The Super Bowl (NBC, Sunday) – I’m really hoping it’s a good game, seeing as I’ve already seen all the commercials and I don’t care at all about Madonna’s halftime performance. I make this plea every year, but PLEASE let Wu-Tang do the halftime show next year. No frills, either. Just the house lights and 30 dudes on stage, all of them with live microphones. That would be the best.

Puppy Bowl (Animal Planet, Sunday) – I’ve spoken my piece about this already. You are free to watch if you want. (Full lineup here.)

Luck (HBO, Sunday) – This show looks really promising. I kind of hope War Horse shows up at some point. I love that guy.

Fringe (FOX, Friday) – From TV Guide: “Peter and Olivia are on the trail of a killer equipped with a toxic weapon that defies chronological description.” I have no idea what the end of that sentence means, so I’ll just assume they mean nunchucks and move right along.

Spartacus: Vengeance (Starz, Friday) – Why did we ever stop wearing togas? They’re super comfortable, look cool, and are easy to slip on and off — like some sort of masculine sundress. I would happily wear a toga to formal functions instead of a suit. I’d feel so free and relaxed.

Downton Abbey (PBS, Sunday) – Say what you will about PBS in general, but if nothing else, I admire them for the ballsiness of running a new episode on Sunday night. “Super Bowl Schmuper Bowl. We’re airing British people! FROM THE EARLY 1900s! Like it or love it, world.”

Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday) – C-Tates preview of this episode, from Burnsy: “Yo girl, u like jokes n sh*t? Check dis, boo – Haha, yo I be C-Tates n sh*t n I’m in dat new movie Da Vow wit Rachel MC Adams, right? But maybe u know me from dat other sh*t like GI Joe n Step Up. But yo girl, I ain’t here 2 save no rec center. Naw, son, I’mma save da 30 Rock center. LIVE FROM ZOO YORK, IT B SATURDAY NIGHT!”

I watched the first episode of HBO’s new horse-racing series “Luck” on Sunday, but it’s still way too early to make a lasting assessment. Some of it was difficult to follow, but in an interesting, compelling way. David Milch has a knack for developing new universes and languages in his series. When it’s littered with profanities, like “Deadwood,” it’s easier to draw connections. On the other hand, I still have no idea what “John from Cincinnati” was about. The language of “Luck” felt just out of reach. With three or four episodes under my belt, I think the connections will all come together, and the series could ultimately rise to the elite section of television dramas, along with “Justified,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Game of Thrones.” It certainly has the cast to at least ensure it gets noticed come Emmy nominations time: Dustin Hoffman, Denis Farina, Richard Kind, Jill Hennessy, Nick Nolte, and the original Johnny Depp knock-off, Jason Gedrick.

I would, however, warn those who are sensitive to animal injuries to beware: I don’t think the series will be kind to horses. That first episode had a doozy of a painful moment. The horse racing sequences, however, are phenomenal.

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Chuck (NBC, Friday) – “Chuck” never got a lot of coverage around here, but it did have a weirdly devoted fanbase who stuck with it through a number of schedule changes. The show comes to its conclusion tonight, and I think I speak for the majority of Americans when I say, “Okay.”

Luck (HBO, Sunday) – Pilot episode. HBO aired this back in December as a sneak peek, but the new David Milch series starring Dustin Hoffman starts for real this Sunday night. I miss Barbaro. I said it.

Downton Abbey (PBS, Sunday) – Actual conversation I heard recently between two people who are clearly soulmates: HUSBAND: I like “Downton Abbey.” WIFE: Who’s in it? HUSBAND: Oh.. um… who’s that one British actress? WIFE: Maggie Smith? HUSBAND: Yeah, her.

The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday) – Sometimes watching this show makes me want to buckle down and get serious about my law career. Other times someone on the show will be eating Chinese food and it makes me want to order dumplings. My point here is that I’m easily influenced and often hungry.

Bayou Billionaires (CMT, Saturday) – I love you, you crazy hillbillies. I won’t watch your show, but I love you.

The Simpsons/Napoleon Dynamite/Family Guy/American Dad (FOX, Sunday) – Whenever people talk about “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, they say things like “he’s more hands off now” or “he’s not around much” or “Seth likes to have a drink.” This leads me to believe he is doing life properly.

Californication/House of Lies/Shameless (Showtime, Sunday) – Boobs.

John Mulaney: New in Town (Comedy Central, Saturday) – I mentioned the other day that John Mulaney is one of my favorite comedians. Not only was his last album one of the best I’ve heard in a while, he’s also the writer at SNL who’s responsible for the Stefon segments on Update. What I failed to mention is that because I am a big fancy TV blogger now, I got an advance copy of his new special earlier this week and it’s really terrific. You need to watch this Saturday night and/or get the album when it comes out on the 31st or I don’t see how we can be friends. (Clip after the jump.)

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Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday) – From Access Hollywood: “‘There were a lot of [skit] pitches about my boobs,’ Katy told Access Hollywood on Thursday. ‘I was cool about that, but I’m not sure all of it [got] in. So we’ll see.’” Wait. I know she’s married to Russell Brand… but who’s the other boob she’s talking about? BAZINGA! [finger guns]

Luck (HBO, Sunday) – HBO’s horse racing drama by David Milch (“Deadwood”) and Michael Mann (“Miami Vice,” Heat) debuts on Sunday night with a sneak peek weeks before it’s actual start. I would have put this up top, but I really didn’t want a giant picture of Dustin Hoffman at the top of the page all weekend. But it does look promising.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sunday) – After last week’s Full Oedipus, I’m not sure exactly where else there is to go. Poison someone with hemlock? BAZINGA AGAIN! [Greek finger guns]

Boss (Starz, Friday) – The season finale of the Kelsey Grammer political drama. This show is really fun if you close your eyes and imagine Sideshow Bob never got run out of office for voter fraud.

Snowmageddon (Syfy, Saturday) – When we had that “Snowmageddon” thing in real life a couple years ago, I guaranteed that it would become both a band name and a movie within five years. I’m well on my way to rubbing THAT in some people’s stupid faces.

The Simpsons (FOX, Sunday) – The show’s Christmas episode flashes forward to 2041, when “The Simpsons” is still on the air, I imagine.

The Good Wife (CBS, Sunday) – I interned and/or hung around at a couple law firms, and no one drank as much midday scotch as they do on this show, or other lawyer shows. I was lied to. I demand a full refund of my legal education.

Dexter/Homeland (Showtime, Sunday) – I was actually upset when I heard “Homeland” was really good, because it means there’s now another show I have to start watching or get yelled at about. I’M DOING ALL I CAN AND BY “ALL I CAN” I MEAN WATCHING KIND OF A LOT OF THE FOOD CHANNEL GEEZ.

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After mailing in the “Game of Thrones” teaser, HBO stepped up their game with this tease for the horse racing drama “Luck” (video below), which is scheduled to debut in early 2012. Check out the pedigree: directed by Michael Mann, created by David Milch (“Deadwood”), starring Dustin Hoffmann and Nick Nolte, and featuring terrific supporting actors like Dennis Farina. The only way this could possibly be a disappointment is if none of the horses die.

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