This will be the last normalish week for a while, considering that many shows will head into reruns as the Winter Olympics takes over the schedule. So you may want to dig into the premieres of BBC America's Survivors and Fox's Past Life, plus the end of NBC's Heroes season, which promises a "Brave New World."
Elsewhere on the schedule, Chuck's going on a mission with Smallville's Kristin Kreuk, Leonard has to decide between Penny and Sheldon on the ultimate Big Bang Theory trip, CSI: Miami heads into space, Lost tries to figure out Kate, The Vampire Diaries opens Katherine's tomb, Cupid stops by for a little Supernatural valentine, Smallville goes all "Warrior" on us, and big events transpire on Legend of the Seeker (and we mean really big!).
Here's what we have to look forward to on sci-fi, action and paranormal TV this week.
Last original Chuck before the Olympics
It's a little Chuck and Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) action when Shaw (Brandon Routh) pairs the duo for a spy mission, leaving him to team up with Sarah in "Chuck Versus the Mask." Meanwhile, Morgan and Ellie are on a secret mission of their own to figure out what's up with Chuck (Zachary Levi).
"Just going forward, there are just enormous revelations," said executive producer Chris Fedak. "The spy world and Chuck's home life are going to collide in a really exciting way. Big things are about to happen, especially when we come back from the Winter Olympics. Nobody is safe."
Heroes (NBC) 9 p.m. - "Brave New World"
Season-four finale!
It looks like it's going to be a "Brave New World" when Sylar (Zachary Quinto) turns hero! In the season-four finale, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) has to rely on an unlikely ally to help him rescue Emma, while HRG (Jack Coleman) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere) are trapped underground with their oxygen running out. Elsewhere, Hiro (Masi Oka) takes action to stop a disaster. Considering the show's low ratings, it's possible this could be the end of our Heroes.
However, executive producer Adam Amus said that whether or not it's the end of Heroes, it will leave the viewers with a satisfying conclusion. "We don't have to be saved from an island. We don't have to understand what the future fast-forward means. We don't have a central question to answer. What we have are people who have to live their lives and accept their lives and have to move on with their lives. And whether we keep telling their stories or not, as far as I'm concerned these people will continue to live on in people's imaginations, because they are people who live with abilities, and that's sort of both a blessing and a curse in our world. Those are stories that can continue to be told ... if NBC wants us to."
24 (Fox) 9 p.m. - "Day 8: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM"
It's time for Undercover Jack (Kiefer Sutherland), who tries to get his hands on the enriched uranium. Meanwhile President Taylor (Cherry Jones) has to deal with United Nations delegates who question her agenda.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 9:30 p.m. - "The Large Hadron Collision"
Decisions, decisions, decisions! When Leonard (Johnny Galecki) is allowed only one guest on his trip to the CERN science complex in Switzerland, he has to choose between Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco).
CSI: Miami (CBS) 10 p.m. - "Miami, We Have a Problem"
Where no CSI has gone before!
When a civilian passenger is murdered in space aboard a private space shuttle, the CSIs find themselves up against some investigational challenges in "Miami, We Have a Problem."
Non-Plane Crash Kate (Evangeline Lilly) is on the run, while Jack (Matthew Fox) may have to do something that could threaten the life of a friend in "What Kate Does." Meanwhile, Lostie Sawyer (Josh Holloway) has issues.
Past Life (Fox) 9 p.m. - "Pilot"
Series premiere!
Just think of her as Mulder and him as Scully. Two past-life detectives, Kate McGinn (Kelli Giddish) and ex-NYPD detective Price Whatley (Nicholas Bishop), try to find out who a teen was in a past life so they can help him deal with issues he has in his present life.
And other Tuesday shows of interest
A&E's Paranormal State (10 p.m.) visits the "Devil in Jersey" during the show's season-four finale, which takes the PRS team to the Pine Barrens to take on the legend of the Jersey Devil. And on Paranormal Cops (10:30 p.m.), the cops suit up to help the Frankfort Fire Department, which appears to be dealing with a haunted firehouse in "Dead Man Walking."
Chance ends up on the "Run" when he takes on the case of pretty DA Allyson (Kristin Lehman), whose investigation of organized crime has made her a mob target. However, what Chance (Mark Valley) doesn't know is that his job is about to get a lot more difficult because Allyson has a dark family secret of her own.
Ghost Hunters International (Syfy) 9 p.m. - "San Lucas Prison"
The globetrotting ghost hunters head for a wild ride to Costa Rica to check out an abandoned 19th-century prison in "San Lucas Prison." The former penitentiary, which was considered the "Alcatraz" of Central America, was used for more than 100 years as a labor camp for young prisoners. However, with wild monkeys, boa constrictors, spiders and crocodiles inhabiting the island, ghosts may be the least of the ghost hunters' worries.
Being Erica (SOAPnet) 10 p.m. - "Cultural Revolution"
It's a "Cultural Revolution" for the time-traveling Erica (Erin Karpluk) when she gets an offer to author the new sex book herself, and Dr. Tom (Michael Riley) sends her to revisit a summer on a trip she never took to Taipei, Taiwan.
And other Wednesday shows of interest
On the History Channel's MonsterQuest (9 p.m.), "Mothman" takes center stage, as they go in search of the truth about this mysterious giant winged monster by using nighttime surveillance, perception testing and forensic sketching. And over at Flix, the worthy sci-fi classic A Boy and His Dog (8 p.m.) features a young Don Johnson in a post-apocalyptic tale unlike any before or since, based on the Harlan Ellison story.
Tomb-opening shocker!
It's a tomb-opening party, with Stefan, Damon, Elena and Bonnie in the middle of it all in "Fool Me Once." No word yet on whether we'll finally meet Katherine (Nina Dobrev) in the present, but the producers promise that the tomb will be opened and it will be a shocker. Meanwhile, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) invites Anna (Malese Jow) to a party, and you know that can't be a good thing. Jasmine Guy pops up as Grams, no doubt to give Bonnie (Katerina Graham) some sage advice.
Executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson talk about the "tomb" episode:
Supernatural (The CW) 9 p.m. - "My Bloody Valentine"
Cupid goes rogue, and it's not pretty!
You've got to love a good, bloody Valentine's Day episode, especially one a la Supernatural. The brothers Winchester take on a rogue Cupid when the people of a small town begin killing each other in the name of love in "My Bloody Valentine."
Here's a hysterical Web clip involving Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) meeting Cupid for the first time:
Past Life (Fox) 9 p.m. - "Dead Man Talking"
The reincarnation series settles into its new timeslot with the case of a young woman who's battling addiction in "Dead Man Talking." Her story involves a violent crime from the past and an innocent death-row inmate about to face execution.
And other Thursday shows of interest
In FX's Archer (10 p.m.), Malory picks Lana over Archer for a mission to Saint-Tropez involving an international arms dealer in "Skorpio."
Comicon - Smallville style!
At a comic-book convention, Clark (Tom Welling) makes a connection with the magician Zatanna (Serinda Swan), and a magical comic book is stolen. When the thief begins to develop special powers, he starts calling himself Warrior Angel and makes a connection of his own with Chloe (Allison Mack). Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) gets jealous of Zatanna.
"We have a really fun episode that puts Clark in the center of Metropolis Comicon. Which is going to be awesome," said executive producer Brian Peterson. "And Chloe meets her knight in shining armor in that episode. I would say by the end of the episode you meet her new love interest." Viewers shouldn't be in too much of a hurry to change the channel or they'll miss an important moment, added Peterson. "You have to watch through the whole thing."
Winter Olympics (NBC) 8 p.m. - "Opening Ceremony"
Let the Games begin!
The opening ceremony is telecast live from BC Place in Vancouver, kicking off the Winter Olympic Games, which will result in scheduling changes to many of your favorite sci-fi programs. NBC Universal will present more than 835 hours of coverage over 17 days, with coverage ending on Feb. 28. The games begin with ski jumping.
Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Starz) 10 p.m. - "The Thing in the Pit"
After Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) surrenders to Crixus, Batiatus (John Hannah) banishes him to the pits of a hellish subterranean place called the underworld, where anything goes, in "The Thing in the Pit." Elsewhere, the slave girl Naevia (Lesley-Ann Brandt) rejects a gift from Crixus (Manu Bennett), and he misunderstands her reason.
And other Friday shows of interest
In the Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold (7:30 p.m.), Batman must team up with his doppelganger from a distant planet to battle mad genius Rhotul in "The Super-Batman of Planet X!" On Star Wars: The Clone Wars (9 p.m.), Satine ends up on the lam with Obi-Wan when she's accused of starting a terrorist group in "Duchess of Mandalore." And on the Travel Channel's Most Haunted (10 p.m.), the Layer Marney Tower, a Tudor palace in Essex, England, may be haunted by its former residents.
When Kahlan (Bridget Regan) loses her powers, it causes lots of problems and an opportunity for the Seeker and his true love in "Torn." The problems involve a terrible crisis in Kahlan's homeland, and Richard (Craig Horner) soon discovers things are actually worse than they seem.
"I guess the big log line is that Kahlan gets split in half," said executive producer Kenneth Biller with a laugh. "She gets split into her magical and non-magical self. Let's say through weird magic she gets split in two and there's a non-magical part of her that, guess what, isn't a Confessor and can be with Richard. But we find out a lot about the Confessor mythology, and she ends up in Aydindril for the first time, which we've never seen, and it's a very cool, sort of tour-de-force performance from Bridget Regan playing essentially three different roles."
Survivors (BBC America) 8 p.m. - "Episode 1"
Two-hour series premiere!
Talk about a pandemic! This show will make you want to go out and get your H1N1 flu shot ASAP. ... A virulent flu virus begins sweeping around the world with a 99 percent casualty rate, leaving government officials to try to calm the public's fears. When a mother and housewife named Abby Grant (Julie Graham) ends up surviving, that's just the beginning of her story. After the virus takes its toll on her personal life, Abby joins other survivors who start to learn what it means to be alive in this new world. A re-imagining of the 1975 Terry Nation BBC series by Primeval's Adrian Hodges.
Transmorphers: Fall of Man (Syfy) 9 p.m.
Syfy's Saturday Night Action Movie!
This prequel to the 2007 film Transmorphers delves into what happens when aliens arrive piloting a race of robots and set off a cybernetic revolt, causing very bad things to happen. The flick was written by Shane Van Dyke, directed by Scott Wheeler, and stars Bruce Boxleitner, Jennifer Rubin and Van Dyke.
It's ESP to the rescue!
Lois (voiced by Alex Borstein) turns to a psychic (voiced by Michelle Lee) when Chris and Stewie get lost in the woods for several days. When the boys are all right, just as the psychic told her they would be, it becomes a psychic family affair. Meanwhile, there's a new girl at school who catches Chris's attention.
