Gannett News Service

Must see

American Masters: Julia! America's Favorite Chef, 8 p.m., Channel 16.

This classy series, which can spend a year preparing one hour, isn't into hurry-up scheduling. Here's a logical exception.

It had prepared a profile of Julia Child scheduled to air early in 2005. Following her death (Friday, in her sleep, at 91), PBS decided to air the show tonight.

Rescue Me, 10 p.m., FX.

In the first four weeks, Tommy (Denis Leary) has had a tenuous grip on reality. He's haunted by his own failed marriage and by the deaths he's seen as a firefighter.

Now come two powerful scenes that make us - and him - worry more about his sanity.

Meanwhile, he manipulates his daughter, who's recovering from a traffic accident. And his father (superbly played by Charles Durning) reinvents himself.

There is more in this strong episode. A death changes everything for Franco. Reilly's gay-bashing charges are resolved in a quietly compelling scene with his son.

Worth watching

Olympics Summer Games, Track and field (shot put) competition, with portions on MSNBC (1:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.) and Channels 5, 22 (12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight). This event will be held in Olympia at the site of the ancient games. The start will be shown live on MSNBC; on tape, NBC will show the women's shot put finals in the afternoon and the men's shot put finals in prime time.

People Say I'm Crazy, 7 p.m., Cinemax. When John Cadigan was in fifth grade he was voted his class' most popular, most athletic and most artistic; when he was in 12th grade, he was voted most quiet. By his senior year in college, he was virtually frozen by psychosis. Now, years later, Cadigan has learned to partly control his schizophrenia. He made this documentary, showing us life in his troubled world.

Predator (1987), 7:30 p.m., FX. Muscular men with political futures (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura) face a creepy creature. With John McTiernan (Die Hard) directing, this became a surprisingly well-made action film that you can compare to Alien vs. Predator.

Family Guy, 8 and 8:30 p.m., Channels 19, 45. Long after its cancellation, this cartoon became a surprise hit via cable and DVD. Now - with new episodes being made - here are two old ones. The first has Joe the cop competing in Special People's Games; the second has Brian the dog watching a crabby old woman.

The Drew Carey Show, 9 and 9:30 p.m., Channels 9, 2. In the first new episode, Drew inadvertently causes Mimi's house to burn down. In the second, the insurance agent is skeptical.

King of Queens, 9 and 9:30 p.m., Channels 12, 7. In the first rerun, Arthur (Jerry Stiller) suddenly tries to be a good father. In the second, Doug scares people away from his wife's office.

Living in TV Land, 10 p.m., TV Land. This hopes to start a series looking at stars of classic TV shows. It catches Dick Van Patten of Eight is Enough.