Teller performs Houdini's Metamorphosis trick with a professional mermaid for an assistant while taping "Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End," the magicians' two-hour underwater special for NBC. The killer storm from "Category 6: Day of Destruction" is back in "Category 7: The End of the World," airing Sunday and Nov. 13 on KLAS-TV, Channel 8. Homer and the gang are hunted during "The Simpsons' Tree House of Horror XVI," airing Sunday on KVVU-TV, Channel 5. Milo Ventimiglia's Jess, left, returns to see Alexis Bledel's Rory, right, on "Gilmore Girls," Nov. 8 on KVWB-TV, Channel 21. "Kenny Chesney: Somewhere in the Sun" is the singer's first network special. It airs Nov. 23 on KTNV-TV, Channel 13.

Filming "Penn & Teller: Off the Deep End" was no day at the beach.

Well, technically it was. Sixteen of them in fact, spent in the Caribbean for the duo's two-hour, underwater special (Nov. 13, KVBC-TV, Channel 3). It just wasn't what most people would consider a good time.

The magicians first came up with the idea for an underwater magic show -- which NBC is making a major part of its plans for the November sweeps period that begins Thursday -- 10 or 15 years ago after learning how to scuba dive, the normally silent Teller says. Then, after plotting out their routines, they spent about three months in the pool at a local scuba school perfecting new tricks that include walking on water and making a submarine disappear.

"The one that I found just the most aggravating was, I just wanted to do a simple little color-changing hanky underwater," he says. "I tucked the color-changing hanky into my dinner jacket, and by the time I got to that trick in the routine, the hanky had crept out of my pocket and was on the other side of the pool. It's absolutely maddening."

But surely the tropical surroundings made for a good time, right?

"Are you (expletive) kidding? Are you kidding?," Teller says in mock exasperation. "Here's the way I want to spend my time in the Caribbean. I'd like to stand in the blazing sun in 125 percent humidity for 12 hours to do one very long card trick and getting alternately charred by the sun and drenched by those tropical rains."

"Here's my idea of a lovely time in the Caribbean," he continues. " Let's go to the largest marine habitat in the world and do a magic show that takes literally all night to shoot. One shot of this thing, one (expletive) 28-second shot of this thing took about 8 hours to shoot."

The trick in question is Houdini's Metamorphosis, in which an assistant is placed in a cage, the magician, in this case Teller, stands atop it, a curtain is raised and they instantly trade places as the curtain is lowered.

They had "these great, Jules Verne-vintage underwater helmets," he says, but the assistant had to remove hers for the trick, leaving her airless. Since everything moves slower underwater, they couldn't make the switch fast enough for Teller to avoid being seen as the curtain was lowered.

"Halfway through the evening, the woman who was working with me on the trick, who was a professional mermaid, had to get out of the pool and go and vomit. She was given Pepto-Bismol. She had a glass of ginger ale, came back in and worked for another three hours until we finally got the thing right."

The production also had to contend with "these extremely active lobsters crawling all over the stage," as well as other oceanic hazards.

"But if there's any notion in your mind that being out in five- to seven-foot swells with everybody groggy from seasick pills and the ocean itself ripping apart our props while sharks swim around is a good time, no, it isn't a good time."

Other, less demanding highlights of the upcoming sweeps period, the time through Nov. 30 when networks try to goose their ratings to earn higher ad revenue, include the traditional mix of special episodes, movies and events. Just remember that, like most TV programming, these dates are subject to change.

SPECIAL EPISODES

John Schneider's "Dukes of Hazzard" co-star Tom Wopat visits him on "Smallville" (Thursday, KVWB-TV, Channel 21).

Presidential candidates Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) debate during a live episode of "The West Wing" (Sunday, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

Both "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" duos, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe, and Chris Noth and Annabella Sciorra star in a two-hour episode (Sunday, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

Once again late to the party, "The Simpsons' Tree House of Horror XVI" features the voices of Terry Bradshaw and Dennis Rodman as themselves (Sunday, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

For an entire week, UPN crams "America's Next Top Model" contestants into every series but one, and it's not "Friday Night Smackdown!" Only "Everybody Hates Chris" was spared (begins Nov. 7, KTUD-TV, Channel 25).

A retro episode sends the cast of "Las Vegas" back to 1962 and the Jubilee Hotel and Casino (Nov. 7, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

With his "West Wing" screen time slashed, Martin Sheen has time to drop in on son Charlie's "Two and a Half Men" (Nov. 7, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

"CSI: Miami's" David Caruso and "CSI: NY's" Gary Sinise pull a double shift, visiting each other's shows to track an escaped serial killer (Nov. 7 and 9, KLAS-TV, Channel 8) .

Milo Ventimiglia returns to "Gilmore Girls" (Nov. 8, KVWB-TV, Channel 21).

Pam Anderson's on-again, off-again boyfriend Kid Rock stops by for the season premiere of her sitcom, "Stacked" (Nov. 9, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

The murder victim is revealed on "Reunion" (Nov. 10, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

Michael Vartan reunites with his "Alias" co-star Bradley Cooper on "Kitchen Confidential" (Nov, 14, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

Bruce Willis hangs out with his kids' new stepdad, Ashton Kutcher, on "That '70s Show" (Nov. 16, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

"Medium" goes 3D (Nov. 21, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio joins "Without a Trace" in a recurring role (Nov. 24, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

John Walsh targets "wicked women who kill and commit other crimes" in a Las Vegas edition of "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back" (Nov. 26, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

And the cast of "Prison Break" finally makes a run for it (Nov. 28, KVVU-TV, Channel 5).

MOVIES

The killer storm that destroyed Las Vegas in this past November's "Category 6: Day of Destruction" is back in "Category 7: The End of the World." Randy Quaid, Gina Gershon, Shannon Doherty and Tom Skerritt star (Sunday and Nov. 13, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

Steve Guttenberg, Rutger Hauer, Peter Weller and C. Thomas Howell star in a remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" (Nov. 20, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

"Snow Wonder," the tale of a magical Christmas Eve snowstorm, features Mary Tyler Moore, Camryn Manheim, Poppy Montgomery and Jason Priestley (Nov. 20, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

Anne Heche and Tate Donovan star in "Silver Bells," a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" movie about a widow and widower who find each other in time for the holidays (Nov. 27, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

And "Felicity: An American Girl Adventure," based on a line of historical books and dolls, follows a young girl and her family in the days before the American Revolution (Nov. 29, KVWB-TV, Channel 21).

EVENTS

Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Michael McDonald and Ashanti are among the performers in "An All-Star Salute to Patti LaBelle: Live From Atlantis" (Nov. 8, KTUD-TV, Channel 25).

"Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found" offers a behind-the-scenes look at the show's most turbulent decade (Nov. 13, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

The Vibe Awards will try to avoid a scene like last year's melee during which Dr. Dre was punched onstage and his assailant was stabbed (Nov. 15, KTUD-TV, Channel 25).

At the other end of the spectrum, the Country Music Association Awards makes its Big Apple debut with George Strait, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson and Martina McBride and others performing (Nov. 15, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

U2, Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow and Norah Jones are among those singing the Man in Black's praises during "I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash" (Nov. 16, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).

The Rolling Stones headline the American Music Awards, which also features performances by Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw and Rob Thomas (Nov. 22, KTNV-TV, Channel 13).

Kenny Chesney stars in his first network special (Nov. 23, KTNV-TV, Channel 13), while Faith Hill headlines her second (Nov. 23, KVBC-TV, Channel 3).

And "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" returns for the holiday (Nov. 24, KTNV-TV, Channel 13).

It is, after all, Halloween: Lance Burton hosts the two-hour special "Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery" (8 p.m. today, The History Channel).

Christopher Lawrence's Life on the Couch column appears on Mondays. E-mail him at clawrence@reviewjournal.com.