The ninth season of Big Brother, which ran from February through April as emergency strike programming, seemed to have trouble engaging with the show's usual audience. People have become so accustomed to thinking of it as frivolous summer fare that the idea of watching it with a mug of hot chocolate in hand seemed incongruous. But it's now July, and our thoughts have once again turned to visions of the Chenbot, powers of veto, and big boxes with keys stuck in them. Welcome back Big Brother, to where you belong. (CBS, Sunday 8 PM):

Season ten--season ten!! begins Sunday (CBS, 8 PM) with the introduction of the 14 new houseguests and the revelation of any twists that may come into play. The casting choices, which in the recent past seem not to have moved much beyond airheads in their 20s, appear on the face of it to be somewhat more open minded this time. There's a 75 year-old grandfather named Jerry; and even more surprising for reality TV, a 53 year-old woman, Renny. At some point early in most seasons, there is usually a competition that asks the houseguests to get into embarrassing swimwear; this might be a good year to dispense with that. Best of all, the houseguests are all strangers to each other, something that last happened way back in season three. The best way to do Big Brother is to just toss them in like scorpions in a box, and not worry too much about manipulating things with twists.

Queen Bees (The N, tonight 9 PM): A new series that pits seven admitted teenage terrors against each other for a $25,000 prize, which will go to the girl best able to amend her diva ways. Sure, it's fun to watch girls like this get their comeuppance, but I'm still wary since the history of such programs is that there is a very fine line between denouncing this behavior and celebrating it. Whether the target audience for the series will recognize the difference is questionable.

Flashpoint (CBS, tonight 10 PM): This series, which is a co-production with Canada's CTV, deals with a police unit that handles crisis situations, such as what occurs in the premiere: an alleged killer who has taken a hostage in his desperation. You really don't want to stereotype; you want to judge every new series on its merits. But it's like the antennae that go up when a studio doesn't screen a movie for critics: if a network is debuting a new series on Fridays at 10 in mid-July, we're probably not talking about a future classic. Still, fans of Veronica Mars will like seeing Enrico Colantoni again.

Stargate Atlantis (SciFi, tonight 10 PM): A fifth season begins with the aftermath of the collapse of a building, which trapped a good portion of the cast beneath the rubble. Col. Carter and her team work to free them while fighting off the hybrids. There must be something about the concept of a hybrid that's inherently scary, because a lot of these shows seem to have them.

Earth: The Biography (National Geographic, Sunday 9 PM and 10 PM): National Geographic hopes to land some of the same kudos bestowed upon Discovery for Planet Earth. This five-part series, which will run over three nights, deals with the natural forces that make Earth what it is, and with the change being wrought by humans. At 9 PM Sunday, the subject is the transformative power of volcanoes. At 10 PM, a look at the changes brought about by ice ages of the past. Iain Stewart hosts.

I Love Money (VH1, Sunday 9 PM): Few things in this life are as awesome as they sound on paper, but the premiere of this series definitely qualified, and I'm now more convinced than ever that it's a franchise extension that could run several seasons. I mean, when someone named "White Boy" emerges as a relatively sane cast member, how can you resist? The challenge pits players against each other in a "bed battle" with Gladiators-like pugil sticks, and someone who feels themselves vulnerable fakes an injury in an effort to stay safe.

Generation Kill (HBO, Sunday 9 PM): There is all sorts of critical buzz for the latest project from The Wire creators David Simon and Ed Burns. Of course, The Wire never did draw much of an audience, and Iraq-themed films have fared even worse. The seven-part series follows a Marine unit through the early days of the war in Iraq, taking a character-based approach rather than dealing with geopolitical themes, or even with combat much of the time. It's a close approximation of what it is like being a Marine at war, although without the inconvenience of people who want to kill you.

Miss Universe (NBC, Sunday, 9 PM): Once again this year, this alleged "universal" pageant totally discriminates against women from outside this solar system. Why, that's almost as bogus as a World Series with just American teams. Jerry Springer is now hosting, answering the question of whether things could get more tawdry. The host country this year is Vietnam, making this the sexiest thing that's happened there since the Playboy bunny scene in Apocalypse Now.

Army Wives (Lifetime, Sunday 10 PM): Denise finds that her friendship with the motorcycle boy is the subject of local gossip, and she gives Roland some advice as he prepares for Joan's baby. Also, Betty makes some plans when she finds that her cancer has spread.

Brooke Knows Best (VH1, Sunday 10 PM): The premiere of the show that extends the Hogan Knows Best brand with the one member of the family who doesn't make normal people sick. Episode One deals with the now 20-year-old Brooke setting up house in Miami and dealing with life on her own, and the financial responsibilities that entails, for the first time.

Living Lohan (E!, Sunday 10:30 PM): Mom and daughter are in Las Vegas now, which means a whole new universe of self-promoters to meet. Gavin and Joe Maloof take time out from being the American version of Eurosleaze to "babysit" Ali and her brother. Also, Ali begins to sour on her collaboration with Jeremy Greene. I've heard a little bit of Ali's music, and all I can say is that Dina needs to head back to the courtroom, because a crime against art has been committed.

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