Critic's corner
Californication 10 p.m., Showtime
This gonzo series has become a favorite of mine. About the crass seductions of LA, sex, drugs, and, this season, rock 'n' roll, it is pretty seductive viewing. You can almost think these people are happy. David Duchovny is perfect as the too-smart, too-human Hank Moody, but I want to give a shout out to Madeleine Martin (above left), who plays his daughter, Becca. There's something so noble and heartbreaking about her face, which is a perfect mash-up of Duchovny and the actress who plays her mother, Natascha McElhone.
Gossip Girl 8 p.m., Channel 56
"GG" continues to be an odd little show - a soap whose characters acquire and lose a conscience a few times every week. Are Chuck and Blair good guys or bad guys? Even Dan and Serena, who seem like the conventional hero and heroine, fluctuate madly. Meanwhile, all the New York money is simultaneously dazzling and disgusting. Now that "Dirty Sexy Money" is on its way to oblivion, "Gossip Girl" is the only worthy trashy soap. Pictured: Leighton Meester (left) as Blair and Blake Lively as Serena.
The Sterile Cuckoo 8 p.m., TCM
Pookie.
Lost 7-11 p.m., Sci Fi
Spooky.
Shrek the Halls 8 p.m., Channel 5
Kooky.
Dr. G: Medical Examiner 9 p.m., Discovery Health
Pukey.
Two and a Half Men 9 p.m., Channel 4
Dookie. 