Gannett News Service

Must-see

24, 9 p.m., Channels 19, 45.

This show vanished for a month, nudged aside by an expanded American Idol. We're glad to have Idol, which has been terrific this year. Still, it's a shame that 24 - a true original, quirks and all - had to step aside. When we left it, some of the virus had been released in a hotel. Now officials must forcibly keep the building quarantined while tracking down the rest of the virus.

Worth watching

American Idol, 8 p.m., Channels 19, 45. Last week's show dumped Matt Rogers, a massive and immensely likable guy with a reasonably good voice. Now Idol is down to its final 10. The field includes seven women, many of them superb.

Whoopi, 8 p.m., Channels 5, 22. Celeste Holm plays an eccentric resident of the hotel. Mavis can't wait to get her into a retirement home - then has second thoughts when the woman's granddaughter turns the room into a party place.

Venom ER debut, 8 p.m., Animal Planet. This hour is set at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in an area where California expansion has created problems between man and snake. The opening hour, a gruesome one, has a man-made problem: A guy kept a pet rattlesnake, which got loose and bit him.

The New Americans, 9-11 p.m., Channels 48, 16. In the midsection of this three-parter, we meet Pedro Flores who has been separated from his Mexican family for 13 years so he can work in Kansas. We also continue to follow two Dominican baseball players in Montana, a young Palestinian woman getting her first American job and a Nigerian woman juggling three tough jobs.

Frasier, 9 p.m., Channels 5, 22. Talented actresses guest star, with Laura Linney as Frasier's matchmaker, Rachel Dratch as his bad date and Ann Magnuson preparing Daphne and Niles for childbirth.

Wild West Tech, 10 p.m., History Channel. Keith Carradine hosts a busy and interesting hour looking at the key possessions of cowboys from repeater rifles to saddles and spurs.

Television news

'Alias' family: In a season of Alias in which bad guy-turned-do-gooder Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin) has already hinted that he could be Sydney's (Jennifer Garner) father, our put-upon CIA agent heroine is about to discover she has a sister as well. Mia Maestro has signed to appear in three episodes beginning April 25, ABC confirms. It's also likely that she'll be a regular next season.

'Average' expansion: First, Malena proved that that love was impossible between a Beauty and an Average Joe. Then Larissa proved it. Currently, Adam Mesh is trying to prove that love is possible between an Average Joe and a Plain Jane. So next fall, NBC will unleash Plain Jane.

Also NBC is planning to give the format a hunky spin. One beefy perfect man would be surrounded by a bevy of normal looking women and he will be asked to let love rather than his libido be his guide. It almost goes without saying that there will be twists and it stands to reason that he will, at some point, be tempted by the lure of some not-so-average looking ladies.