Impervious to Hopelessness (and Critics)

We're all for inspirational stories of hope, and after last night's sort of weepy Scrubs finale we were hoping to get back in the rhythm of pleasantly diverting television. We love Michael J. Fox, but we usually save most of our jubilant crying for the weekend.

Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist [10:02 PM, ABC]

Fox explores the feeling or spirit of optimism in different parts of the world, talking to everyone from Lance Armstrong to doctors and scientists to the people of Bhutan. Adding star power are Bill Murray and Bonnie Hunt who play golf and discuss the lovably losing Chicago Cubs, respectively. Fox's book Always Looking Up is not exactly a beach read, but it has a lot of heartfelt and smartly funny writing that probably won't make his brief special.

Bones [8 PM, Fox]

We're only going to say this once: Bones-Family Guy crossover. Some of the (hetero)sexual tension that has built up is diffused as Booth (David Boreanaz) and Stewie (Seth MacFarlane) discuss parenthood after Brennan (Emily Deschanel) suggests having a child together. A wine critic murdered and stuffed into a barrel is the crime the strong-jawed cops have to solve, though that sounds like a rejected Pushing Daisies storyline.

The Fashion Show [10 PM, Bravo]

The only exciting or innovative aspect of this program is that the winning garment each week will be produced and sold through an online store. Other than that, this Project Runway placeholder is just another series of design challenges followed by harsh critiques and faux-dramatic commercial cliffhangers. Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland are your hosts and the winner gets a $125,000 gift certificate to relative obscurity.

Late Show with David Letterman [11:35 PM, CBS]

Guests: Norm Macdonald, Leonard Nimoy Top Ten, Animal Collective. For some people (mostly NBC brass), the Norm Macdonald era of Saturday Night Live was a scary time, fraught with blunt references to rape and unchecked deadpan line readings. For others, this was a glorious period of Frank Stallone references and an amazing Bob Dole impression. Norm bring the crotchety to Letterman tonight, and maybe news about his rumored reality show.