What to Watch Wednesday: Top Chef, Stegner and More Premieres

Our daily look at a few shows that promise to be among the day’s more interesting, for all the right — or wrong — reasons.

The latest indignity suffered by the culinary contestants of “Top Chef: Las Vegas” (10 p.m., Bravo): cooking for Penn and Teller. As long as they don’t make Padma disappear. The Miami chef Michelle Bernstein (Michy’s, SRA. Martinez) is the guest judge.

“Wallace Stegner” (10 p.m., most PBS stations) is a biography of the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning writer, teacher and conservationist, produced by the Utah PBS station KUED. Stegner, the American West’s most lyrical and cogent chronicler and champion, deserves a fuller, richer documentary, but his devotees will be grateful that this film was made at all.

Wednesday’s network premieres: 8 p.m.: “New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS; “Mercy”, NBC*; 8:30 p.m.: “Gary Unmarried,” CBS; 9 p.m.: “Modern Family,” ABC*; “Criminal Minds,” CBS; “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC; 9:30 p.m.: “Cougar Town,” ABC*; 10 p.m.: “Eastwick,” ABC*; “CSI: NY,” CBS.