TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Forrest Gump" (1994), 7 p.m., ABC. On rare occasions, a wildly popular film also becomes the Oscar front-runner. That happened with the 1994 "Gump" and 1997 "Titanic." In both cases, ratings for the Academy Award telecast soared. More often, the nominees are semi-obscure. On the eve of its annual Oscar cast, ABC recalls a banner year. "Gump" is the sweet-spirited fable of a slow-witted man, entangled in baby-boomer history. Its star (Tom Hanks), director (Bob Zemeckis) and writer (Eric Roth) all won Oscars. Also, "Gump" was named best picture in a rare merger of art and commerce.

OF NOTE

"Matchstick Men" (2003), 6 p.m., A&E. A con man learns he has a teen daughter. Soon, his calculated life is wobbling. This a smartly crafted comedy-drama, with strong work from Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman and director Ridley Scott.

"Shark," 7 p.m., CBS. In a rerun, Stark is determined to convict a millionaire arms broker whose explosives have led to car bombing. The FBI wants to take over the case, but stark resists because Casey has been kidnapped.

"Knight Rider," 8-10 p.m., NBC. If you missed Sunday's debut of this pilot film, here's a second chance. A car gets chased for most of the two hours by unrelenting bad guys until a fierce crash near the end. The car is beautiful; so are the people, especially Sydney Poitier (Sidney's daughter) as Hollywood's idea of an FBI agent. There's lots of running and driving; there's also a brief appearance by David Hasselhoff, who is as stoic as ever.

Independent Spirit Awards, 8 p.m., AMC. Rainn Wilson of "The Office" hosts this ceremony, honoring the best of films made outside the Hollywood system. One of this year's best-picture nominees ("Juno") is also up for an Oscar. The others are "I'm Not There," "A Mighty Heart," "Paranoid Park" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

"Saturday Night Live," 10:29 p.m., NBC. Tina Fey hosts.