Returning favorites "THE WIRE" PREMIERE: 8 P.M. TODAY, HBO

Turnabout is fair play. For four seasons, "The Wire" has exposed the school system, City Hall, labor unions and the police department as broken machines. For its final season, the spotlight is on the media, and in the eyes of creator David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun cop reporter, it's just as hindered by politics, bureaucracy and inflated egos as any other institution.

The story's main drive continues to be an attempt to bring down the city's most dangerous drug lords, but this time the players include an unethical reporter willing to make up facts to feed both his ambition and his laziness and a street-smart editor (played by former "Homicide" star Clark Johnson) whom, of course, nobody appreciates.

Complex, dense and occasionally confusing as heck, "The Wire" sometimes makes you press pause and tackle something a little lighter, like "Jeopardy!" Fine. Take a mental break. Then get back to the action. Your brain cells need the workout.

"LAW & ORDER"

8 p.m. Wednesdays, KARE, Ch. 11

This 17-year-old institution never seems to run dry of bizarre cases or intense crimefighters. The most intriguing new blood: former BBC star Linus Roache, who's even more gung-ho than his predecessor, A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), who's now in the chief's seat.

"MEDIUM"

Premiere: 9 p.m. Mon., Ch. 11

Emmy winner Patricia Arquette gets some help for six episodes from an otherworldly being, also known as Anjelica Huston, playing an investigator trying to track down a missing boy.

"10 ITEMS OR LESS"

Premiere: 10 p.m. Jan. 15, TBS

Unless you get a kick out of the names of canned vegetables, a grocery store seems like a less than ideal setting for a loosey-goosey comedy. But the second season of this highly improvised series is fresh in every sense of the word, thanks in large part to co-creator John Lehr, who plays the eager-to-please manager.

"LOST"

Premiere: 8 p.m. Jan. 31, KSTP, Ch. 5

Just when you couldn't care less who remained on the island and whether any of the survivors would run into Gilligan, the series left us with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that has us on the edge of our lifeboats. Here's hoping last season's finale was a sign of things to come and not just a mirage.

"JERICHO"

Premiere: 9 p.m. Feb. 12, WCCO, Ch. 4

A well-organized "nuts" campaign saved this ratings-challenged drama from Armageddon, but Mr. Peanut himself couldn't turn this intriguing serial into a hit if it doesn't attract new fans who aren't too wrapped up in "Lost" to care about another group of castaways.