TV on Tap: Melissa Harris-Perry Gets an MSNBC Show, "Pretty Little Liars" Picks Its Hitchcock Homage, and Which "Downton Abbey" Character Would You Be?

Syfy kicks of the weekend with a new season of Merlin.

News

In news that makes me very happy, MSNBC is starting a new weekend show for Melissa Harris-Perry. It'll follow Up with Chris Hayes and will start airing on February 4. Harris-Perry has written some amazing pieces on gay issues in the past and she's great at speaking about gay issues when given the chance. In the meantime, fans are Tweeting their suggestions for the shows title with the hashtag #NameMHarrisPerryNewShow

If you can't wait for Sunday's debut of Downton Abbey, you can pass the time by taking the Downton Abbey Personality Quiz. I got Lady Sybil, how about you?

NBC's android drama Beautiful People just got even more interesting with the addition of Frances Conroy, who will play a wealthy matriarch, which should make up for the way Happy Town didn't live up to her presence. Meanwhile, Law & Order alum Elizabeth Rohm will appear on Lifetime's The Client List.

The next Ringer guest-star you might recognize is Awkward. mom Nikki DeLoach. She'll play the exotic dancer whose murder was witnessed by Bridget, so don't expect this to be any happier than Ashley Rickards' appearance on American Horror Story.

Bianca Lawson has been in plenty of memorable roles, from Pretty Little Liars to Buffy and The Vampire Diaries, and now she's set to appear on Teen Wolf as a guidance counselor.

The first season finale of Pretty Little Liars ended with a climatic scene in a bell tower meant as an homage to Vertigo, and now the second season will wrap with an homage to Psycho. So. If you see someone step in the shower, get ready to miss that character.

The upcoming season of American Idol might be Ryan Seacrest's final one, as Fox doesn't feel like it needs to meet his salary demands after Idol survived last season's upheaval on the judging panel.

There might be a lot of Canadian television to watch this summer. In addition to L.A. Complex, which will air on The CW this summer, NBC is thinking about adding a Canadian supernatural-themed medical drama to its summer line-up. Saving Hope stars Michael Shanks as a comatose chief surgeon whose spirit wanders the halls of his hospital. The series also stars Smallville's Erica Durance and The Vampire Diaries' Daniel Gillies (you might remember him as Elijah).

Friday's Listings

The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated) Check local listings
Ellen's show gets a bit amah-zing today with an appearance by Happy Endings' Casey Wilson.

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Will and Marlena have another discusison about secerts. Since this is Salem, I'm not sure which secrets are up for discussion.

Nikita (CW) 8:00 PM ET
Oh, yes. Finally. It's time for the boys to take a mission on their own as Michael and Owen try to get a step ahead of whatever Percy's plotting. Meanwhile, Nikita seeks out a replacement black box and Alex continues to face her past as she infiltrates her childhood home.

Chuck (NBC) 8:00 PM ET
Gertrude is back, giving Chuck and his team a dangerous mission in South Beach.

A Gifted Man (CBS) 8:00 PM ET
There's no Broadway-faves in the guest-cast (as far as I can tell) in this week's winter premiere, but there is a blizzard making life harder for Dr. Holt.

Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (Sundance) 9:00 PM ET
Bullying becomes an issue in Peter's life as he learns his daughter is being bullied at school because of her father's orientation.

Supernatural (CW) 9:00 PM ET
As Dean struggles to deal with Bobby's injury (and whatever choice he makes) Sam looks into the case of a missing hunter. In case you've been waiting for Once Upon a Time to give Meghan Ory (Red Riding Hood) more than a few minutes of screen time, Sam encounters her and she's not happy to meet him.

Merlin (Syfy) 10:00 PM ET
The British fantasy series returns for a fourth season as Merlin has to face Morgana's increasingly-powerful magic. Based on what I've been seeing from the Merlin fans on Tumblr, this season really delivers the hoyay.

Portlandia (IFC) 10:00 PM ET
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are back to mock the liberal excesses of Portland, this season promising appearances by Johnny Marr, Joanna Newsom, Kristen Wiig and plenty more.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC) 10:30 PM ET
David Cross is back as the hapless corporate drone whose big break turns out to be a nightmare that just keeps getting worse. If you like cringe-inducing comedy like the original Office, this one is worth a sample.

X-Men (G4) 11:00 PM ET
In the first-season finale, Professor X has to assemble the team to stop a threat against humanity. The episode is called "Destiny" and I hope that means there will be a blind, prophetic, lesbian mutant showing up.

VH1 Classic updates Weird Al's story on Behind the Music: Remastered.

Saturday's Listings

Behind the Music: Remastered (VH1 Classic) 9:00 PM ET
VH1 updates the 1999 episode focusing on "Weird Al" Yankovic with new interviews.

Color Splash (HGTV) 9:00 PM ET
David looks to a high-end wallpaper factory for inspiration on how to transform a cluttered living room.

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America) 10:00 PM ET
Graham's guests this week include Gerard Butler, who will be discussing his movie Coriolanus, Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan, musical guest Noel Gallagher and Sherlock star Martin Freeman. That's not going to make the five-month wait for PBS to air Sherlock any easier.

Would You Rather? with Graham Norton (BBC America) 11:00 PM ET
This week, Stanley Tucci, Scott Adsit, Jordan Carlos and Faith Salie sit on the panel.

Saturday Night Live (NBC) 11:30 PM ET
Charles Barkley is this week's host with musical guest Kelly Clarkson, who might show up for a sketch or two.