Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

• TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Boston Public" and "Ally McBeal" season openers, 7 and 8 p.m., Fox. These shows return and we realize how much we've missed them. Yes, they are overblown and overwrought. Still, they have the wonderful eccentricity of all David E. Kelley productions. As usual, the teachers on "Boston Public" strain to be outrageous. Lipschultz calls his students a bad name and Louisa suspects a student has murdered his mom. Hendricks (played by Loretta Devine) is jolted when she's asked to be faculty adviser for a fat girls club. Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine on "Star Trek: Voyager") plays a rich lawyer whose guest lecture becomes a life-changing moment.

Then comes "Ally McBeal," balancing two mismatched plots. One has John Cage thinking Ally loves him. The other introduces a lawyer (wonderfully played by Julianne Nicholson) who seems like Ally's double. It's a delight. Kelley's shows are like that, odd, excessive, and sometimes wonderful.

• "The Hughleys," 8 p.m., UPN (seen on KFVE). Here's an offbeat Halloween detour with the actors disappearing.

• "Everybody Loves Raymond," 9 p.m., CBS. Ray hurts his wrist during sex, a fact that he intermittently boasts about.

• "Third Watch," 8 p.m., NBC. Last week's episode ended with the World Trade Center attacks. Tonight's begins 10 days later with the characters — New York City firemen, cops and medics — encased in community support and in 12-hour workdays. Sully, scheduled to marry a beautiful Ukrainian on Sept. 11, still hasn't re-set the wedding; Kim is emerging from the depression that left her cocooned at home.

• "Masterpiece Theatre: The Cazalats," 9 p.m., PBS. Last week's opener of this terrific mini-series had the Cazalat family celebrating because a second war had been averted. Now, a year later, it's inevitable. Two of the brothers head for active duty and one stays to run the lumber mill, while other family members slip into London for fun.

Tonight on News 8

Get the latest news at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. from Howard Dashefsky and Jodi Leong, plus up-to-the-minute weather from Sharie Shima.

• In "Does It Work," Lyle Galdeira checks out the latest in breath fresheners.

• In the Hawai'i healthcast, Cindy Paliracio reports on night snackers, folks who wander to the fridge at night without even knowing it.

Advertiser staff contributed to this listing.