Tube Notes

MUST-SEE: "Friends," 7 p.m. and "Saturday Night Live," 7:40 p.m., NBC. To blunt the arrival of CBS’ second "Survivor," NBC expanded "Friends" to 40 minutes, followed by a 20-minute version of "Saturday Night Live." This might seem like a tacky gimmick from other shows but "Friends" could pull it off. Tonight, Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld") is a despondent guy linked by phone to Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), who is starting her first day as a telemarketer. ... And "Saturday Night Live"? On a good week, it does have 20 funny minutes; we’ll see if any of them are tonight.

"Survivor: The Australian Outback," 7 p.m., CBS. After premiering after the Super Bowl, the second edition takes its regular time slot. This time the setting is harsher, the people are prettier, but the rules are the same.

"CSI," 8 p.m., CBS. This drama has been one of the season’s surprise successes — in quality and ratings. Now it gets a tougher test on Thursdays. The heroes are crime-scene investigators.

"ER," 9 p.m., NBC. Crises range from a sweatshop fire to a retirement home fight.

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