Must See HDTV (November 12th - 18th)
While the fall TV premiere season may have cooled off (who's excited for the season premiere of Whitney? No one? Ok.) there's a slew of videogames and movies arriving for our home viewing pleasure. That includes several blockbuster titles, plus hits from the archives as varied as Lawrence of Arabia and Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure. 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.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
It's fall, there's a new Call of Duty game. Killstreaks, multiplayer, elite, etc. A new tweak this time around is the ability to live stream matches via Youtube and other platforms, but we suspect you've already decided whether or not this year's update is a must-buy for you. Joystiq's review should be live soon of course, if you need a final go-ahead.
($59.99 on Amazon)
Friends: the Complete Series
Fans of the series can finally get every single episode in high definition (it was recorded on film and has been airing in HD in syndication for a while, so you should have some idea of the quality) this week. The better news is that while Friends: The Complete Series carries a $300 MSRP, the actual price for all 296 episodes is down to $149 if you're willing to dive in.
($149.99 on Amazon)
Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part 1
While what could be* the final go-round of Matt Smith as the Doctor has not yet concluded, you can get the first half of the season on Blu-ray this week. Companions Amy and Rory are still along for the ride which includes encounters with (of course) the Daleks, and more. At five episodes, it may be worth holding off for the season to finish, but at least it's pretty cheap. (Update: Despite hinting at plans to leave the role, there is not yet confirmation about Matt Smith's Who plans past this season.)
($19.99 on Amazon)
Blu-ray & Games
Brave (3D)
Lawrence of Arabia (50th Anniversary Limited Collector's Edition)
Savages
Pixar Short Films Collection Vol. 2
The Watch
Friends: The Complete Series
Nitro Circus: The Movie (3D)
Empire of the Sun (25th Anniversary Edition)
2 Days in New York
The Universe in 3D (3D)
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Doctor Who (S7, Part 1)
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3, Xbox 360)
Monday
Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States (series premiere), Showtime, 8PM
Chiefs/Steelers Monday Night Football, ESPN, 8:30PM
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 8PM
Bones, Fox, 8PM
90210, CW, 8PM
Dancing With The Stars, ABC, 8PM
WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
The Voice, NBC, 8PM
Partners, CBS, 8:30PM
Top Gear, BBC America, 8:30PM
2 Broke Girls, CBS, 9PM
Witness, HBO, 9PM
The Mob Doctor, Fox, 9PM
American Chopper, Discovery, 9PM
Gossip Girl, CW, 9PM
Mike & Molly, CBS, 9:30PM
Castle, ABC, 10PM
Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 10PM
Revolution, NBC, 10PM
Fast n' Loud, Discovery, 10PM
Tuesday
Ohio/Ball State college football, ESPNU, 7PM
Toledo/Northern Illinois college football, ESPN2, 8PM
Michigan State/Kansas college basketball, ESPN / ESPN3D, 7PM
Hart of Dixie, CW, 8PM
Raising Hope, Fox, 8PM
NCIS, CBS, 8PM
Dancing With The Stars, ABC, 8PM
The Voice, NBC, 8PM
Ben & Kate, Fox, 8:30PM
New Girl, Fox, 9PM
Emily Owens M.D., CW, 9PM
NCIS: LA, CBS, 9PM
Mankind: The Story of All of Us (series premiere), History, 9PM
Happy Endings, ABC, 9PM
Go On, NBC, 9PM
Call Me Fitz, DirecTV, 9PM
Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23, ABC, 9:30PM
The New Normal, NBC, 9:30PM
The Mindy Project, Fox, 9:30PM
Private Practice, ABC, 10PM
Vegas, CBS, 10PM
Go On, NBC, 10PM
Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
Sons of Anarchy, FX, 10PM
Covert Affairs, USA, 10PM
Underemployed, MTV, 10PM
Brickleberry, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
The New Normal, NBC, 10:30PM
Flashpoint, Ion, 11PM
Wednesday
Whitney (season premiere), NBC, 8PM
Eddie Murphy: One Night Only (special presentation), Spike TV, 10PM
US/Russia Men's soccer, ESPN2, 10AM
Arrow, CW, 8PM
WWE Main Event, Ion, 8PM
Survivor, CBS, 8PM
The Middle, ABC, 8PM
The X Factor, Fox, 8PM
Grizzlies/Thunder, ESPN, 8PM
Guys With Kids, NBC, 8:30PM
The Neighbors, ABC, 8:30PM
Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
Law & Order: SVU, NBC, 9PM
Modern Family, ABC, 9PM
Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
Supernatural, CW, 9PM
Suburgatory, ABC, 9:30PM
Chicago Fire, NBC, 10PM
Nashville, ABC, 10PM
American Horror Story, FX, 10PM
Inside NASCAR, Showtime, 10PM
NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 10PM
CSI, CBS, 10PM
Key & Peele, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Heat/Clippers, ESPN, 10:30PM
Thursday
Dolphins/Bills Thursday Night Football, NFL Network, 8PM
UNC/Virginia college football, ESPN, 7:30PM
Celtics/Nets, TNT, 8PM
Heat/Nuggets, TNT, 10:30PM
The X Factor, Fox, 8PM
30 Rock, NBC, 8PM
Last Resort, ABC, 8PM
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
Impact Wrestling, Spike TV, 8PM
Two And A Half Men, CBS, 8:30PM
Up All Night, NBC, 8:30PM
The Office, NBC, 9PM
Glee, Fox, 9PM
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 9PM
Person of Interest, CBS, 9PM
Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9PM
Crossfire Hurricane, HBO, 9PM
Parks & Recreation, NBC, 9:30PM
Rock Center with Brian Williams, NBC, 10PM
Burn Notice, USA, 10PM
Elementary, CBS, 10PM
Scandal, ABC, 10PM
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX, 10PM
The League, FX, 10:30PM
Brand X with Russell Brand, FX, 11PM
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, FX, 11:30PM
Children's Hospital (season finale), Cartoon Network, 11:59PM
Friday
We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Tribute to Whitney Houston, CBS, 10PM
Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
Malibu County, ABC, 8:30PM
Knicks/Grizzlies, ESPN, 9:30PM
WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
Fringe, Fox, 9PM
Grimm, NBC, 9PM
CSI:NY, CBS, 9PM
Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
Haven, Syfy, 10PM
Hunted, Cinemax, 10PM
The Ultimate Fighter, FX, 10PM
Saturday
Arsenal/Tottenham Hotspur soccer, ESPN2, 7:30AM
Iowa/Michigan college football, ESPN2 & ESPN 3D, 12PM
USC/UCLA college football, Fox, 3PM
Oklahoma/West Virginia college football, Fox, 6:30PM
Stanford/Oregon college football, ABC, 8PM
Kansas State/Baylor college football, ESPN, 8PM
UFC 154 prelims, FX, 8PM
Ghost Storm, Syfy, 9PM
UFC 154, PPV, 10PM
24/7: Pacquiao/Marquez (season premiere), HBO, 11:15PM
Saturday Night Live: Jeremy Renner / Maroon 5, NBC 11:30PM
Sunday
United States Grand Prix, Speed, 2PM
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Homestead, ESPN, 2PM
Ravens/Steelers Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
60 Minutes, CBS, 7:30PM
The Cleveland Show, 7:30PM
The Amazing Race, CBS, 8:30PM
Mythbusters, Discovery, 8PM
The 40th Anniversary American Music Awards (special presentation), ABC, 8PM
The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
Bob's Burgers, Fox, 8:30PM
The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
Family Guy, Fox, 9PM
Curiosity, Discovery, 9PM
Boardwalk Empire, HBO, 9PM
Dexter, Showtime, 9PM
The Good Wife, CBS, 9:30PM
American Dad, Fox, 9:30PM
Homeland, Showtime, 10PM
Treme, HBO, 10PM
The Mentalist, CBS, 10PM
Talking Dead, AMC, 11PM
Comic Book Men, AMC, 11:30PM