Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"American Idol," 7:30 p.m., Fox. Four choices are announced tonight, wrapping up the 12-contestant field. Yesterday, judges let eight people (previously rejected) perform anew, in a second-chance round. Now half of them will be promoted to the final 12, joining those picked previously. Each judge will choose one, with the viewers picking the final one. It's a bit complicated, which is why this is an hour, double the usual Wednesday length.

Of Note

"The Sopranos," 7 p.m., HBO. Here's a second chance to see the season-opener. All of the Sopranos are struggling after the breakup of Tony and Carmela.

"My Wife and Kids," 7 and 7:30 p.m., ABC. First is a new episode. The parents of Vanessa (Junior's girlfriend) have had a fight; now her dad shows up, looking for a place to stay. In the second episode, Junior has an odd co-worker.

"Law & Order," 8 and 9 p.m., NBC. Back-to-back reruns borrow from recent news events. In the first, a rock band's pyrotechnics lead to a fire that kills 23 people. In the second, a controversial TV reporter has been shot. That might have something to do with his report, revealing a unit's position.

"Early Edition," 8 p.m., Pax. If you haven't tried this above-average rerun series, tonight is a good time to start. This is the first episode, from 1996; a decent bloke (Kyle Chandler) discovers he has tomorrow's newspaper and has the power to change events.

"Cracking Up," 8:30 p.m., Fox. Zooey Deschanel, the lovable "Elf" co-star, guests as the girlfriend of Ben (Jason Schwartzman). When they're spotted together, Ben learns that the family he's staying with is sexually repressed.

"Kingdom Hospital," 9 p.m., ABC. Last week's well-made opener was based partly on the real-life situation in which Stephen King was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Tonight's episode adds a fictional element: Now the King-like character is in the hospital and the driver is a fellow patient.