TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Courting Alex" debut, 8:30 p.m., CBS. In an overconnected, overworked world, this show's opening scene is great fun. It's a three-way date of sorts involving Alex (Jenna Elfman), a guy and her persistent cell phone. The guy soon has to get out his own phone to talk to her. Alex is a task-oriented lawyer, just like her dad (Dabney Coleman). She has little time for anything outside of work. Eventually, she meets a handsome bar owner (Josh Randall) who has lots of time and lots of fun. Opposites collide, with Elfman's comedy touch getting the most out of the material.

"A Little Thing Called Murder," 7 p.m., Lifetime. The real life of Sante Kimes seems to waver between being tragic and hilarious. She has, court convictions say, been a liar, a cheat and a scam artist. While living on O'ahu in the mid-1980s, she was convicted of slavery for holding her housekeepers against their will at her Portlock Road home. And when things got tighter, she encouraged her son to kill. Throughout all this, she kept up her bigger-than-life persona. She lived amid a fog of proclamations and protestations, forever announcing her innocence. This is a rich character, and Judy Davis plays her beautifully. Her performance milks the extremes in an outrageous person.

OF NOTE

"Surface," 7 p.m., NBC. As Laura learns more about how the creatures were artificially created, her own life is in danger.

"King of Queens," 7 p.m., CBS. Carrie tries to shed her accent in order to get a promotion. Meanwhile, Doug gets his mom into high-stakes poker.

"How I Met Your Mother," 7:30 p.m., CBS. Ashley Williams ("Good Morning, Miami") plays a woman whom Ted falls for thoroughly. They are supposed to preserve this by not trading phone numbers or seeing each other again. Still, he's kind of obsessed.

"Two and a Half Men," 8 p.m., CBS. Charley, shockingly, is in a relationship that's not based on sex.

"The Bachelor," 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. When its Monday comedies got off to a disastrous start, ABC shelved both of them. Instead, it has a rerun of "The Bachelor" at 8 p.m. and a new episode at 9. In the first, Travis trims the field from 12 to eight. In the second, he takes five women on a Riviera yacht and three on a camping trip. Then two women must leave.

"American Experience: John & Abigail Adams," 9 p.m., PBS. John Adams was at the heart of the revolution, but he never had it easy. He lacked the grandeur of George Washington, the wit of Ben Franklin and the charm of his friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend, Thomas Jefferson. Still, Adams became president and father of a president. He maintained a deeply intelligent relationship with his wife, Abigail. Her letters to him are a key part of this well-crafted duo biography.

"Medium," 9 p.m., NBC. After helping find a boy, Allison has nightmares about the repercussions.

"CSI: Miami," 9 p.m., CBS. Two people are shot at a dance pavilion. The reasons may be gang-related.