TV shows are dropping names on their guest star lists this week:
“Parks & Recreation” (Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC): The Amy Poehler comedy has always been politically minded, bringing on Sens. John McCain, Olympia Snowe and Barbara Boxer, and even Vice President Joe Biden. But for the one-hour season finale, this small town in Indiana snags Michelle Obama. One can only hope that the first lady, who’s been touting her “Let’s Move” healthy-kid campaign for the past few months, will address Pawnee’s favorite 1-gallon, “regular-size” drinks.
“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” (Sunday, 9 p.m., Fox): Forget about “Pretty Woman” and “An Officer and a Gentleman,” because Richard Gere finally has his chance to leave his acting legacy, voicing Clair Patterson. Yes, that Clair Patterson, the geochemist who calculated the Earth’s age to be 4.5 billion years. And set your DVR now for next week’s ladies night, when Kirsten Dunst and Marlee Matlin geek out with crush-worthy astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
“The Good Wife” (Sunday, 9 p.m., CBS): After the disaster that was his comedy series, Michael J. Fox’s return to the Julianna Margulies law series might seem like less-than-exciting news, especially since this show proved that it can produce must-see drama without any outside help. But Fox’s wily Louis Canning provides a great weaselly foil to the otherwise (mostly) staid lawyers, and now that he’s working with Lockhart/Gardner instead of against them, he gives Diane (Christine Baranski) a distraction from her grief over Will’s death.
“Devious Maids” (Sunday, 10 p.m., Lifetime): It’s only a matter of time before exec producer Eva Longoria shows up in this series that mostly looks like a “Desperate Housewives” spinoff. But for now, Gaby directs the second-season premiere, in which the ladies will have to figure out how to stop Rosie’s (Dania Ramirez) deportation after boss Peri (Mariana Klaveno) sicced the INS on her in during the first season finale — but only because she found out her maid was having an affair with her hubby.
“Elementary” (Thursday, 10 p.m., CBS): Rhys Ifans is back as Mycroft Holmes, older brother of Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) and possible love interest for Watson (Lucy Liu). The shady sibling makes a surprise visit to New York and will stick around for the final four episodes of the season, which should stir up plenty of trouble — and romantic tension, perhaps? — for the crime-solving duo.