Your weekly guide to TV’s best and worst one-hour shows
Mama heads into dangerous territory this week — the land of beautiful young people and their series:
“Supernatural” (Wednesday, 9 p.m., The CW)
For the past two seasons, series star Jensen Ackles has directed an episode, but they’ve always been installments where his character was mostly MIA. But this year, he not only directs and has a prominent role in the episode, Ackles’ real-life dad also pops up in a cameo role. This week, brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles) are investigating the murders of victims who all received organs from the same donor. Minor spoiler alert: Check the title of the show if you want a clue about who the murderer could be.
“Hart of Dixie” (Tuesday, 8 p.m., The CW)
Laura Bell Bundy, who’s best known for her Tony nomination as Elle in “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” but who’ll always be Marah from “Guiding Light” to Mama — guest stars on this soapy serial as a reporter for Zoe’s (Rachel Bilson) alumni magazine. Zoe’s upset after the mag listed her as “retired” amid her classmates’ accomplishments, because that’s the natural assumption when someone moves south. Problems with this storyline: Who reads their alumni magazine? And what kind of college has an alumni magazine that employs reporters who aren’t just the alums still living in their dorm rooms?
“Switched at Birth” (Monday, 8 p.m., ABC Family)
Somehow, despite the show premiering in June 2011, this is the penultimate episode of the everlasting first season. It’s been a tumultuous first year for Daphne (Katie Leclerc) and Bay (Vanessa Marano), who started the series discovering the hospital mistakingly switched them as newborns, leaving Bay to grow up in a privileged family and Daphne exposed to meningitis, which caused her to go deaf at an early age. Both families have changed drastically since their initial discovery — think lots of teenage rebellion — but it all culminates in the upcoming trial to determine negligence (and the ensuing payouts)
Whoa, Daddy
Mama’s not sure who’s up for all of the mayhem, sex and violence at 10 a.m., but at least you can feel better about the boss you’re avoiding by staying home to watch the second season marathon of Starz’ “Boss” in honor of National Boss Day on Tuesday. If you can’t call in sick, you can at least DVR it to help you prep for the season two finale on Friday at 9 p.m.