It was a close call as to whether Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles would make it to a second season. The show isn't cheap to produce, and despite the lack of meaningful competition last winter, the ratings were only so-so. Other problems included a less than convincing John Connor (Thomas Dekker) and a plot that wasn't always easy to follow. But by the end of the brief debut season, I was rooting for the series to come back and hoping that things would begin moving in a direction familiar to those who have followed the Terminator movie mythology.

Tonight's premiere (Fox, 8 PM) picks up with the two big threads from the finale: the explosion that appeared to destroy Cameron (Summer Glau), and the massacre of the police at the synthetic hands of Cromartie. It's an unhappy 16th birthday for John, more brooding than ever after the loss of Cameron. Fans of awesome mid-90s rock will be pleased to see that Garbage's Shirley Manson is joining the cast as the CEO of a high-tech company. Could she be hot on the heels of The Turk? There's no way a CEO in a sci-fi series is up to any good.

Gossip Girl (CW, 8 PM): Blair's blissful dalliance with a royal is threatened by Chuck; Nate learns that sex with an older woman isn't all fun and games; Serena and Dan decide to keep their hookups a secret. With that out of the way, I have to ask: Jay McInerney? WHY??

High School Musical: Get In the Picture (ABC, 8 PM): This series was better than the lousy ratings would have indicated; some of these kids (and they are pretty young) have real ability. The winner of the lead role in the post-High School Musical 3 video is picked tonight. I'll predict Isaiah, even though he's probably been featured a little less than the other three.

CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock (ABC, 9 PM): The highlights of June's festival are condensed into this special, hosted by Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and would-be country star Julianne Hough. Pretty much everyone who is anyone performed. Are there any women in Nashville who aren't blonde?

I Want to Work For Diddy (VH1, 9 PM): It's hard to imagine a tougher sales job than convincing people that they should want to smell like Diddy, but that's what the assistants are tasked with tonight: creating an in-store ad campaign and t-shirts promoting Diddy's fragrance. "Unlistenable. For d-bags."

One Tree Hill (CW, 9 PM): So Lucas and Peyton are getting married. I love how this show makes everything seem so easy, the same way it's going to be easy for Nathan to resume playing basketball at a high level. Also this week, Brooke reacts to the attack on her in the store, and Skills continues to explore the joy of cougar sex.

Prison Break (Fox, 9 PM): This was no surprise for anyone who read the entertainment press over the summer, but what do you know? Sara is alive! But Gretchen is dead. No wait: Gretchen is alive! Just sit back and don't ask too many questions. Tonight, Mahone is out for revenge against Wyatt, who in turn is hot on the trail of Sara, Michael and the others have a day to complete their next mission, and T-Bag gets a bead on a new identity.

The Closer (TNT, 9 PM): There are multiples suspects in the complicated investigation into the deaths of two Tijuana police officers; the division deals with the fallout from an inflammatory newspaper expose. All publicity is good publicity. I say that whenever the Prison Break people corner me in a dark alley.

Date My Ex: Jo & Slade (Bravo, 10 PM): The first season finale (is it too cynical to put it that way?) finds Jo trying to decide on the mannequin of her dreams, either Lucas or Chris. If anything, this series has proven that Jo and Slade were made for each other. They both love the spotlight more than they could love anyone else.

Raising the Bar (TNT, 10 PM): Critics didn't really care much for the pilot of this series, but the ratings were phenomenal, so get used to it. Tonight, Michelle tries her first murder case, Charlie bumps into an ex in the courtroom, and a key witness in Jerry's case is out of the country and unavailable.

The Hills (MTV, 10 PM): So, just because Spencer's sister got to become a semi-regular on the show means that Heidi also gets to bring on a sibling? The rest of the gang is still in Las Vegas, although apparently we're still supposed to be pretending that these are the lives of regular people we're following, and not the lives of celebrities.

Weeds (Showtime, 10 PM): Nancy takes the potential dangerous step of informing the DEA about the tunnel; Shane's easy access to drugs increases his popularity in school; Celia tries to take the first of the twelve steps; Andy crosses the line with Maria.

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