TV Daily

Prime Pick

Wednesday is easily the most competitive night of TV on the air right now. CBS's addictive child labor camp reality series "Kid Nation" goes head-to-head against ABC's brilliantly surreal dramedy "Pushing Daisies," Fox's consistently funny traditional sitcom "Back to You," and the faded but still somewhat addictive sugar of CW's "America's Next Top Model," all at 8 p.m. EDT. And to make matters worse, in that same hour, NBC scraps the bad, stinky cheese of "Bionic Woman" for the good, nourishing cheese of mentalist competition "Phenomenon" -- and yes, this show is every bit as absurd and over-the-top as we dreamed it would be. (Just imagine Uri Geller urging you to stare deep into his eyes so you can read his mind, and you're halfway there.) Why in the world do the networks air all of their best shows on the same damn night? Every week, we're flummoxed by Wednesdays, and this week we know you need something extra-special to watch while you pass out candy to roving hobgoblins. So, what's our one choice for the night? Well, you can never go wrong with "The Daily Show" (8 p.m. EDT on Comedy Central).

-- H.H.

Also…

Those looking for something a little creepier might enjoy an old classic, "Halloween" (8 p.m. EDT on AMC). A heartier appetite for knife play will be satisfied by the Halloween Horror Movie Marathon on TCM (8 p.m. EDT). Finally, Sci Fi's "Ghost Hunters Live" promises all of the fun of "The Ghost Whisperer," minus Jennifer Love's Hewitts.

On the talk shows

Contributors: Megan Doll, Heather Havrilesky, Eryn Loeb, Amy Reiter

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