I am – Hercules!!


Fox bills tonight as “television’s biggest” because it airs the season finale of “American Idol,” its highest-rated series and the highest-rated series on TV.

It’s a big TV universe out there! NBC greets “television’s biggest night” by repeating its “SNL in the ‘90s” special, followed by a brand spanking new “Dateline” that, disappointingly, features no online pedophiles getting cuffed in suburban garages.

The CW strikes back by devoting its entire primetime block to “One Tree Hill” repeats. Sister network CBS has reruns of “NCIS,” “Criminal Minds” and “CSI NY.”

MyNetworkTV is the only broadcast network besides Fox filling its entire primetime slate with non-repeats – fresh episodes of “American Heiress” and “Saints & Sinners”!

WGN has its own live event tonight: the Cubs vs. San Diego. VH1 is cleverly running the “American Idol” movie, “From Justin To Kelly.” CMT is running “America’s Top Cowboy.” Showtime has a “Tudors” repeat and Nick Cage in “Lord of War.” HBO is boldly counterprogramming a documentary about insomnia. FX, back with its shinebox, is running a basic-cable version of the Paul Sorvino classic “GoodFellas.” The Disney Channel is bringing back 2005’s “Life Is Ruff.”

It’s a big night for marathons. E!, the other TV home of Ryan Seacrest, has nothing but “50 Most Shocking Celebrity Scandals.” SciFi fills its primetime slate on “TV’s biggest night” with three solid hours of “Ghost Hunters.” Court TV has a couple of “Mythbusters.” Spike has nothing but “CSI.” TNT has multiples of “Without A Trace.” BET is running lots of “Girlfriends,” featuring the luscious Golden Brooks. The N has six episodes of “One On One.” Oxygen is running “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” over and over again. And AICN recurring character MiraJeff wrote in to point out that CBS Innertube (the network’s Internet dealie) is launching a new show tonight called “Clark and Michael” starring “Superbad” superstar Michael Cera.

Happily, MTV has new TV at 10 p.m.: Once Not-Sanjaya beats the other Not-Sanjaya, the cable giant busts open a new one-hour reunion of the “Real World: Denver” cast, featuring Brooke and her homelier cohorts. I always enjoy the reunion specials because the editing of the show tends to leave the housemates furious with one another.

“American Idol”: 8 p.m. Wednesday. Fox.
“The Real World Denver Reunion”: 10 p.m. Wednesday. MTV.

Before “Knocked Up,” Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segal and writer-director Judd Apatow collaborated on an entire season of the hilarious “Undeclared’!!