Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"American Idol," 7 p.m., Fox. Viewers have watched five hours of auditions. They've seen judges wince, insult and (occasionally) praise contestants. Now things get serious. Tonight, we see an edited version of what happened when about 130 singers reached Los Angeles. On Wednesday, the judges trim that to 32 contestants. Then the viewers take over.

"America Beyond the Color Line," 9 p.m., PBS; concludes Wednesday. Scanning race relations over 35-plus years, Henry Louis Gates Jr. sees extremes. "The black middle class has quadrupled since that day in '68 when Dr. (Martin Luther) King was killed," he says. "But at the same time, the percentage of black children living at or beneath the poverty line is 40 percent." In tonight's first hour, Gates, a Harvard professor, looks at progress in the South; in the second, at problems in Chicago.

Of note

"Whoopi," 7 p.m., NBC. In a late shift — also affecting Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — NBC has juggled its Tuesday comedies. Now "Whoopi" leads the night with this new episode. Rita might be pregnant, so Courtney rushes out to get a job and a ring. Nasim has trouble at a truck stop.

"Nova: Dogs and More Dogs," 8 p.m., PBS. A look at the evolution of dogs and their relationship with people.

"Less Than Perfect," 8:30 p.m., ABC. In this rerun, Pamela Anderson plays a new station worker who poses a threat.

"Line of Fire," 9 p.m., ABC. This terrific series ends its trial run and "NYPD Blue" returns next week. Todd, an FBI guy, investigates a politician. Molloy, the mobster, wants to own a baseball team. A prostitute wants undercover cop Roy to kill her father.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 9 p.m., NBC. The cops think they've found a human sacrifice.