"Project Runway"

Credit: Lifetime

Hey, guess what! Each season of "Project Runway" has a certain number of challenges in which our poor, hardworking designers must be slave labor for the judges, and that's begun in earnest tonight. I kind of hate these challenges, mostly because they reek of labor law violations, but also because they usually suck. Remember the mommy and me challenge? The ugly workout clothing challenge? The dressing Nina challenge? Let's hope this one, which is Heidi-centric, at least doesn't force the designers to create plus-size T-shirts for a Walmart line or overalls for NASCAR. You think I'm joking. All I think is that someone in marketing for the show just hasn't made the deal yet.

 "The Vampire Diaries"

Credit: The CW

If you thought all the mass killing and double-crossing and flip-flopping leading to our Scooby gang finally getting down to the nitty gritty of unearthing Silas, well, there's more where that came from. Tonight's episode is about all the many, many moving parts of this plot, and honestly, it's enough to make your head hurt. I can't decide whether Professor Shane is an evil genius or just confused, because if it's the latter? Can't blame him a bit. 

 "Top Chef: Seattle"

Credit: Bravo

The good news is that this week, the chefs get off the cruise ship and get to cook on solid ground. I never love challenges that make working in a crappy or weird kitchen a major obstacle to overcome. Weird ingredients? Fine. But I don't want to see people forced to cook with one hand tied behind their back or no hands, just feet or whatever the heck. Let these people make great food. The good news is that, in Alaska, with its great, fresh fish, they may be able to do just that.

 "Cheer Perfection"

Credit: TLC

TLC has renewed "Toddlers & Tiaras" for a sixth season as well as ordered an additional eight, one-hour episodes of "Cheer Perfection." Both series are slated to return summer 2013.

 "Nashville"

Credit: ABC

As Deacon Claybourne on "Nashville," Charles Esten plays a talented musician with a troubled past, a conflicted relationship with both female stars of the show (Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere) and a history of addiction. In real life, Esten is also a singer/songwriter, but fortunately he doesn't share Deacon's angst. I spoke to the actor at this winter's TCAs, and found the former "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" improv artist and onetime Buddy Holly (for the London production of  "Buddy") to be country-cool and thrilled to be putting his real-life songwriting skills to use. 

 "Top Chef"

Credit: Bravo

Foodies, rejoice! Bravo has announced that "Top Chef" will be returning for an eleventh season. Open calls for chefs interested in competing in the high-stakes culinary competition series will be held in cities across the country starting on February 11th. Additional information and downloadable applications can be found at www.bravotv.com/casting. 

 "The Bachelor"

Credit: ABC

I'm not quite sure why this has to be a two-night, very special event, but here we are again with "The Bachelor." I'm trying to sort out what could possibly justify a two-part episode. Could it be that ABC just shoved two episodes of this series into one week and tried to sugar coat it as "very special"?  Of course not! So maybe the other girls actually eat Tierra in a frenzy, driven to cannibalistic insanity by this overly dramatic, man-hogging manipulator. Hey, these girls are getting angry, so I can't rule it out.

 "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"

Credit: Bravo

You know how last week "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" didn't have even a smidgen of fighting, and it was kind of like watching Wonder Woman without her magic lasso or John Travolta without his hairpiece? Well, never fear. Everything's back to normal, which means the women are screaming hysterically at one another, not everyone's making sense, and a very expensive dinner is completely ruined in the process. Yay.

 "The Bachelor"

Credit: ABC

Oh, my. This episode is SO crazy! How crazy? The craziness could not be contained in just one night! Too much crazy! Thus, we'll see part two of the craziness tomorrow! Crazy, crazy, crazy! Oh, and it seems someone gets injured. Again. I'm beginning to feel as if "The Bachelor" is a little too hung up on driving ratings by telling us someone went to the hospital or her lips turned blue or Sean got worried about whether or not they would survive the week. I mean, from here it's a pretty short step to trying to get someone injured with uneven bungee cords or paintball guns loaded with real ammunition "by accident" or a running of the bulls in Pamplona while wearing ankle weights and blindfolds. 

 "Downton Abbey"

Credit: PBS

As you might expect after last week's episode (and if you haven't watched last week's episode, come on, just catch up already; you're killing me here), all is not swell at Downton Abbey and likely won't be for quite a while. Though life has returned to some semblance of normalcy at the great estate, things have changed -- and are going to keep changing. If there's any theme this season, it's that as much as Robert (and, to the extent that he represents old guard money) wants to hold on to the past, change has come to Downton and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.