TV tonight: 'Bones,' 'Vampire,' 'Gracepoint'
Bones
Fox, 8 ET/PT
This long-running, still sturdy Fox mystery celebrates its 200th episode with a salute to Alfred Hitchcock that's directed by star David Boreanaz. Set in Hollywood in the '50s, the story turns Brennan into an LAPD detective who teams with Booth's
To Catch a Thief
to solve the murder of a rich socialite. We'll never know what Hitchcock would think of the plot or the show, obviously. But as a director who went through a career resurgence after many in Hollywood had figured he was through, he would certainly appreciate Bones' longevity and perseverance, not to mention its ability to triumph over multiple timeslot obstacles.
The Vampire Diaries
CW, 8 ET/PT
Strictly speaking, theologians would no doubt tell you Christmas and vampires don't mix — but when has TV let a little thing like history or theology interfere with the goals of popular entertainment? So yes, they're celebrating the holidays in Mystic Falls, though you have to think most of the celebrations are being held by the humans. Vampires, one assumes, have their own holidays.
Gracepoint
Fox, 9 ET/PT
The killer is revealed on the season — and one hopes and bets — the series finale of Gracepoint. Broadchurch fans who have ignored this sadly inferior copy until now might want to watch tonight anyway, just to see how (or if) the resolutions differ.