TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Over There" debut, 7 and 8 p.m., FX. With blunt precision, this series — set in Iraq — achieves opposite goals. It is richly human, capturing the soldiers' separate psyches. It also portrays the distance and detachment of war. It is both warm and cold, a tribute to the skill of producers Steven Bochco and Chris Gerolmo. At times, it's actually too good. "Over There" quickly gets viewers to care about the characters, then hits them hard. With modern techniques and a TV-Mature rating, the opener is too gory, even for a war story. We meet the men and women before they ship out. In Iraq, they're bossed by Chris "Sgt. Scream" Silas, played by Erik Palladino, formerly of "ER." The opening mission — battling soldiers who are sheltering in a mosque — is plagued by indecision from above. As in "NYPD Blue" and other Bochco shows, "Over There" sides with the working guy, not his bosses. The real star here is Gerolmo (who penned "Mississippi Burning"). He wrote and directed this first hour. He also wrote the theme song and sings it over the closing credits.

OF NOTE

"R U the Girl" debut, 5 p.m., UPN (KIKU). The once-hot music trio called TLC folded after Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a crash. Now the two surviving members — T-Boz and Chili — have a nine-week series searching for a singer.

"Ghost Hunters" season opener, 5 and 8 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. This reality show follows two Rhode Island plumbers who spend their spare time trying to prove that places aren't haunted. As the new season begins, they have a bigger budget, a bigger staff, a new office and a nifty van. They visit Myrtle's Plantation, a Louisiana spot legendary for its hauntings.

"Average Joe 4" finale, 7 p.m., NBC. In a change of plans, NBC is rushing in the finale tonight, just one day after we saw Anna pick the final two guys. Now she dates them and chooses a winner.

"Lost," 9 p.m., ABC. In this rerun, Sayid is captured by the French woman who's been hiding on the island.