What's On TV

Pick Of The Week

MERLIN

Sunday and Monday April 26 and 27 9-11 p.m. (NBC)

TV highlights for the week of April 25 - May 1. All times are Eastern; check local listings.

SATURDAY 4/25

NBA Playoffs (NBC, 1-6 p.m.; TNT, 8 p.m.-1 a.m.): First round continues, with more games through the week.

Stanley Cup Playoff (ESPN and ESPN2, 7:30-10:30 p.m.): Hockey's conference quarterfinals continue all week.

SUNDAY 4/26

The Simpsons (Fox, 8-8:30 p.m.): In "Trash of the Titans," Homer digs up his dream job: sanitation commissioner. In his quest for glory, he runs a - what else - trashy campaign involving a rock concert, smear tactics, and that political staple: promises he can't keep. Steve Martin and U2 are on hand to help prime time's longest-running animated show celebrate its 200th episode. (TV-PG)

Merlin (NBC, 9-11 p.m.): A new twist on the Arthurian legend with the wizard Merlin as the good-hearted protagonist. Battling the evil sorceress Mab and the wicked ways of men circa AD 500, Merlin tries to help good triumph over evil. But the heart of the story, and the thing that makes it work, is Merlin's love for Nimue. Stars Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, and Martin Short. Part 2 airs tomorrow at the same time. (TV-PG)

MONDAY 4/27

Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS, 8:30-9 p.m.): It's mid-life-crisis time when Ray (Ray Romano) realizes he no longer measures up to his younger self - and his whining is about to drive his family crazy. This excellent sitcom never fails to deliver real-life laughs. (TV-G)

Ally McBeal (Fox, 9-10 p.m.), The Practice (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): Producer David E. Kelley has members of the breakout hit "Ally McBeal" travel cross-town to visit the lawyers on his other Boston series "The Practice." The network-hopping stunt begins on Fox, where Ally (Calista Flockhart) and company enlist the help of Bobby Donnell (Dylan McDermott) when one of their clients is accused of a grisly murder. The action moves to ABC for the big finish. (TV-PG, D; TV-PG, V, respectively)

TUESDAY 4/28

3rd Rock From the Sun (NBC, 9:30-10 p.m.): Guest star John Cleese out-emotes Dick (John Lithgow) - no easy task - in a hilarious two-part stint that finds the Solomons attempting the impossible: becoming normal. Cleese plays an overbearing professor who becomes Dick's rival in everything from romance to darts. Part 2 concludes Wednesday. (TV-PG)

WEDNESDAY 4/29

Dexter's Laboratory (Cartoon Network, 8-8:30 p.m.): The boy genius in the cartoon's 50th episode isn't the pint-size mad scientist, it's Long Island second-grader Tyler Samuel Lee. His tape-recorded story idea serves as the soundtrack for the episode, and both Tyler and his mom have cameos as cartoon figures.

Ageless Heroes (PBS, 9-10 p.m.): Who's the most successful tennis player in history? If you guessed Pete Sampras, you're off by almost half a century. According to "Ageless Heroes," octogenarian Dodo Cheney has racked up more than 285 wins in her 70 years in the game and still competes in the senior set today. She's one of 10 individuals profiled in this special, which proves there truly is no substitute for experience.