•The Middle (ABC, 8 ET/PT) returns with a holiday-themed outing that sends Frankie and Mike out for a Valentine's Day dinner.
The course of true love may not run smoothly on The Middle, but one thing is certain: With each passing week in this terrific sitcom's strongest season yet, The Middle gives viewers one more reason to fall.
•People have already fallen for TV's best sitcom, Modern Family (ABC, 9 ET/PT), which tonight boasts a guest shot from Greg Kinnear.
He plays Tad, Phil's new partner and the latest thorn in Claire's side. She's annoyed because Tad is being inappropriate, and even more annoyed because Phil is oblivious.
•Michael McKean guests on Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10 ET/PT) as a reality producer whose audition techniques lead to a hostage crisis. While McKean is suitably creepy, the episode seems to be designed as an Emmy-season showcase for Mariska Hargitay, whose Detective Benson stakes her life on resolving the crisis.
Whether it's a good showcase for her depends on whether voters find the story and performance convincing, or whether both strike them as overwrought.
