In the Hot Seat: What to watch (or not) on TV talk shows the week of January 14

Sarah D. Bunting

Monday, January 14

Watch: Anthony Bourdain, a co-host of "The Taste," teams up with "The Chew" co-host Mario Batali for a Meatless Mondays dish, while the newly crowned Miss America visits "Good Morning America." Nicki Minaj might dish about that "Idol" feud to Leno (and Keith Urban might comment on it on "Ellen"), while Fallon has a chic random guest combo with Tim Gunn and Uma Thurman.

[Related: Brooklyn blonde wins Miss America pageant]

Skip: Piers Morgan seems likely to keep stirring the gun-control-debate on "The Colbert Report." Carson Daly is in reruns all week.

Tuesday, January 15Watch: Lance Armstrong fesses up (…OK, probably not) to Oprah on OWN's "Oprah's Next Chapter." (Oprah herself is live on CBS's "This Morning" to talk about the interview.) Kimmel gets a pretty good random guest combo going with Rob Lowe and Big Boi, while Craig Ferguson is talking to Lena Dunham and Bill Pullman. Veteran newsman Bob Schieffer drops in at "The Daily Show."

Skip: Kim and Kourtney Kardashian on "Live With Kelly & Michael."

Wednesday, January 16

Watch: RuPaul is making soup with Clinton Kelly on "The Chew." No, that isn't a euphemism. Meanwhile, a "Biggest Loser" nutritionist makes sure you're eating the right foods for your age on "Rachael Ray." (We've found cookies are timeless.) One of our favorite random guest pairings of the week is on "Ellen," as J. Lo and Kyle "Coach Taylor" Chandler both visit, and the charming Don Cheadle talks to Craig Ferguson.

Skip: Don't give Charlie Sheen attention on "Good Morning America," people. He'll just act out.

[Related: omg! on Sheen's recent good deeds]

Thursday, January 17

Watch: This cracks us up for some reason -- Kimmel is hosting both "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Mark Wahlberg, who played the least convincing science teacher ever in "The Happening." (It was the script's fault, but still.) Ahnuld is promoting his new movie on Fallon, and "Live With Kelly & Michael" is featuring a veritable barrage of pretty with Matt "White Collar" Bomer and Catherine "Ocean's 12" Zeta-Jones.

Skip: "Celebrity Tweets of the Week" on "The View" sounds pretty dull… but "Dating with Duchovny" on "Rachael Ray" sounds downright ridiculous. We loved Fox Mulder as much as anyone -- but isn't that guy a sex addict?

Friday, January 18

Watch: "The Talk" hosts a 20th-anniversary "Knots Landing" reunion, featuring Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, and Michele Lee. Kevin Bacon discusses "The Following" with Letterman, and we're betting Bob Costas has a few things to say to Leno about Pete Rose's new reality show (and the Hall of Fame vote).

Skip: If you're full up on "Girls" coverage, skip Allison Williams's appearance on "Live With Kelly & Michael."

Watch a preview of "The Taste":