TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Pushing Daisies," 7 p.m., ABC. It's a happy coincidence that this dandy show's night happens to fall on Halloween. We can't think of a better series to reflect the holiday's better traits — whimsy, wit and a mocking at death. Someone is killing jockeys. Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) feels that's linked to the legend of a dead horseman. She urges Ned — who can wake the dead, but only for a minute — to investigate.

"Phenomenon," 7 p.m., NBC. Another logical fit with the holiday. The show is live, with people claiming to do supernatural things with their minds. Criss Angel, a judge, might scoff; others pile on praise. Tonight's round — the second of five — is expanded to two hours, with a Halloween theme. Six people will perform, and two will be eliminated.

OF NOTE

"Back to You," 2 p.m., Fox. Rerun of a terrific pilot film, starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, set in a television newsroom in Pittsburgh.

"Ghost Hunters Live," 6 p.m., Sci Fi. The crew plans to spend six hours at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium, looking for something scary.

"Poltergeist" (1982), 7:30 p.m., ABC Family; or "Halloween" (1978), 11 p.m., AMC. There are plenty of scare films tonight, but they depend on the talent of their directors; here are two masterful ones. "Poltergeist" was beautifully done by Tobe Hooper, with a boost from the film's producer, Steven Spielberg; "Halloween" was sharply crafted on a tiny budget by John Carpenter.

"Life," 9 p.m., NBC. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) thinks she heard someone confessing to a rape.