Gannett News Service

Must-see

The Bachelor debut, 9 p.m., Channels 9, 2.

After four straight matchmaking failures, viewers need a fresh burst of interest. They might get it in Jesse Palmer, the fifth bachelor; he seems like a cross between David James Elliott (of JAG) and any image of a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman.

Like them, he's tall and fit, quiet and Canadian. Unlike them, he's a pro quarterback.

Palmer's first two years with the New York Giants have been so-so, with three starts, three touchdown passes and four interceptions.

By standards of the rest of the world, however, he's impressive. He's 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, and has a quiet sense of humor.

He also has an advantage. One of the women is a spy for him, telling him what the other 24 are actually saying about him.

She's secretly an old friend of his, he said, but not a romantic one. To keep up appearances, they may have to fake some heat.

Worth watching

My Wife and Kids, 8 and 8:30 p.m., Channels 9, 2. In the first rerun, Michael's son starts work at the trucking company. In the second, his wife starts taking psychology courses, soon analyzing everyone.

Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic conclusion, 8 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. As the first half of this terrific documentary ended, DeMille's directing career had crashed. His epics ruled the silent era, but his sound films sputtered. Even Paramount, the studio he helped create, didn't want him. Now we see his comeback, peaking with his boldest step: In 1956, at 73, he created The Ten Commandments, his final film and a giant piece of Hollywood history.

American Idol, 8:30 p.m., Channels 19, 45. Last week at this time, viewers received a double scare when the gifted LaToya London and Jennifer Hudson reached the bottom three. They survived; surprisingly Amy Adams (good, but not great) was ousted. Tonight, we'll see who goes next, trimming the field to eight.

The Swan debut, 9 p.m., Channels 19, 45. This reality series starts by giving women extreme makeovers. It will end by having viewers choose a winner in what its producer calls "a cross between a beauty pageant and the Olympics."

My Family, 9 p.m., BBC America. Last week's debut episode of this comedy was solidly above the American average. Tonight's is another good one. Robert Lindsay (Horatio's superior in the Hornblower stories) and Zoe Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) play parents of a cheerily off-kilter family. Tonight, they try to help their bullied son.

Law & Order, 9 and 10 p.m., Channels 5, 22. The first rerun has an actress's body found in the apartment of a Broadway songwriter. The second is a vastly exaggerated version of the news story in which a high-profile publicist faced hit-and-run driver charges.

My Journey Home, 9-11 p.m. Channels 48, 16. This superb documentary follows three first- and second-generation Americans as they visit their family homelands. There are moving moments in Vietnam, Nigeria and Mexico.