Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"The West Wing," 8 p.m., NBC. It's been awhile since viewers have seen a new "West Wing" episode. Now that the "sweeps" ratings month is here, we can expect a lot of them. That starts tonight with Bartlet and his staff hoping to focus on the inaugural address for his second term. Distracting them, however, is a crisis in an unimportant country. Tensions with the Pentagon rise. Meanwhile, there's a surprising betrayal by a staffer.

Of Note

"Biography," 6 & 10 p.m., A&E. Ricardo Montalban was 18 when he reached Hollywood in 1938. After studying English for three months, he passed a fluency test and soon became a movie star. This hour traces his successes — including "Fantasy Island" — and his creation of an activist group for Latino actors.

"The Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular," 7 p.m., CBS. Last summer, CBS let "Price is Right" borrow a prime-time slot. Now it does it again for three weeks and throws in more cash — a shot at a million dollars.

"American Idol," 7:30 p.m., FOX. On Tuesday, eight of the semi-finalists competed. Tonight we learn which two will be among the show's 10 finalists.

"The Bachelorette," 8 p.m., ABC. Trista Rehn must trim the field to two guys, setting up next week's finale.

"The Bernie Mac Show" (8 p.m.) and "Cedric the Entertainer" (8:30 p.m.), FOX. In a burst of common sense, the network has finally nudged these shows back to better time slots. Tonight, both shows toss in some guest stars: Wesley Snipes plays Wanda's boss on "Bernie Mac"; Anna Nicole Smith and Charles Barkley visit Cedric.

"Law & Order," 9 p.m., NBC. When a drug dealer is killed, the case leads to several suspects.