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Must See HDTV (August 29th - September 4th)

We're still in a holding pattern waiting for the NFL regular season to start and fall TV shows to premiere but luckily college football is here to save the day. It's not alone though, check out our highlighted picks of the week right here, followed after the break by our weekly listings of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

College Football
While the pros -- a distinction that is getting fuzzier and fuzzier *cough* Miami *cough* -- get ready for their season to start college football teams will be getting back to it this weekend. UNLV and Wisconsin have the first high profile matchup of the year on ESPN (and ESPN 3D) Thursday night while Oregon and LSU play Saturday in a game that could have National Championship implications right away. We'll include some of the high profile national matchups on our schedule, but you can click here to find out where every nationally broadcast game will be on throughout the season -- we know how tough tracking Middle Tennessee can be.

The Hour
BBC America will air the third of six episodes of this drama on Wednesday night as it takes us behind the scenes of a 1950s TV news show featuring The Wire's Dominic West. While it's a period piece with plenty of sex, sexism and whiskey if you're looking for a Mad Men clone you'll likely be disappointed. The short story arc doesn't build Don Draper-like lead characters, but the Suez Crisis, spies and a suspicious death form a strong enough backdrop for us to sink our teeth into. If you're a fan of British TV we'd rate this one below the excellent Luther, but well above Law & Order: UK -- check out a trailer after the break.
(August 31, BBC America, 10 PM)

Madden NFL 12
It's that time of year again, when Madden comes out and we resort to couch based battles of supremacy for bragging rights and more. As usual, not that much has changed from year to year, but there are updates including a new collision system that promises to improve tackling, custom playbooks and new camera angles cribbed from NFL Films archives. After generally positive reviews -- it snagged a 3.5-star rating from our friends at Joystiq -- we won't stop you from laying down $60 one more time for EA's annual refresh.
($59.99, August 30)




Blu-ray & Games

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D

  • The Coen Brothers Collection (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Fargo)

  • Top Gun 25th Anniversary Edition

  • Madden NFL 12 (PS3, Xbox)

  • White Knight Chronicles II (PS3)

  • Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (PS3, Xbox 360)

Monday

  • Carfellas (series premiere), Discovery, 10 PM

  • Death Valley (series premiere), MTV, 10:30 PM

  • American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior (fall premiere), 9 PM

  • Eureka, Syfy, 8 PM

  • The Bachelor Pad, ABC, 8 PM

  • Warehouse 13, Syfy, 9 PM

  • Top Gear UK, BBC America, 9 PM

  • The Closer, TNT, 9 PM

  • Rizzoli & Isles, TNT, 10 PM

  • Alphas, Syfy, 10 PM

  • The Lying Game, ABC Family, 9 PM

  • Weeds, Showtime, 10 PM

  • The Big C, Showtime, 10:30 PM

Tuesday

  • It's Worth What?, NBC, 8 PM

  • America's Got Talent, NBC, 9 PM

  • Cocaine: A History Between The Lines, History, 8 PM

  • Take The Money And Run, ABC, 9 PM

  • Born To Dance, BET, 10 PM

  • Dirty Money, Discovery, 10 PM

  • Top Shot, History, 10 PM

  • Web Therapy, Showtime, 11 PM

  • Awkward, MTV, 11 PM

Wednesday

  • Royal Pains (summer finale), USA, 9 PM

  • The Franchise: A Season With The San Francisco Giants (season finale), Showtime, 10 PM

  • Rake (season finale), DirecTV 101, 11 PM

  • Hard Knocks: A Decade of NFL Training Camps, HBO, 10 PM

  • Buried Treasure, Fox, 8 PM

  • Melissa & Joey, ABC Family, 8 & 8:30 PM

  • America's Got Talent, NBC, 9 PM

  • Inside NASCAR, Showtime, 9 PM

  • Damages, DirecTV, 10 PM

  • Law & Order: UK, BBC America, 9 PM

  • The Hour, BBC America, 10 PM

  • Necessary Roughness, USA, 10 PM

  • Rescue Me, FX, 10 PM

Thursday

  • UNLV/Wisconsin college football, ESPN & ESPN 3D, 8 PM

  • Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero (season finale), Discovery, 8, 9 & 10 PM

  • Ugly Americans (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30 PM

  • Burn Notice, USA, 9 PM

  • LA Ink, TLC, 10 PM

  • Suits, USA, 10 PM

  • Futurama, Comedy Central, 10 PM

  • Wilfred, FX, 10 PM

  • Louie, FX, 10:30 PM

Friday

  • Man, Woman, Wild (season premiere), Discovery, 8 PM

  • Friends With Benefits, NBC, 8 & 8:30 PM

  • Torchwood, Starz, 10 PM

  • Haven, Syfy, 10 PM

  • Iron Man Anime, G4, 11 PM

  • Wolverine Anime, G4, 11:30 PM

Saturday

  • Oregon/LSU college football, ABC 8 PM

  • I Faked My Own Death (series premiere), Discovery, 10 PM

  • Game Time: Tackling The Past, NBC, 8 PM

  • Doctor Who, BBC America, 9 PM

  • 24/7: Mayweather/Ortiz, HBO, 10 PM

  • NASCAR Nationwide Series @ Atlanta, ESPN, 7:30 PM

Sunday

  • Curiosity, Discovery, 8 PM

  • Dinosaur Revolution (series premiere), Discovery, 9 PM

  • True Blood, HBO, 9 PM

  • The Good Wife (special presentation), CBS, 9:30 PM

  • In The Flow with Affion Crockett, Fox, 9:30 PM

  • Breaking Bad, AMC, 10 PM

  • Top Gear, History, 10 PM

  • Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, 10 PM

  • Entourage, HBO, 10:30 PM

  • NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Atlanta, ESPN, 7:30 PM