Here are today’s top TV stories.

First and foremost, Oprah Winfrey will talk on the air today about ending her iconic syndicated daytime talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She will tell viewers that the show will end its run after 25 years on September 9, 2011. Oprah does have her own network, called OWN, launching next year, but we’re not sure what her future plans are beyond the show.

Other news, the season finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” starts at 9 on Sunday on HBO.

Some future premieres to talk about. ABC will start the sixth and final season of “Lost” on February 2 with a two-hour episode starting at 9 p.m. An hour-long recap of last season will start at 8, and the show will air Tuesday nights at 9 all season long. ABC will also launch an online companion for “Grey’s” addicts called “Seattle Grace: On Call.” on ABC.com. The six-webisode series will be set at Joe’s Emerald City Bar and will feature cast regulars including Gloria Garayua and Brandon Scott.

Over on NBC, “Chuck” will start its third season on January 10 with 2 episodes starting at 9 p.m. Then it will move to a regular time slot with another episode Monday January 11 at 8 p.m.

G4, the video game and Gen-Y network will start a show called “Campus PD” with a look at police on colleague campuses on Florida, Texas, California, and North Carolina. It premieres December 8 at 11 p.m.

Television is one of the mediums in life where imitation is not only the sincerest form of flattery, it’s an absolute necessity.

Take for instance the concept of dancing. A show like “Dancing with the Stars” hits the airwaves and becomes an overnight success. Soon after, “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dance Revolution” and a million other dance-related knockoffs follow suit.

It’s the age-old rule of television. If something is mildly successful, then there must be 800 subsequent knockoffs (799 of which will suck immensely).

The recently debuted ABC sitcom, “The Middle,” starring Patricia Heaton of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” immediately felt like a knockoff. Upon first view, it felt like something I had seen before. Watching a few episodes, I couldn’t help but feel as if borrowed the exact same concept from another one camera sitcom “" also about “The Middle.”

Yes my first, “This is a rip off of ___” inclination from The Middle was Malcolm in the Middle. By nearly sharing the same name, and both having a cute younger son, it was easily the most comparable. Then I remembered shows like “Home Improvement” and “Roseanne” dealt with the theme of working class struggles long before Frankie Muniz was a household name.

To put it bluntly, “The Middle” is nothing new. It’s middle America and a working class family trying to get by. It’s a mom that cares about her kids, loves her dimwitted husband and STRESSES (stress the stress) through each episode. It’s a tried and true formula. Unless we’re talking about baking a pie, I hate tried and true formulas.

My skeptical nature when it comes to new TV didn’t want me to open up to “The Middle.” Last week, I was burned by Kelsey Grammer’s “Hank,” a lazy rehash of a tired idea. I feared “The Middle” would be the same, and similarly waste Heaton’s talent like Grammer with Hank.

I won’t say I came away completely and utterly surprised. I still feel that shows like “Malcolm” and “Roseanne” did this concept better upon first glance. But there’s something endearing about Heaton’s Frankie and “The Middle” overall. Frankie is easily a character you can root for (unlike Grammer’s Hank). Heaton brings a gee-shucks charm to the character.

In the episode I watched, “The Floating Anniversary” I especially enjoyed her 15 “vacationing” minutes spent in the bathroom of the used car lot where she works. Also, credit goes out to the casting director for bringing aboard Scrubs’ Neil Flynn (aka Janitor) as Heaton’s husband, Mike. Flynn’s classic “I don’t give a shit, I’ll say what I think” attitude from Scrubs is transferred, and perhaps enhanced, to “The Middle.”

Lastly, Heaton’s three kids are well-rounded interesting characters played out perfectly by their respective actors. I especially enjoy watching the daughter Sue (Eden Sher) play the role of the awkward, smart middle child (almost as well as Muniz).

Overall, “The Middle” has a lot of positives. For a show with that “tried and true” formula, it never feels clichƒ© and overdone.

Three Quick Hits of the Week:
The Office: “Niagara”
This is the one “The Office” fans had been waiting for “" present company included. TV’s favorite couple, Jim and Pam, tying the knot and getting married. I loved it. Many critics have said an hour was too long for this episode, but I disagree. The hour made it feel more important than a typical episode. The entire ensemble was on for this one. From Meredith’s cigar to Kevin’s “shoes” and Andy’s tears, it was the best of everyone. For that reason, it felt like a special day for “The Office” and not just Pam and Jim.

The Cleveland Show: “The One About Friends”
I was actually considering writing my main piece about this show, but I decided against it. I vowed not to watch “The Cleveland Show” after it replaced “King of the Hill.” However, with the Pats and Sox losing on Sunday, I needed some kind of distraction and “The Cleveland Show” was just there. Blah. I wish I had stuck to commiserating about the Pats. The show is basically “Family Guy” light. Unfortunately for “Cleveland,” the best part about “Family Guy” is how un-light it is. There were few memorable moments (Cleveland getting arrested for confusing an undercover cop regarding “Cleveland Jr.” was one that comes to mind) and I pretty much liked the theme song more than anything else. Avoid.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: “The Hot Towel” “" This might shock those who know of my admiration for Larry David, but I didn’t like this episode. In it, Larry rekindles an old romance, pisses off Christian Slater and his doctor, and reveals to the world he doesn’t like people signing. In this episode, Larry’s awkward moments, such as stopping Sammy and then also the guy in the restaurant, bordered on cruel and weren’t that funny. The calling his doctor bit was obnoxious and running from the girl’s boyfriend was cowardly. Usually, Larry’s off-putting attitude during the course of an episode will make you like him even more than you did in the beginning of it. Not this time.

Let me know in the comments section if you agree with me or if you want me to cover your favorite show and check back next week for the next “TV Week in Review.”

Two of cable’s heavy hitters premiere tonight. Discovery Channel starts a new season of “Mythbusters” at 9 p.m., and Comedy Central has “South Park” at 10. Comedy Central also has “Secret Girlfriend’” at 10:30.

Investigation Discovery (for those of you who have it) has “The Bureau” about the FBI’s top cases, starting up at 9 p.m.

CBS will renew “Flashpoint” for at least 13 more episodes later this season. The Canadian import about a police “Strategic Response Unit” has been a rating success so far.

Bravo is expanding its “Real Housewives” brand with “The Real Housewives of D.C.” The cable network also renewed “New Jersey” for a second season.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” had its best numbers in five on-and-off years on Sunday night, with 1.6 million total viewers at 10 p.m. for the “Seinfeld” reunion.

But the biggest news so far is this: “Monday Night Football” with the Vikings versus Packers gave ESPN the largest audience in the history of cable television and ESPN’s own best ranking in its history, attracting a 15.3 rating, or 21.8 million total viewers. It’s just a ridiculous number, as Brett Favre facing his old team boosted the game to a whole new level.

Criminals and Al Bundy rule the tubes tonight.

CBS has the most premieres tonight with “The New Adventures of Old Christine” at 8, “Gary Unmarried” at 8:30, “Criminal Minds” at 9, and “CSI: New York” at 10. The drama continues on NBC with premieres of “Mercy” at 8 p.m. and “Law and Order: SVU” at 9.

ABC offers the series premiere of “Modern Family” tonight at 9 p.m., which is Ed O’Neil’s return to primetime. Blast will be running our interview with O’Neil later today, and we’ll continue to talk about our time on-set with ABC.

ABC also has premieres of “Cougar Town” at 9:30 and “Eastwick” at 10 tonight.

FX is starting a new comedy show about fantasy football. “The League” follows a bunch of guys in the suburbs and their shenanigans. That will start-up on October 29 at 10:30 p.m. following “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX has ordered six episodes of the new comedy show.

MTV continues the reality shows with “Disaster Date,” a hidden-camera show about people who set up their friends on a blind date with an actor who makes things disastrous for them. The fun times begin September 28 at 6 p.m.

Nielsen says that SyFy’s season finale of “Eureka” gained 2.3 total viewers last Friday at 9 p.m., which is impressive for the cable network.

Syfy’s season three finale of Eureka last Friday at 9p averaged 1.1 million A18-49, 1.2 million A25-54 and 2.3 million total viewers. HBO’s return of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Sunday night gained 1.1 million viewers on Sunday night. A new show followed, “Bored to Death,” to the tune of about 1 million viewers.

Finally for you Melrose Place fans, Heather Locklear will join The CW‘s version of the show on November 17, reprising her role as Amanda Woodward.

Only two shows of note tonight: “Crash” premieres on Starz at 10, and “Eureka’s” finale is on SyFy (still not used to spelling it that way) at 9.

On Sunday, HBO restarts “Curb Your Enthusiasm” at 9 p.m. The popular show from the “Seinfeld” people is back. CBS is also airing the Emmy Awards at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Spike TV’s 10th season premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Wednesday is the most watched episode of the fighting series ever, and the most watched original show ever on the Spike TV Network, drawing g4.1 million total viewers — almost wholly male, according to Nielsen.

The History Channel had some success with its “MysteryQuest” series, which also premiered Wednesday, drawing 1.2 million watchers.