Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

MUST-SEE: "Survivor: Back From the Outback," 7 p.m., CBS, and/or "The Weakest Link," 7:30 p.m., NBC. Here's proof that "Survivor" is a semi-permanent piece of pop culture: Even when the game is over, its players' fame continues. Contestants returned home months ago; this hour follows their adjustment to real life. It airs at the same time that NBC has its own one-time stunt. It has transplanted "Weakest Link" — its Monday game show — to this Thursday spot, slicing its usual hour in half. The gimmick is that the six contestants are members of the original "Survivor" group. Who will be the weakest link?

"Friends," 7 p.m., NBC. As their wedding nears, Monica has a mission with Chandler: They must go to Las Vegas and see his dad's cross-dressing cabaret act.

"Gilmore Girls," 7 p.m., WB (seen on KFVE). This above-average series wraps up its first season with teenage Rory deciding to talk to her former boyfriend for the first time since they broke up.

"Surprise Wedding 2," 7 p.m., Fox. This special nudges seven women into telling their boyfriends to marry them immediately, in front of a live Las Vegas audience. Ah, romance.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. First is a grisly new episode. When the police find a decapitated body in one place and a head in another, they wish the two would match. Then comes a rerun, with four people found dead in a suburban home.

"ER," 9 p.m., NBC. The second Sally Field trilogy concludes. Maggie (Field) wants to return to her hometown.