This Week (Oct. 6-12)

The series premiere of Life on Mars arrives this week on ABC. Plus new episodes of Chuck, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Knight Rider, Pushing Daisies, Smallville, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Stargate Atlantis, Sanctuary, Primeval, Valentine, and True Blood.

This is a week of intriguing double acts. John Laroquette has a fun turn as a legendary spy teaching Chuck how to impress a femme fatale on Chuck. The weird pairing of Sylar and Noah plays out on Heroes, and Stargate Atlantis concludes the plot involving guest star Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson, who was kidnapped with Rodney McKay last time.

But I'm most interested in watching how the relationship between Dean and Sam progresses on Supernatural, now that Castiel (Misha Collins) has clued Dean into the dark path Sam's heading down. For my money Supernatural remains the most engrossing show on TV.

Episode descriptions below; for details see the listings.

• Chuck "Chuck Versus the Seduction" 2x02. Chuck goes undercover to pluck an important device from toxic spy the Black Widow (Melinda Clarke). But to penetrate her web, he must first learn the fine art of seduction from suave superspy Roan Montgomery (John Larroquette), whose best days are likely behind him. Elsewhere, Morgan provides unlikely romantic advice to Captain Awesome; and Lester adapts to his new position at Buy More.
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Goodbye to All That" 2x05. Derek and John try to protect a member of the resistance by infiltrating a military academy. Meanwhile, Ellison's first assignment for Weaver uncovers a specter from his past.
• Heroes "I Am Become Death" 3x04. Peter uses a dark power in a gamble to prevent the future; Hiro and Ando consult an unlikely source while investigating who hired Daphne; Noah plans to get rid of his partner; Claire hunts a villain from her dad's files; and Suresh becomes impulsive.
• Knight Rider "Knight of the Iguana" 1x03. Mike and Zoe arrive in Mexico, masquerading as surfing honeymooners in an undercover mission to thwart a plot to smuggle terrorist weapons into the U.S. Sarah and Billy are also on the case---but surprising developments jeopardize the assignment.
• Pushing Daisies "Circus Circus" 2x02. A hunt by Ned, Chuck and Emerson for a missing teen (Hayley McFarland) leads to a circus with an curiously high mortality rate. Meanwhile, a guilty Lily visits Olive at the nunnery.
• Smallville "Instinct" 8x04. Maxima (Charlotte Sullivan), a queen from planet Almerac, arrives on Earth after being accidentally summoned by Tess. Thinking that her soul mate called her, Maxima sets out to find him, starting with Jimmy, but the men of Metropolis better beware---her kiss is deadly.
• Supernatural "Metamorphosis" 4x04. Sam and Dean encounter a man (Dameon Clarke) with a mysterious infection that transforms him into a flesh-eating monster. Sam thinks the man can be changed through reason to curb his newfound instincts, but Dean believes the most-humane thing to do is to kill him.
• Life on Mars "Out Here in the Fields" 1x01. In the series opener, NYPD detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) is hit by a car in 2008 and wakes up in 1973. There, he works with politically incorrect boss Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel) and tough detective Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli) to help find a killer whose case is similar.
• Ghost Whisperer "Big Chills" 4x02. Melinda uncovers dark secrets among a circle of her high-school classmates after one of them dies unexpectedly.
• Stargate Atlantis "The Lost Tribe" 5x11. Rodney and Daniel activate an Ancient weapon before determining its threat to active stargates; Todd's group continues to hold the Daedalus crew captive.
• Sanctuary "Fata Morgana" 2x02. Dr. Helen Magnus, her daughter Ashley, and the newest member to the Sanctuary, Dr. Zimmerman, travel to Northern Scotland to discover three women in an ancient crypt and bring them back to the Sanctuary for refuge and study.
• Primeval "Episode 10" 2x04. A group of creatures, called the mer, slip into the city's canal system after floodwaters pour through an anomaly to the future. The case gets personally when Abby is swept underwater by one of them.
• Valentine "Daddy's Home" 1x02. Grace's affair with Ray is put on hold when her husband, Ari, the god of war, returns home. But Ari hasn't come back for her. He's there to persuade Danny to work for him instead of Grace. Elsewhere, the Valentines try to bring a perfume chemist together with his soul mate.
• True Blood "Cold Ground" 1x06. A tragedy sends Sookie in search of a place far from others' inner voices; Jason suffers withdrawal symptoms from a recent habit; and Tara's mother reaches out to her in a time of need.