It's a busy weekend with pivotal moments in several series.

***"Monk" concludes its eight-year run at 9 tonight on USA. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) pursues his wife's killer. Shalhoub has given a remarkable performance and offers the main reason to tune in. But Orlando's Traylor Howard has been a delight at Natalie. The guest stars are Craig T. Nelson, Virginia Madsen, Melora Hardin and Casper Van Dien. (Howard and Shalhoub are pictured.)

***"The Amazing Race" reveals another winning team as it wraps up a top-notch season. Don't be surprised if this thrilling edition brings the series another Emmy. Orlando native and former Miss America Ericka Dunlap and her husband, nice-guy Brian Kleinschmidt, are still in the running. The favorites would seem to be Cheyne Whitney and Meghan Rickey, who are dating. The third team is made up of brothers Daniel and Samuel McMillen. "The Amazing Race" starts at 8 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

***"Desperate Housewives" stages a disaster on Wisteria Lane as a plane crashes and three characters die. Series creator Marc Cherry tells USA Today that one of the goners is "a character  who we introduced in the very first season, a big player." I'm betting it's a male character.

***Robin Williams brings his stand-up show "Weapons of Self Destruction" to HBO at 9 p.m. Sunday. The show taped in Washington, D.C., last month and features the comedian talking about sex, politics, global warming, health care, drugs and his recent heart surgery. The special will play repeatedly this month.

***Syfy offers "Alice," a lavish new take on Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Kathy Bates leads a cast that includes Tim Curry, Harry Dean Stanton, Colm Meaney and Caterina Scorsone as Alice. The two-part miniseries airs at 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday.

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Monk DVD
Series Classified into:Drama