TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Wisegal," 6-8 p.m., Lifetime. The Mafia, Hollywood tells us, is something you must be born into and you can't leave. Patty Montanari, however, says she broke both of those traditions. Once a homeless waif, she cozied with kingpins, then had second thoughts. Montanari is listed as one of the consultants for this film. The melodrama seems overheated, but "Wisegal" is still solidly told — with good work from Alyssa Milano, Jason Gedrick and James Caan.

OF NOTE

"Cold Case," 7 p.m., CBS. A confession in a 10-year-old case leads to a probe of the nasty side of cheerleading.

"The Good Shepherd," 5-8 p.m., HBO. Robert De Niro directed and co-starred in this film, set in the early days of the CIA. The result is too long and too dark, but worth the trouble. Matt Damon heads a great cast that includes Angelica Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, and William Hurt.

"Criminal Minds," 8 p.m., CBS. One member of a serial-killing duo has committed suicide, but the search is on for the other one.

"Aces 'N' Eights," 8-10 p.m., Ion/KXPO Channel 27. We expect some violence in a cowboy film, but nothing like this. Unarmed ranchers face brutality and sadism. Once you get past that — which isn't easy — there's a fairly solid tale of hired guns (Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner) acquiring hints of a conscience. Ernest Borgnine — still hardy at 90 — is strong in support.

"Saturday Night Live," 10:29 p.m., NBC. "Superbad" star Jonah Hill hosts. Mariah Carey will be the musical guest on the show, which is capping off four consecutive post-writers' strike episodes. Janet Jackson had been scheduled to perform, but dropped out after coming down with the flu. This week will mark Carey's fourth appearance on "Saturday Night Live," but her first in more than a decade. She'll be appearing in advance of the release of her latest album, "EMC2," which is due out next month.