Let's hope the Big 2-5 goes better. In "Twenty-Four Candles," it's Betty's (America Ferrera) birthday, and she's looking forward to some romantic time with Henry (Christopher Gorham). Unfortunately, his babymama, Charlie (Jayma Mays), decides to pay a visit, scaling back and eventually scuttling their plans. Speaking of scuttling, Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) tries to break up her sister and Daniel (Gabrielle Union, Eric Mabius).

Rock, meet hard place. In this episode, the Department of Domestic Security wants Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) to help it arrest Chloe (Allison Mack) -- who's hacked a bunch of government computers in search of power surges. Clark (Tom Welling) asked her to do it as part of his effort to save Lana (Kristin Kreuk) -- but the feds don't care. Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) offers Jimmy a way out: He'll help get Chloe cleared, but Jimmy will owe him big.

"Kitchen Nightmares" for salons -- need we say more? In this new reality series, "Shear Genius" also-ran Tabatha Coffey gives hairstylists the same treatment that Gordon Ramsay gives restaurateurs: a no-holds-barred evaluation of why their salons are in trouble and what they need to do to turn them around. Tears? Oh, yeah. But wait until they start putting Tabatha's ideas into practice.

With the weight of his country on his shoulders, Liu Xiang tries to repeat as Olympic champion in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Four years ago, he became the only male track gold medalist in Chinese history. Also trying to repeat is Jeremy Wariner in the 400 meters, but fellow American LaShawn Merritt, who beat him at the Olympic Trials, hopes to pull the upset. Meanwhile, Athens silver medalist Bryan Clay begins his quest for gold in the decathlon.

Someone's going to get one heck of a phone bill. In this episode, Dean (Jensen Ackles) receives a telephone call from John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who says he knows how to get him out of the deal he's made. Sam (Jared Padalecki) doesn't believe that was their dad on the line and tells Dean to ignore the advice. Instead, Dean ignores Sam's counsel in "Long-Distance Call."

What's wrong with making a game of work? Meredith, Izzie, Cristina and Alex (Ellen Pompeo, Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh, Justin Chambers) have a contest in which procedures earn points. Izzie hopes to hit the jackpot by giving a patient (Cheech Marin) a battery of unnecessary tests, as Meredith treats a man whose risky behavior may be caused by a tumor. Lexie (Chyler Leigh) has some unique decorating ideas for the apartment she shares with George (T.R. Knight).

CSIs usually don't deal with murder victims until after they're, you know, dead. So Sara (Jorja Fox) isn't ready for what she encounters at a house where several showgirls were slain: another victim, who is still alive, but just barely. The young woman's eyes and dying words continue to haunt her as she and her colleagues work to nail the killer in "Empty Eyes."

If you like "Cops" and its ilk, this new series will rev your engine. It follows an elite team of police officers in northern New Jersey that specializes in catching car thieves. And they do it with some of the coolest tools around: SUVs with giant bumpers capable of blocking in a stolen vehicle, automatic license plate readers and a helicopter with a heat-seeking camera, for starters.

Check your Kleenex supply. Signs of abuse in a young patient (Holliston Coleman) cause a rift between Cooper and Sam (Paul Adelstein, Taye Diggs). The girl is Cooper's patient, but Sam is treating Mom -- the suspected abuser -- and he adores her. An infertility patient (Kimberly Elise) asks Addison and Naomi (Kate Walsh, Audra McDonald) to lie for her. Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) seeks help for her insomnia. Naomi goes on her first date in years.

One of the most compelling anti-war movies ever made, this adaptation of a novel by Nevil Schute follows a handful of nuclear war survivors as they await their end. Gregory Peck leads the cast as skipper of an American submarine that's found its way to Australia, the only place that hasn't been destroyed ... yet. Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins and Fred Astaire also star, with Donna Anderson ("Inherit the Wind") in a particularly gut-wrenching performance.

Enough, already. The world does not need another "days-in-the-life of" series. Nothing against Margaret Cho; she's still a funny lady with an interesting take on life, the universe and everything. But wouldn't you rather watch her do a stand-up routine than sit through the mundanities of her offstage life? Unless you're gung-ho for Cho, this show is a no.