Milestone for 'King of the Hill'

I'll tell you what: Over 13 seasons, it has become easy to overlook the comedic brilliance of "King of the Hill," an animated gem.

Understated, simply rendered and lacking the frenetic pace of most cartoon offerings, it nevertheless continues to mine sharp humor from family and social situations.

And now, in its final season, the show has reached a milestone -- the 250th episode. It finds Hank dealing with a box of his late father's belongings and a request by Dad to stash his ashes in a toilet. 7:30 tonight, Fox.

Tonight: Apparently television's great shows of yesteryear didn't get honored enough while they were on the air. So the "TV Land Awards" fawns all over them again. Neil Patrick Harris hosts. 8 p.m., TV Land.

Tonight: "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" gets a new oddball cop as Jeff Goldblum joins the cast. He plays Detective Zach Nichols, who has returned to the Major Case Squad after a seven-year hiatus that began shortly after 9-11. 9 p.m., USA.

Monday: In the Season 2 finale of "Chuck," our nerdy hero springs into action on Ellie's wedding day in order to save his sister from the clutches of the evil Chevy Chase. And yes, we said the evil Chevy Chase. 8 p.m., NBC.

Monday: Speaking of evil, on the latest episode of "24," Jack finally comes face-to-face with this season's dastardly villain, Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight). Something tells us this won't be pretty. 9 p.m., Fox.

Tuesday: "Fringe," it seems, is in the running for the grossest show on television. Tonight, Olivia and company investigate a case involving severely mutilated bodies drained of their spinal fluid. Our advice: Finish your dinner early. 9 p.m., Fox.

Tuesday: Hilary Duff drops by for a guest-star stint on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." She plays the irresponsible young mother of a 2-year-old girl who has been reported missing. We already suspect her. 10 p.m., NBC.

Wednesday: Tonight beings the 100th episode of "Lost." Hmm, 100 episodes into this thing and our brain is still cramping up. Is there any relief in sight? 9 p.m., ABC.

Thursday: We've suspected for a long time that being a mascot for a college sports team is dangerous work. Tonight our suspicions are confirmed on "Bones" when someone is found dead inside a mascot uniform. 8 p.m., Fox.

Friday: On "Everybody Hates Chris," our beleaguered hero tries to get out of a classroom assignment by calling in a bomb threat. Oh, not cool, Chris. Not cool at all. 8 p.m., The CW.

Saturday: Gail O' Grady stars in the made-for-TV movie, "Living Out Loud." She plays a high school chorus teacher who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, returns to writing music, a passion she abandoned after becoming a wife and mother. Michael Shanks also stars. 9 p.m., Hallmark Channel.

-- Contra Costa Times