Channel Surfing 11.25.08

Breaking down the new episodes of your favorite network shows, Channel Surfing will give you an hour by hour view of whats on television tonight. Channel Surfing helps you decide what shows to watch, what shows to record and what shows you have to pass on this week.

Setting the DVR for: Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, House, Fringe, The Mentalist and The Shield.

8:00 PM/ET

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC)

Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty and the rest of the Peanuts gang gather for their 1973 feast of popcorn, sundaes and stacks of toast. It may not be the tastiest spread, but what do you expect when a beagle’s doing the cooking? Included: the bonus cartoon “This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers,” which finds the gang aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

NCIS (CBS)

The team must place trust in some shady characters in order to keep a criminal from stealing top-secret government files.

House (Fox)

A gun-wielding clinic patient (Zeljko Ivanek) takes House, Thirteen and several other patients hostage in Cuddy’s waiting room and demands that House diagnose and treat him. The hostage taker also demands that House use other patients as guinea pigs for any medication he is going to receive. Thirteen volunteers for the treatment.

Biggest Loser: Families (NBC)

Jerry Rice and Steve Young lead the contestants through NFL-inspired workouts. Later, Rocco DiSpirito illustrates how to modify traditional Thanksgiving dishes, and the players receive videos from home.

9:00 PM/ET

Dancing With The Stars (ABC)

Tonight we finally find out who succeeds Kristi Yamaguchi to become the next celebrity ballroom champion. The seventh season started with 13 contestants, and now only three are in contention for the trophy: Brooke Burke, Lance Bass and Warren Sapp. But before we get down to the big moment, Miley Cyrus is on hand to sing a selection from her latest album.

The Mentalist (CBS)

A witness in a narcotics case is murdered along with his girlfriend. All eyes point to the drug dealer whom the victim was set to testify against, but Jane perceives a different motive and suspect. Alexandra: Gwendoline Yeo. Ann: Andrea Parker.

Fringe (Fox) [9:08 PM/ET]

The investigation of a bizarre tragedy at Massive Dynamic spawns Olivia’s desire to erase her memories of John Scott, while Peter’s whereabouts are revealed to some unsavory players from his murky past.

Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion (Bravo)

Dirty Jobs (Discovery)

The host harvests hops in Yakima, Wash. Also: animal hides are converted into paper in New York’s Hudson Valley.

10:00 PM/ET

Without A Trace (CBS)

A man travels to Los Angeles for an employee’s funeral and vanishes soon after. Jack and Samantha track the man’s trail on the West Coast, where they find themselves renewing their romance.

Law and Order: SVU (NBC)

Benson tries to help a woman (Clea DuVall) who’s the victim of spousal abuse, going so far as to hide in a stairway to protect her. While hiding, Benson uncovers another, long-buried crime.

Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo)

Young housewife Gretchen enters the scene in the Season 4 opener, and her arrival is met with catty remarks from Vicki. Meanwhile, Lauri’s new marriage continues to flourish; Tamra treats her mom to a plastic-surgery appointment; and Jeana decides to redecorate.

The Shield (FX) [Series Finale]

In the series finale, cops in the Barn investigate a woman’s disappearance and the arrival of a large drug shipment.