The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" (11/4/07) - The annual farewell to Halloween was a definite improvement over last year, even if only one of them was really very much in the Halloween spirit. E.T. Go Home had the usual alien cameo, this time by Kodos taking the place of E.T. Lots of smart gags in this one. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is parodied with Mr. and Mrs. Simpson. A pretty direct take-off of the movie, but it’s what The Simpsons does best. Then the real Halloween treat, as Flanders puts Bart, Lisa and the kids through a "Heck House." Grade: B+

"Little Orphan Millie" (11/11/07) - Milhouse’s parents finally get remarried then promptly get lost at sea on their honeymoon. Milhouse becomes a loner, as a result, and soon he’s the coolest kid at school, something Bart isn’t too happy about. Plus, Homer can’t remember Marge’s eye color. We learned a few new things about some of these characters, so that’s pretty astonishing for season 19. Grade: B+

King of the Hill: "Death Picks Cotton" (11/11/07) - Hank’s father Cotton is one of the funniest characters in the series’ history, and unfortunately here he finds himself on death’s door. Hank refuses to believe it too. Certainly one of the most memorable death scenes in TV history. Grade: A

Family Guy: "Stewie Kills Lois" (11/4/07) - Otherwise known as, "Hey remember that major plot point we introduced and then dumped 99 episodes ago? Yeah, we’re bringing it back." And yes, they go there. Like that South Park episode several seasons back where Cartman goes all Hannibal on a bully at school, here we see, that yes, that Stewie kid is kind of evil. But of course, Lois isn’t dead, and we will find out more in the next episode. Loved the call back to Kool-Aid Man from the pilot. Grade: A-

"Lois Kills Stewie" (11/11/07) - Part two finds Lois explaining what happened to her, and Stewie taking over the world. Lois is the only one who can stop him. Another episode that goes in an unexpected direction, then in the last scene, does a great job at commenting on the entire situation. Grade: A-

American Dad: "Big Trouble in Little Langley" (11/4/07) - Francine’s Asian adopted parents show up, and… well, King of the Hill has tread this ground before. Steve tries to be "extreme" to impress a girl, but that plot doesn’t go anywhere very interesting, either. Grade: C-

"Haylias" (11/11/07) - This show pays tribute to Alias (like that other secret agent show Chuck did with Kevin Wiseman), with Hayley, having been through a brainwashing program as a child, being activated by a desperate Stan when she threatens to move to France. Even better: Steve and Roger (quite possibly the funniest pair on this show) creating a ’70s-style detective show. Grade: B

How I Met Your Mother: "Dowisetrepla" (11/5/07) - Great episode, as Marshall and Lilly finally move out, for "Dowisetrepla" (great payoff for this at the end too). Love Ted’s "CSI: Miami" impression as well. Grade: A-

"Spoiler Alert" (11/12/07) - Now this sort of plot is what this show does best. Ted’s friends burst his bubble (or in this case, break the glass) about his new girlfriend’s bad habits. Then we learn about the entire gang’s bad habits. Very enjoyable from start to finish, and it could have been trite. Grade: B+

South Park: "Guitar Queer-o" (11/7/07) - More South Park brilliance in what has been another landmark season. They took on World of Warcraft, and here they take on Guitar Hero, as well as Behind the Music. Grade: A

 "The List" (11/14/07) - This season-ender revisits a few things from season 1, such as Stan and Wendy, and yes, Kyle is killed at the end. However, the "cute boys" list plot doesn’t quite work as well as it might have on paper. Grade: B

The Sarah Silverman Program: "Maid to Border" (11/14/07) - The first half of this season comes to an end as Sarah suspects her maid of stealing a precious figurine, then tries to take her back, only to find that she is a mayor in Mexico. Also, Steve discovers that Brian is obsessed with "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors. Another hilarious episode - hopefully there will be more before long in 2008. Grade: B+

My Name is Earl: "Our Other Cops is On, Parts 1 & 2" (11/1/07) - A sequel to last season’s Cops episode, but overlong and not quite as good. The jokes about the time immediately post-9/11 are pretty funny, but wear thin. Good to see Tim Stack again, though. Grade: C-

The Office: "Branch Wars" (11/1/07) - Karen is now in charge of another branch, and threatens to hire Stanley away. Michael decides to retaliate (with Dwight of course), and it involves fake moustaches and Jim, against his will. Here follows one of the most embarrassing scenes in TV comedy history, as Karen discovers him. Grade: B+

"Survivor Man" (11/8/07) - Michael is excluded from a company outing by Ryan, so he decides to go out into the wilderness to prove that he is the best survivor. At the same time, Jim is left in charge of the office and finds himself becoming more like Michael, to his horror. Grade: A-

Scrubs: "My Inconvenient Truth" (11/8/07) - J.D.’s brother returns (once again played by the perfectly-cast Tom Cavanagh), while Janitor makes himself environmental cop of Sacred Heart. Cavanagh’s entrance here was truly a riot, and it’s good to see more Janitor plots this season. Grade: B+

BY HENRY HANKS