Rick Kushman: Tom & Ray at it again: This time it's serious

It's time for another round of Stuff to Watch (or Not), where I tell you everything you need to know about TV that's coming this week.

Actually, no, I don't. There are, like, a billion shows out there. But I will give you some of the better ones, and a few you might otherwise miss.

Let's start with the pick of the week, PBS' "Nova: Car of the Future," on Tuesday (at 8 p.m. on Channel 6). It features the Car Talk guys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, in a cheery, smart, uniquely Car Talkish search for some answers to our growing problems with the gas shortage and worldwide pollution.

This is anything but an eat-your-veggies hour. This is Click and Clack here, legendary car guys and goofballs, looking for a replacement for Tom's beloved-but-broken-down 1952 MG Roadster.

Their story is narrated by John Lithgow, who outlines the issues – one quarter of all the petroleum consumed in history has been used in the past 10 years, and we're running out – but it's the guys who carry the tale.

They roam through possible car solutions, from hydrogen power, hybrids, ethanol, and carbon-fiber ultralight cars, to a teeny, clown-size car that gets 100 miles a gallon but has no gear for reverse.

"The only thing 'alternative' about this," Ray says, "is that it's dangerous."

They also visit the University of California, Davis, and professor Andy Frank, who's working on a plug-in electric hybrid, and talk with car-company people who are caught between consumer demand – around the globe, people almost always drive the most horsepower they can afford, Lithgow says – and a need to change.

As merry as the Magliozzis are, there's still a serious layer because any large-scale changes are still years away. They show one rich example of the general resistance at a car show, where a General Motors exec hypes the 500-horsepower Chevrolet Camaro. The exec is the vice president of environment and energy.

Now for more this week:

Tonight

• "American Experience: Roberto Clemente" (at 9 p.m. on Channel 6). PBS has an inspiring, poignant documentary on the Hall of Fame baseball player who died in a 1972 plane crash on the way to deliver earthquake relief to Nicaragua.

Clemente was a special player and a special person, and the documentary, if a bit sterile at points, shows his magic on the field and the racism he battled off it as one of the first Latinos in the major leagues. Clemente's combination of pride, fury, melancholy and human decency gave him a deep sense of responsibility to use his status as an athlete to make things better, as he said, "for the people coming behind" him.

Tuesday

• "Reaper" (at 9 p.m. on Channel 31). This was CW's best new series out of the gate and, though it's lost a bit of zip, it's still fun, particularly when the devil (Ray Wise) is onscreen. It's back for five new episodes.

Wednesday

• "Law & Order" (at 10 p.m. on Channel 3). Jesse L. Martin is leaving after nine seasons, which is like 63 seasons in "Law & Order" years. This week, Detective Green meets the cop who'll replace him next season, played by Anthony Anderson.

Thursday

• "Ugly Betty" (at 8 p.m. on Channel 10). Betty (America Ferrara), Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams) and the gang return from the strike break. Betty tries to celebrate turning 24, and she can cry if she wants to.

• "Supernatural" (at 9 p.m. on Channel 31). This underrated series also returns and the guys deal with some reality-show ghost hunters. Anyone think real spooks will show up?

• "Grey's Anatomy" (at 9 p.m. on Channel 10). It's TV's top-rated scripted series, despite all the whining from Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), so who am I to complain? Executive producer Shonda Rhimes says the new episodes are about bravery, so maybe Meredith will shut up.

• "Lost" (at 10 p.m. on Channel 10). It's back from its strike interlude, and on a hour later. Everyone is right where we left them, which is to say, confused.

• "Late Show With David Letterman" (at 11 p.m. on Channel 13). Retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre makes an appearance. He's a cool guy, but a shy one, so we may not see a lot more of him.

Friday

• "Moonlight" (at 8 p.m. on Channel 13). The CBS vampire series gets a few more weeks before the network decides whether to put a stake in the show's heart.

• "Battlestar Galactica" (at 10 p.m. on Sci Fi). Fans of the show are already watching, and I'm betting not many newcomers will join mid-story. I just want to give it a shout-out.

Saturday

"Robin Hood" (at 9 p.m. on BBC America). It's Season 2 for the cheeky British re-imagining of the tale, with swashbuckling heroes, nefarious villains and a Maid Marian who may be the toughest of the lot. You want escapism, this is your show – as long as you have full digital cable or satellite service with BBC America.

Sunday

"Carrier" (at 9 and 10 p.m. on Channel 6). PBS starts a 10-part, engrossing look at life on the USS Nimitz. The carrier is 24 stories high, three football fields long and carries 5,000 people who live, essentially, below a major airport. This documentary is total immersion. All that's missing is the sea spray and Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone."

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Rick Kushman, (916) 321-1187. Listen to him Thursdays at 8:40 a.m. on NewsTalk 1530 (KFBK) and 8:50 a.m. on Armstrong & Getty, Talk 650 KSTE.