Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Thursday, April 14, 2011

My DVR hates Thursday night TV — I swear every time I turn around, there are more and more shows added to the lineup!

Tonight, not only does someone else get kicked off AMERICAN IDOL, but BONES and THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES are both new and NBC’s comedy block is back with Will Ferrell making his much-publicized debut on THE OFFICE.

Read on and let me know if your DVR will be getting a workout like mine tonight!

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“1 of 8 Voted Off”
It’s that time of the week where one finalist will be eliminated from the competition. Tune in to see who faces the chopping block and is sent home after America’s vote is revealed live.

The Vampire Diaries | 8pm on The CW
“The Last Dance”
As the high school prepares to throw a “1960s Decade Dance,” Elena starts receiving disturbing messages from Klaus via an unusual source. Bonnie tries to reassure Jeremy that she is strong enough to help Elena, but a worried Jeremy asks Stefan for advice. Caroline talks Matt into taking her to the dance. Expecting Klaus to show up at the dance, Damon and Alaric attend as chaperones, but Klaus is playing a complicated game that keeps them on edge. Finally, Damon comes up with a new plan of action that shocks and upsets everyone.

Community | 8pm on NBC
“Competitive Wine Tasting”
As everyone settles on their spring semester electives, Troy and Britta explore the fundamentals of acting, while Abed tackles an advanced study of 1980s sitcom “Who’s The Boss?” with a professor who has written a book on the topic (Stephen Tobolowsky “Glee”). Meanwhile, Pierce and Jeff enjoy a wine tasting class, where Pierce meets “Wu Mei” (Michelle Krusiec “Dirty Sexy Money”) a mysterious Chinese woman who sweeps Pierce off his feet. Suspicious, Jeff vows to find out what’d going on with Wu Mei and why she would agree to marry Pierce so quickly.

The Paul Reiser Show | 8:30pm on NBC | Series Premiere
“The Father’s Occupation
Paul (Paul Reiser) stresses about what to put as his occupation on his son’s school form and his inconclusive answer motivates him to audition for producer Mark Burnett’s (guest star Mark Burnett) new game show against Larry David (guest star Larry David). Meanwhile, Jonathan (Ben Shenkman), Fernando (Duane Martin) and Brad (Andrew Daly) get a little too caught up with their kids’ school projects. Omid Djalili and Amy Landecker also star.

SO MUCH MORE. Keep reading…

Bones | 9pm on Fox
“The Truth in the Myth”
The remains of a mythbuster television show host are found in the wilderness appearing to have been killed by the mythic Chupacabra, a reptile-mammal hybrid creature whose existence has not been confirmed. The team soon learns that the victim traveled to the remote West Virginian area to debunk the Chupacabra myth, and they interrogate possible suspects, including a rival wilderness-channel host/cryptozoologist/pet psychic (guest star Jo Anne Worley). But when a tape is recovered at the crime scene and peculiar tooth marks are found in the victim’s remains, the team learns details about the victim’s demise that challenge the original theories surrounding his death. Meanwhile, recovering alcoholic squint Vincent Nigel-Murray makes amends with each member of the team and makes some surprising confessions. [Did you know BONES star John Francis Daley cowrote the episode? Check out what he has to say about the hour!]

Nikita | 9pm on The CW
“Into the Dark”
Owen returns with information on one of Percy’s black boxes. Nikita returns to London with him to retrieve it but notices that Owen is acting strangely. Owen tells Nikita that he wants to release the contents of the black box and when Nikita disagrees, he turns on her. Meanwhile, Percy finds out Nikita is in London and dispenses Michael to kill her. Also, Amanda overhears Jaden arguing with Alex about the escape tunnels so she hooks Alex up to a lie detector to get the truth out of her once and for all.

The Office | 9pm on NBC
“Training Day”
The new manager, Deangelo Vickers (guest star Will Ferrell), has everyone hoping to make good first impressions: Andy finds himself awkwardly typecast while Jim and Pam worry that they’ve come on too strong. Only Dwight is apathetic about the new leader.

Parks and Recreation | 9:30pm on NBC
“Fancy Party”
Andy and April host a dinner party for all their friends. Ben asks Leslie for some career advice, while Ann tries her luck at a singles party.

Archer | 10pm on FX
“White Nights”
Archer searches for his father’s identity in Russia, where he runs into trouble, requiring the rescue efforts of ODIN agent Barry, who’s not exactly Archer’s friend.

Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew | 10pm on MTV
“Ke$ha”
Five crews audition for a chance to continue on in the dance competition. They’ll have to choreograph routines inspired by Ke$ha, with the artist herself assigning the songs.

30 Rock | 10pm on NBC
“I Heart Connecticut”
With “TGS” on the brink of cancellation, Liz and Kenneth go into detective mode to track Tracy down. Meanwhile, Jack helps Jenna financially successful. And Pete, feeling emasculated, challenges the writers and crew to a contest of strength.

Outsourced | 10:30pm on NBC
“Mama Sutra”
When Todd learns that Tonya’s mom is back in town for another visit, he is determined to go out of his way to make a better impression. However, Todd is put in a difficult position when he discovers a secret about Tonya’s mom. Meanwhile, Madhuri begins reading the call center workers’ palms and not everyone likes what she has to say.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl | 10:30pm on Showtime
“Episode 2”
Belle suffers an identity crisis as she realizes how many roles she plays. Later, a shock is in store for Belle when she meets Ben’s mother.

Also playing…

• Spring Wipeout | 8pm on ABC: “The Wizard of Owws”
• Real Housewives of New York City | 10 pm on Bravo: “March Madness”
• Watch What Happens Live | 11pm on Bravo: “#424”
• Eagleheart | 12am on Adult Swim: “Mountain Lions”

See what I mean? Let us know what YOU will be watching or DVRing for later!