
Breaking Bad (summer finale), AMC, 10PM
Copper, BBC America, 10PM
Weeds, Showtime, 10PM
Web Therapy, Showtime, 10:30PM
Small Town Security (season finale), AMC, 11PM