Few veteran shows benefited more from the writers' strike than Hell's Kitchen, which got advanced from its usual summer slot into spring and aired for the first half of its season right after American Idol, a break which netted the series its best ratings ever. The ratings didn't quite stay at that level after Idol finished, but a new audience was introduced to the show, and many of those viewers will likely return for tonight's season finale (Fox, 9 PM).

Gordon Ramsay will be picking either Petrozza or Christina as his new protege, an announcement that will come after the climactic dinner service. Christina will have to make a tough choice for her last chef -- ideally she'd have neither Jen nor Matt -- since Petrozza won last week's challenge. I suppose that should make him the favorite for this week, and yet I can't see it somehow, possibly because we just went through a Top Chef season where the more experienced male lost to a younger woman. That's not logical, but such is reality TV.

Access Hollywood (syndicated): Tonight marks the first of three nights of segments on Barack Obama and his family, including his two little girls who we haven't heard much from yet. It's an excellent thing for a president to be in touch with the people, but I don't think we want one who's too well versed in pop culture. It's fine and dandy for someone to feed John McCain lines about how much he follows The Hills, but if I thought he was serious it would be alarming in the extreme. The only people who should be worrying about the minutiae of television are those with no responsibilities and no lives. Speaking of which: Hi, I'm Charlie; nice to meet you.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family, 8 PM): Ben begins to wonder if the rumors he's hearing about Amy could possibly be true; coincidentally, Amy is now dealing with morning sickness. This isn't going to be at the "rumor" stage much longer. Oblivious Ricky is pined after by Adrian, and Grace and Jack experience trouble in paradise.

AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Warren Beatty (USA, 9 PM): Beatty has been around for almost fifty years, so even though he's been the farthest thing from hard working, the turnout for this fete (taped last month) was A-list all the way: Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, and Faye Dunaway led the roster. Given Beatty's reputation, this is one Hollywood tribute that would have been just as fitting on the Playboy Channel.

America's Got Talent (NBC, 9 PM): The show is back down to one hour this week. I suppose there are two things from last week that everyone will remember: the woman who crushed stuff with her breasts, which I suppose I'm in the position to think was funny rather than terribly painful-looking, and the cute little boy who sang at the end. I'm very ambivalent about the kid, and not only because there's no way a child can sing "Ben" in 2008 without calling all sorts of uncomfortable associations to mind. Kids on television are critic-proof. See? I'm pulling my punches already.

Deadliest Catch (Discovery, 9 PM): Count me among those who hope that Phil's health picks up eventually, even if he's not able to resume life aboard the Cornelia Marie. Phil's crew struggles forward tonight without him. Also, the Wizard welcomes a new crew member (hazing alert), and the Northwestern fights its way through the ice.

A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila: One Shot Too Many (MTV, 10 PM): What I said last week about this show seeming to lack the buzz in its second season? That was all taken care of when Kristy rejected Tila, in what I'm guessing was one of the most popular reality show finale results ever. Sure, this is manipulative in the extreme, but it will assuredly goose ratings for tonight's reunion. How long will it be until there's an announcement of A Shot at Love 3: the Boys Vs. Girls Tiebreaker? 10:59 tonight sounds about right.

Baldwin Hills (BET, 10 PM): A second season begins for the show sometimes referred to as the African-American version of The Hills, as if that's something to aspire to. At least no one here has a stiff breeze blowing continually through their ears like Audrina. Tonight, Justin is honest about aspects of his past, Sal continues to bring the street to the Hills, and sisters Aunjel and Lor'rena plot together.

30 Days (FX, 10 PM): The season finale finds Morgan Spurlock living on a New Mexico Navajo reservation for a month, during which he examines the issue of whether the reservation system helps to preserve a vital culture or provides an excuse for the rest of us not to care. He gets a job, lives in a hogan, and experiences Navajo spirituality in a sweat lodge.

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