SHOP AT HOME, COUCHED IN COMFORT.

Byline: -- Staff and Wire Services

Those who lack the fortitude to hit the stores today on Black Friday can do a little preview shopping from the couch instead, courtesy of HGTV. At 8 p.m. today, ``Gift Show 2006'' has all sorts of unusual present ideas, while the ``Toy Fair 2006'' special at 9 p.m. is all about the latest for children from more than 1,500 companies. Big kids may want to stay up late for the 11 p.m. holiday-themed ``I Want That! Tech Toys,'' from earmuff headphones to a universal remote with a relatively foolproof downloadable set-up. Remember: Batteries not included.

LUCKY `BREAK': ``Prison Break'' has its fall season finale Monday. And Fox has announced that it's bringing the show back on Jan. 22, when the second-year series returns with an hour-long clip show recapping the events of the first 13 episodes.

The winter's first new episode of ``Prison Break'' will show the following Monday and the rest of the season will run without repeats through to the finale.

``Prison Break'' will return to its standard 8 p.m. time period the week after the two-night, four-hour sixth-season premiere of the network's Emmy-winning ``24.''

GAY RADAR: Lifetime is taking Fox show ``Playing It Straight'' one step further with ``Gay, Straight or Taken?'' which is scheduled to premiere on the cable network Jan. 8.

As you might expect, each episode will follow a woman on a series of dates with three different guys -- one gay, one in a relationship, and one single and heterosexual. She'll try to figure out which guy is which, then pick one for herself.

If she chooses the straight guy, she and the guy win ``an exotic trip for two.'' If not, the man she picks gets to take his significant other on the vacation.

The premiere features a 27-year-old Realtor, choosing among Chris, a personal trainer; Luciano, a bartender; and Mike, a club promoter.

MATCH GAME: On Dec. 18, NBC will unveil a new game show called ``Identity,'' in which players can win cash based on how well they're able to read people. Like the launch of ``Deal or No Deal,'' the new show will run for five consecutive nights at 8 p.m.

Host Penn Jillette will introduce players to 12 people and give them a list of 12 pieces of identifying information. The players then have to match each trait -- which could range from profession to shoe size, NBC says -- to the person they think has that trait. Getting all 12 matches right brings a prize of half a million dollars.

`TREE,' `VERONICA': The ``One Tree Hill'' gang will continue to sleep with inappropriate people, and ``Veronica Mars'' will have more time to close in on the campus rapist now that The CW has ordered additional episodes of the two dramas.

The new network ordered eight more episodes of ``Hill,'' while ``Veronica'' got seven more, making a total of 21 and 20 episodes, respectively, report trade sources. Each show was picked up for 13 episodes this past spring.

In its third season, ``Veronica'' has increased its viewership by 7 percent among adults 18-34 and 5 percent among women 18-34 compared to last year when it was on UPN. It's averaged a 1.6 rating/4 share among the 18-34 demo and a 2.2/6 among women 18-34. This year, ``Veronica'' followed ``Gilmore Girls'' and also marks the titular protagonist's (Kristen Bell) first year of college.

``One Tree Hill'' is currently in its fourth season and also has increased from its WB run last year, with a 5 percent increase among adults 18-34 and 4 percent among women 18-34. It has averaged a 2.0/5 among adults and a 2.8/7 among adult women, retaining a large percentage of its lead-in, ``America's Next Top Model.''

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Penn Jillette will host the new NBC game show ``Identity,'' premiering Dec. 18.

Fraser Harrison/Getty Images