BEST BETS FOR DECEMBER 16, 2007

	PLANET EARTH Discovery Channel, 9 a.m. ET Here's a really worthwhile way to send a day in front of your TV set (and they said it couldn't be done). This Discovery Channel marathon begins with The Filmmakers' Story, a two-hour special documentary explaining how the producers and photographers of Planet Earth captured all those remarkable images. Then, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, comes a nonstop showing of Planet Earth in its entirety. Only complaint: Sigourney Weaver, narrating instead of Sir David Attenborough, whose voice was heard on the original British version. That version, however, is the one featured on the DVD, one of the ideal holiday gifts for TV or nature lovers over the holidays. (See the HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE for details, and to purchase.)
	SURVIVOR: CHINA CBS, 8 p.m. ET This group of survivors hasn't been the smartest bunch that ever played the game. James, the player all but guaranteed to make it to the finals because he found both hidden immunity idols, was voted out early when, full of confidence and cockiness, he came to tribal council without them. There's Denise, so blindly loyal to her former tribemates that she passed up two opportunities in a row to tip the scales and guarantee herself a shot at the final three. That's why, in tonight's two-hour finale, Denise will have to win immunity to avoid immediate elimination. Amanda also is vulnerable, because Todd and Courtney have the strongest alliance - but Amanda's the one who engineered the early ouster of James, so she's my choice for the ultimate survivor this time around. The winner is announced at 10 p.m. ET, at the start of the live Survivor China: Reunion.
	MASTERPIECE THEATRE: "PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACT" PBS, 9 p.m. ET Helen Mirren put her character of Jane Tennison to rest in a marvelous way, ending her Prime Suspect series of movie and miniseries the way it began: presenting a boldly honest, complex portrait of a strong woman in a position of authority. This final entry in the series won Mirren an Emmy (as she had for the fourth Prime Suspect series), and also won Emmys for writing and directing.
	EXTRAS: THE EXTRA SPECIAL SERIES FINALE HBO, 9 p.m. ET As they did with the movie-length special finale of The Office in the United Kingdom, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant end their new series, Extras, with one last, glorious episode, one that provides a very satisfying, and daringly meaningful, conclusion. But there's lots of laughter here, too. My favorite bits include a Doctor Who guest spot, with Gervais' Andy Mellman playing a giant alien slug - and a Big Brother bit showing that Gervais hates that show every bit as much as I do. For more on this show, read BIANCULLI'S BLOG for Friday, Dec, 14.
	RESERVOIR DOGS IFC, 9 p.m. ET Okay, so it's not exactly holiday fare. But Quentin Tarantino's breakthrough 1992 film is fun to watch, except for that ear-cutting scene that's hard to watch at all. And knowing that this movie is 15 years old now makes its continued freshness seem all the more impressive.
	DEXTER Showtime, 9 p.m. ET Along with The Sopranos and Lost, this is likely to end up as one of the most dynamic season finales of 2007. When we left off, Dexter had a fellow cop caged in a shack in the Everglades, a psychotic former lover about to enter the shack, and the authorities about to close in. And on promos for tonight's finale, said psychotic lover has lit some candles and is waiting for Dexter. Don't expect a happy ending... but do expect a memorable one.