TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "American Idol," 7-9 p.m., Fox.

In 1959, Marv Johnson recorded "Come to Me" in Detroit. The song reached No. 30 on the Billboard charts and launched what would become the Motown label.

It wasn't easy. On the snowy, 50-mile drive to pick up the first records, Berry Gordy and his teenaged protege, Smokey Robinson, skidded into the ditch twice. It was the shaky start of a label that would remake music, blending rhythm-and-blues with teen pop.

Gordy and Robinson will be on "Idol" today and Thursday as part of a 50th-birthday celebration, with contestants singing Motown songs.

Motown weeks have tended to bring some of the best "Idol" music, including great licks from Ricky Minor and the band. The bad news is that Alexis Grace — who would have soared tonight — was ousted last week; that leaves 10 contestants, all assured of a spot on this year's "Idol" tour.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: "Great Performances: King Lear," 8-11 p.m., PBS.

Brilliantly acted and superbly directed, this may be as good as Shakespeare gets.

And still ... well, it's Shakespeare. Ancient words are thick and tangled, in a plot filled with twists; viewers have to strain to keep up.

This production gives all the help it can. Ian McKellan is superb as Lear, with a great cast that includes Romola Garai, Frances Barber and Monica Dolan as his daughters.

The Royal Shakespeare Company production was moved to the Pinewood Studios in London, where directors Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt added a slightly cinematic feel. The rain-soaked scene ending the first act is spectacular; the opening of the second act is fiercely violent. This is passionate TV — if we can follow the words.