TV tonight: 'Talent,' 'Web Therapy'

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Posted July 1, 2012

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'America's Got Talent' moves into its live-show phase and the spotlight will be on judges Nick Cannon, left, Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel. (Credit: Mark Seliger for NBC)

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•America's Got Talent (NBC, 8:30 ET/PT) moves into the live portion of its contest tonight, as 12 of the top 48 acts perform, with viewer votes to follow. But it's not only the contestants you should be judging.

The live programs — which show us the judges as they actually are, and not as the producers and editors want them to be seen — provide the first real chance to evaluate the show's big-name addition this season, Howard Stern.

NBC has taken a lot of criticism of late for the way it's handled some personnel shifts; let's see if it got this one right.

•Here's a repeat alert for those who loved and still miss Julia Louis-Dreyfus' The New Adventures of Old Christine (WGN, 9 ET/PT). Tonight's Season 3 episode is one of the show's funniest, as Barb (Wanda Sykes) and Matthew (Hamish Linklater) pretend to be dating to drive Christine crazy.

It's great to have Louis-Dreyfus back on television, even in an aimless misfire like Veep. But it would be greater to have her back in this show with this cast.

•Lisa Kudrow has gathered an impressive array of guests for the second season of Web Therapy (Showtime, 11 ET/PT). The list includes Meryl Streep, Alan Cumming, Lily Tomlin, David Schwimmer, Conan O'Brien, Molly Shannon and Rosie O'Donnell— which is really some list.