Treat Williams is so compelling in the Lifetime movie "The Staircase Murders," based on the true story of author Michael Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife, that it's particularly frustrating how quickly the filmmakers wrap up a tidy end to this film.

Williams plays the creepy Peterson, who wrote three novels based on his experiences in the Vietnam War, and married an engineering executive in his college town of Durham, N.C. Peterson and his new wife merged their five children -- two from his first marriage, one from her first marriage, and two adopted daughters from a friendship Peterson had during his first marriage -- into a strong, successful family that enjoyed living in a multimillion-dollar Southern mansion and attending the best colleges.

In December 2001 that all ended when Peterson called the police to report that his wife had fallen down a set of stairs in their house and was dead. He and his biological and adopted children insisted it was an accident, but his wife's daughter, Caitlin, and his wife's sister begin to doubt Peterson's innocence.

Viewers who are knowledgeable about the subsequent trial and conviction will still be captivated by Williams' portrayal of Peterson. He's disquietly charming and constantly acting for the documentary filmmakers that he gave complete access to during his trial preparation. For those who avoided all the details of the trial -- myself included -- the conclusion of the movie seems rushed and forced. Based on what the movie shows, it seems unbelievable that a jury would find Peterson guilty.

In addition to Williams, "The Staircase Murders" also features Kevin Pollak as Peterson's defense attorney and Samaire Armstrong ("The O.C.") as Caitlin. It premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday on Lifetime.

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"The Bronx Bunny Show" isn't going to appeal to many viewers, but those who like the show will probably become devotees. A new late-night show from Starz, the show features a foul-mouthed bunny puppet and a politically incorrect panda puppet who have moved from the Bronx to east Los Angeles. They interview stars ranging from Howie Mandell to Joely Fisher and say the most shocking things. The stars go along with the gag, but you know they must be wondering if their careers are starting to go downhill when a profane bunny is interviewing them.

Originally created for British television as a "look" into the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, "The Bronx Bunny Show" is sure to find American fans. Whether any of them will be older than 25 or not under the influence of mind-altering substances is yet to be seen.

"The Bronx Bunny Show" will premiere at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday on Starz.

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Here's a show to catch and here's a show to avoid:

Jeff Goldblum is a large presence in his new show, "Raines," and that's a good thing. He plays a Los Angeles police detective who has a fondness for Raymond Chandler's take on L.A., which leads the show to have a film noir look --- sunsets, and camera shots that go high to include ceilings, and a police station that looks like no other police station in the world.

Detective Raines also talks to, and sees, the victims of the murder cases he's trying to solve. It's more about a good detective trying to picture the victim's life than it is about Raines seeing ghosts, which far too many people ("Medium," "Ghost Whisperer") are seeing on television these days. A good supporting cast joins Goldblum, including Nicole Sullivan in the non-comedic part of a police station clerk, and Madeleine Stowe as a psychiatrist Raines is ordered to see.

"Raines" airs at 9 p.m. Fridays on KNSD/Channel 39.

The show to avoid by any means necessary is "Sons of Hollywood," a self-indulgent reality series featuring Randy Spelling, the son of Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, Sean Stewart, son of Rod Stewart, and David Weintraub, the son of no one famous, but the creator of this mess.

Weintraub grew up with Spelling and Stewart and now manages their careers, and came up with the idea of A&E cameras following the three men, all in their 20s, around to clubs and parties. In this week's episode, they are shown talking on a radio program about what it's like to grow up the children of celebrities. Isn't having your own television show about that very thing enough? Do you have to be filmed while on the radio talking about the very same thing?

If this is the channel's idea of "art and entertainment," it's badly mistaken. "Sons of Hollywood" airs at 10 p.m. Sundays on A&E, but forget I mentioned it because you won't want to watch it.

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Carlsbad chef Jay Robb, who claims he's the "fat-burning chef," has a new program on Tuesday mornings. "The Fat Burning Chef" will air at 7 a.m. Tuesday mornings on XDTV/Channel 13 and Direct TV Channel 49. Robb is the author of "Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox" and other nutrition books, in addition to being a fitness club owner and clinical nutritionist.

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Brothers-in-law argue all the time, but few can order their brother-in-law to "whack" someone when they get mad at him. But Tony Soprano is not like most brothers-in-law.

The much-anticipated last nine episodes of "The Sopranos" began Sunday with an episode that focused on Tony and Carmela vacationing with Janice and Bobby in the Adirondacks. "The Sopranos" has made television history for pushing the envelope on violence, but the genius of the show is the way it has captured the daily routine of mobsters who don't jet-set to Vegas or Chicago or New York, but do the routine duties of setting up cons and muscling each other.

Sunday's episode captured that beautifully as the Sopranos and the Bacalas appeared to be like any other set of couples enjoying a few days of fishing, sitting out by the fire, and watching the kids swim in the lake. When a birthday celebration game of Monopoly gets overheated due to some overdrinking -- not unheard of in many families -- Tony and Bobby get into a fight that leaves Tony wondering if he hasn't gotten too old.

Tony gets his revenge on Bobby when he orders the softhearted man to carry out an assassination. Watching the final moments of the episode it seemed as if Tony had killed Bobby also when he ordered the hit.

There will be eight more episodes of "The Sopranos" and we can watch each one knowing we're watching a chapter in television history end. But we can also realize that the success of "The Sopranos" has empowered cable channels such as TNT and FX to develop equally exceptional series like "The Riches," "Rescue Me" and "The Closer."

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The week's highlights include burgers, fast cars and the best con artists on television:

"Food Network Awards" (9 p.m. Sunday, Food Network) -- Catherine Zeta Jones is among the hosts of the first awards show that recognizes the best hot chocolate and the best burgers.

"Drive" (8 p.m. Sunday, XETV/Channel 6) -- A random group of citizens are chosen to participate in an underground cross-country road race in this new drama.

"America at the Crossroads" (9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, April 19 and 20, KPBS/Channel 15) -- A series of documentaries focusing on topics that include wounded American soldiers adapting to life at home, how Europe is dealing with homegrown terrorism, and the rise of Islamic extremism in Indonesia.

"Hustle" (10 p.m. Wednesday, AMC) -- The excellent British series returns with the con artists in Los Angeles trying to sell the Hollywood sign.

Ann Zivotsky writes about television for the North County Times. E-mail her at nctimestv@cox.net.