TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"The Return of Jezebel James" debut, 7, Fox. Like most central characters on TV, Sarah (Parker Posey) is great at her work and clumsy at life. She's a successful book editor. Her longtime boyfriend has left; her apartment and life are empty. Now she's learned that she can't give birth. She turns the job over to her sister Coco (Lauren Ambrose), a drifter and rock groupie. A classic comedy of opposites is done by skilled hands. The creator is Amy Sherman-Palladino, who wrote zesty dialog for "Gilmore Girls." Posey has long been a superstar of the independent-film world; Ambrose co-starred in "Six Feet Under." This mid-season show crackles with sharp, verbal humor. We can't vouch for next week's second episode, which brings in Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest and actor-turned-novelist Ron McCarty as the parents of Sarah and Coco. The opener, however, is a great start.

"Grey's Anatomy," 7 p.m., ABC. This reruns the episode that actor T.R. Knight should be offering at Emmy time. A great character is at his best. George O'Malley tends to be shy and hesitant. Now he's the go-between for two strong characters: Dr. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is tied up in surgery; her husband is waiting semi-patiently outside. George must handle the shuttle diplomacy for a fragile marriage; Knight does this beautifully. And a late scene with Bailey's patient offers the flip side of a quietly diligent soul.

OF LOCAL NOTE

"88th Annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest," 7:30-10 p.m., CBS. The pre-show airs at 6:30. An "encore performance" re-broadcasting of the event is set for 6:30 p.m. March 21. A live simulcast of the pre-show and the contest in its entirety will be available on www.ksbe.edu. The contest has been a tradition for Kamehameha high school students since 1921. The school's Web site notes that Laura Brown, a director of music at Kamehameha between 1926 and 1947, stated that "the objective of the song contest are to build up the repertoire of the best in Hawaiian music for the cultural heritage of any student who attends Kamehameha; to develop leadership, cooperation and good class spirit; and to give students the use of their singing voices and to give them pleasure in singing as a means of expression."

OF NOTE

"Glory Road" (2006), 5 p.m., TNT. Instead of watching a current game, this is a good night to relive a classic one. This peaks with a first - the 1966 NCAA championship game between obscure Texas Western, with an all-black starting line-up, and powerful Kentucky, which was all-white. John Lucas plays Western coach Don Haskins; Jon Voight plays legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.

"House," 8 p.m., Fox. A boy who jumped out a window insists aliens are after him. Dr. House has other problems in this rerun, including a return of his leg pain and the fact that Cuddy and Wilson are trying to give him humility. Also, he's back to munching Vicodin.

"Dateline" (NBC) and"20/20" (ABC), 8-10 p.m. With the networks still getting their post-strike episodes ready, both news magazines expand. We might count that as one of the benefits — there haven't been many.

"Hustle & Flow" (2005), 7 p.m., BET/KHON digital 598. Terrence Howard plays a pimp who tries to go legit as a rapper. The film drew praise, plus an Oscar for the song "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp" and a nomination for Howard.

"Monk," 9 p.m., USA Network. In a rerun, Monk suspects the captain's girlfriend of murder.