Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must See

"Bull Durham" (1988, 7 p.m.) and "Small Shots: Blind Durham" (9 p.m.), The National Network. First-time viewers can catch one of the classic sports movies. Ron Shelton, a former minor-league baseball player, captured that world. Kevin Costner is the veteran catcher, Tim Robbins is the hot young pitcher and Susan Sarandon is the townie who plans to live with one of them. Then the "Small Shots" series returns to turn "Bull Durham" inside out. "Small Shots" is a half-hour reality show in which two guys zoom into a town to make a mini-movie starring locals. This time the town is Bisbee, Ariz., population 6,090 and the film is a "Bull Durham" takeoff about a blind player. The "reality" parts are mixed — sometimes clever and sometimes contrived. The payoff is worth it, though. The "Blind Durham" mini-movie is hilarious.

Of Note

"Christmas in Rockefeller Center," 7 p.m., NBC. Somewhere near the end of this special, people will remember to turn on the lights of the 76-foot tree in New York City. Before that there will be music from Sheryl Crow, Enrique Iglesias, Michelle Branch, Kelly Clarkson (the "American Idol" winner), Josh Groban, Barry Manilow and Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child.

"The Bernie Mac Show," 7 p.m., Fox. Bernie and his wife have different reactions after trying to crack down on the kids.

"The George Lopez Show," 7:30 p.m., ABC. George is pressured into taking on an assistant who's not helpful.

"The West Wing," 8 p.m., NBC. This rerun is set on the night before the first primary.

"Taken," 7, 9 & 11 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. Tuesday's chapter of this terrific miniseries ended with two homecomings. Jesse, the son of a former pilot who is haunted by alien abductions, was himself abducted. The Army's relentless Owen Crawford snatched Jacob, who is half-alien, but he used his searing powers to escape. Tonight, we jump ahead four years. Craw-ford is determined to find Jacob again.