Another Big Premiere Week

Two series make their long-awaited debuts this week: Sanctuary, starring Amanda Tapping, and the CW's Greek-gods-in-Los-Angeles series, Valentine, the season's winner of the coveted "How'd That Get Made?" award. More on what to expect from Sanctuary throughout the week.

And on top of that, there are three season premieres: Chuck (with guest star Michael Clarke Duncan), Pushing Daisies, and Ghost Whisperer. My review of the Chuck premiere is here.

And there are a slew of new episodes: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Fringe, Knight Rider, Smallville, Supernatural, Primeval (two new episodes), and True Blood. (No Atlantis this week: The Sanctuary premiere is two hours. Eureka is on hiatus and will return in the midseason.) My TiVo is totally going to ask for a vacation after all this.

Episode capsules below; see the listings for full details.

• Chuck "Chuck Versus the First Date" 2x01. In the Season 2 premiere, Chuck mixes it up with a formidable operative (Michael Clarke Duncan) out to obtain a device that would potentially give rise to a new Intersect. Later, believing his spy career is behind him, Chuck asks Sarah out on a true first date. At Buy More, Morgan uses quirky means to hire a new assistant manager.
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Allison From Palmdale" 2x04. Cameron delves into her past after a software glitch lands her in a halfway house with no memory of her identity. Elsewhere, Agent Ellison probes Catherine Weaver's background on the heels of a meeting between the lawman and the Zeira Corp. CEO.
• Heroes "One of Us, One of Them" 3x03. Angela recruits Noah Bennet and his new partner to diffuse a hostage situation at a bank; Peter looks to the past to stop the future; Hiro and Ando have a run-in with the Haitian while following Daphne; Claire seeks advice from Meredith; and experiment results shock Suresh.
• Fringe "The Arrival" 1x04. The only thing found intact after an explosion rocks a New York City construction project is a mysterious cylinder, so Broyles enlists the trio of Olivia, Dr. Bishop and Peter to investigate the significance of the object, which seems to be related to a string of inexplicable behavior and events.
• Knight Rider "Journey to the End of the Knight" 1x02. Mike joins up with an old military pal (Johnny Messner) for an undercover mission to take down weapons-smuggling drag racers.
• Pushing Daisies "Bzzzzzzzzz!" 2x01. In the second-season premiere, Chuck goes undercover to investigate the death of a spokesmodel (Autumn Reeser) for a honey-based cosmetics company. Meanwhile, Lily takes Olive to a nunnery to keep her from telling secrets.
• Smallville "Toxic" 8x03. Oliver falls ill at a charity event and Clark and Chloe discover their friend has only hours to live. Oliver soon descends into delirium and is overcome by memories of his time on the island and when he first met Tess. Meanwhile, Clark and Chloe's fruitless search for a cure pushes Chloe to try out her new powers, much to Clark's surprise.
• Supernatural "In the Beginning" 4x03. Dean is sent back in time and meets his parents when they first fall in love. He also encounters his grandfather, who may be hiding a secret that is key to Dean and Sam's mission.
• Ghost Whisperer "Firestarter" 4x01. In the Season 4 opener, Melinda meets psychology professor Eli James (Jamie Kennedy) after Jim rescues him from a fire at the university. Melinda soon discovers Eli's near-death experience has given him the ability to hear ghosts but not see them.
• Primeval "Episode 8" 2x02. Bizarre shaped giant worms, some of which are large enough to consume a human are moving around in a strange fog. It couldn't come at a worse time, as Nick is trying to adjust to the Lester's new PR, who suspiciously looks identical to Claudia Brown. and "Episode 9" 2x03. The team investigates an anomaly that has opened in a theme park, and are on the chase of a vicious sabre-toothed tiger. But somehow, the team suspect a human involvement with in the case.
• Valentine "Pilot" 1x00. A family of Greek gods relocates from Mount Olympus to Los Angeles to help people find true love. In the pilot episode, they ask for assistance from a romance novelist to get two soul mates to recognize they could be more than best friends.
• True Blood "Sparks Fly Out" 1x05. Bill proves to be a popular attraction for Adele's historical society, but his stories of the Civil War dredge up painful memories of the wartime experiences that changed his life forever. Meanwhile, Jason decides to give "V" another try; Sam finally asks Sookie for a date.