Must See HDTV (March 19th - 25th)
March Madness is in full swing and even if you're not a college hoops fan, that should extend to the rest of the TV schedule this week. After a surprisingly exciting season finale for The Walking Dead AMC is finally ready to bring back Mad Men. Also returning are favorites like Fringe and Mythbusters, although they're balanced out by Archer's third season coming to an end. HBO's Luck also airs its final episode this week and makes the most notorious exit of them all, alongside season finales from The River, Southland and Key & Peele. 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.
Battle Royale
This cult favorite is finally getting a US Blu-ray release, offering the tale of Japanese teenagers trapped on an island and forced to fight each other in a game where only one will survive. It's kind of a bizarre story if you're not familiar with it, but well worth watching. Fans can nab either the first flick by itself or a pack including the sequel along with plenty of extras. Check out a preview trailer embedded after the break.
($31.99, March 20, Amazon)
Mad Men
After the longest of hiatuses, Mad Men is triumphantly returning to AMC. With its cast and director intact we don't expect the sordid tales of advertising execs and those who love them to have lost a step, but true fans have probably had this day marked on the calendar for a while.
(March 25, AMC, 9PM)
Fringe
Hey, everyone's favorite universe / time shifting sci-fi show is back. We've completely forgotten where Pacey is at this point but as usual, the team of agents and scientists will be investigating some weirdness like they always do.
(March 23, Fox, 9PM)
Blu-ray & Games
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Muppets
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Battle Royale
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360)
Silent Hill HD collection (PS3, Xbox 360)
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc HD (PS3, Xbox 360)
Ninja Gaiden III (PS3, Xbox 360)
Monday
Bulls/Magic, TNT, 8PM
Mavericks/Nuggets, TNT, 10:30PM
The Voice, NBC, 8PM
Dancing With The Stars (season premiere), ABC, 8PM
Pretty Little Liars (season finale), ABC Family, 8PM
House, Fox, 8PM
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 8PM
2 Broke Girls, CBS, 8:30PM
Alcatraz, Fox, 9PM
Two and a Half Men, CBS, 9PM
Being Human, Syfy, 9PM
WWE Raw, USA, 9PM
American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior, Discovery, 9PM
Mike & Molly, CBS, 9:30PM
Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory (season premiere), MTV, 10PM
Castle, ABC, 10PM
Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 10PM
Smash, NBC, 10PM
Lost Girl, Syfy, 10PM
Tuesday
Raising Hope, Fox, 8PM
90210, CW, 8PM
Switched at Birth (spring finale), ABC Family, 8PM
NCIS, CBS, 8PM
Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Fox, 8:30PM
Cougar Town, ABC, 8:30PM
New Girl, Fox, 9PM
Top Gear, History, 9PM
The River (season finale), ABC, 9PM
Ringer, CW, 9PM
NCIS: LA, CBS, 9PM
Doomsday Preppers, National Geographic, 9PM
Breaking In, Fox, 9:30PM
Justified, FX, 10PM
Body of Proof, ABC, 10PM
Top Shot, History, 10PM
Unforgettable, CBS, 10PM
Southland (season finale), TNT, 10PM
Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
Key & Peele (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Wednesday
Knicks/76ers, ESPN, 7PM
South Park, Comedy Central, 10PM
Ugly Americans, Comedy Central, 10:30
Monster Man, Syfy, 11PM
Survivor, CBS, 8PM
American Idol, Fox, 8PM
One Tree Hill, CW, 8PM
The Middle, ABC, 8PM
Whitney, NBC, 8PM
Are You There, Chelsea?, NBC, 8:30PM
Suburgatory, ABC, 8:30PM
Bent (series premiere), NBC, 9 & 9:30PM
Car Warriors, Speed, 9PM
Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
Happy Endings, ABC, 9:30PM
CSI, CBS, 10PM
Psych, USA, 10PM
Doomsday Bunkers (season finale), Discovery, 10PM
The Slap, DirecTV, 10PM
Rock Center with Brian Williams, NBC, 10PM
Lakers/Mavericks, ESPN, 9:30PM
Thursday
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals, CBS, TBS, TNT, 7PM
Community, NBC, 8PM
Missing, ABC, 8PM
American Idol, Fox, 8PM
Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
30 Rock, NBC, 8:30 & 9PM
The Secret Circle, CW, 9PM
Touch, Fox, 9PM
Impact Wrestling, Spike TV, 9PM
Up All Night, NBC, 9:30PM
Archer (season finale), FX, 10PM
Awake, NBC, 10PM
All Star Dealers, Velocity, 10PM
Unsupervised, FX, 10:30PM
I Just Want My Pants Back, MTV, 11PM
Inside Comedy, Showtime, 11PM
MMA Junkie Live!, Spike TV, 11PM
Delocated, Comedy Central, 11:59PM
Friday
NCAA Men's Basketball tournament regional semifinals, CBS, TBS, TNT, 7PM
Fringe (spring premiere), Fox, 9PM
Shark Tank, ABC, 8PM
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Cartoon Network, 8PM
Nikita, CW, 8PM
WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
Fairly Legal, USA, 9PM
Supernatural, CW, 9PM
Merlin, Syfy, 10PM
In Plain Sight, USA, 10PM
The Ultimate Fighter, FX, 10PM
Spartacus: Vengeance, Starz, 10PM
Saturday
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Regional Finals, CBS, 4:20 & 8PM
The Firm, NBC, 9PM
Being Human, BBCA, 9PM
Rockets/Mavericks, NBA, 8PM
Kings/Warriors, NBA, 10:30PM
Sunday
F1 Malaysian Grand Prix, 4AM, Speed
Mythbusters (season premiere), Discovery, 10PM
Mad Men (season premiere), AMC, 9PM
Luck (series finale), HBO, 9PM
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Fontana, Fox, 2:30PM
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, CBS, 2:10 & 4:55PM
Heat/Thunder, ESPN, 8PM
Frozen Planet, Discovery, 8PM
60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
The Cleveland Show, Fox, 7:30PM
Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
The Amazing Race, CBS, 8PM
Harry's Law, NBC, 8PM
Bob's Burgers, Fox, 8:30PM
The Apprentice, NBC, 9PM
The Shadow Line, DirecTV, 9PM
The Good Wife, CBS, 9PM
Inside West Coast Customs, Velocity, 9PM
Desperate Housewives, ABC, 9PM
Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
American Dad, Fox, 9:30PM
Grizzlies/Lakers, ESPN, 9:30PM
House of Lies, Showtime, 10PM
GCB, ABC, 10PM
CSI: Miami, CBS, 10PM
Breakout Kings, A&E, 10PM
Eastbound & Down, HBO, 10PM
Full Metal Jousting, History, 10PM
Californication, Showtime, 10:30PM
Life's Too Short, HBO, 10:30PM
