TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Friday Night Lights," 8 p.m., NBC. Two days before Super Bowl Sunday, three shows have football themes. The others ("Monk" and "Psych") are kind of silly, but "Lights" is one of the best serious dramas on TV. Now the pressure is on Coach Taylor. He wants to stick with Matt, the quiet quarterback who took him to the state championship two years ago; others want him to skip to an immensely talented freshman. Meanwhile, running back Tim Riggins is caught between worlds. His hard-knocks brother want him to be a thief; his upscale girlfriend wants him to clean up and fit in. It's a strong, sobering episode. In the middle of Super Bowl fervor, we're reminded that things don't always work out neatly.

TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE

Tom Hanks double features, cable. Take your choice, with Hanks in two modes. You want neatly balanced romantic comedy? "You've Got Mail" (1998, 5 p.m.) and "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993, 7:30 p.m.) are on Oxygen. Each was directed and co-written by Nora Ephron, with Hanks and Meg Ryan. Each is pat, predictable, subtle and fun to watch. You want something more serious? TNT has Hanks dramas; both are fairly good films, from directors who have done great ones. "The Da Vinci Code" (2006, 6 p.m.) has Ron Howard crafting a strong (sometimes overheated) mystery. "Catch Me If You Can" (2002, 9 p.m.), has Steven Spielberg giving a buoyant touch to the true story of a scam artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the FBI agent (Hanks) in pursuit.

OF NOTE

"House," 7 p.m., Fox. Here's the third run of a terrific episode that first saw Dr. House hiring a detective. As played by Michael Weston, he was a great (if temporary) addition to the show.

"Ghost Whisperer," 7 p.m., CBS. A rerun night on CBS starts with a crisis for Melinda: The town blogger is ready to tell everyone she talks to dead people.

"Flashpoint," 8 p.m., CBS. One of the people holding a teen hostage was previously a kidnap victim. Now Jules needs her negotiating skills.

"Lie to Me," 8 p.m., Fox. In the rerun of a good episode, the team tries to straighten out the lies surrounding a military rape allegation.

"Monk," 9 p.m., USA. Here's a real acting challenge for Tony Shalhoub. In real life, he's a football fan who often commutes 2,000 miles to use his Green Bay Packer season tickets; in "Monk," he has to pretend he doesn't care about the game. Given great tickets by Bob Costas (who appears briefly), he spends his time insisting there's been a murder. The result is fairly goofy, but entertaining.

"Numb3rs," 9 p.m., CBS. Two rock climbers have died, in a case that involves stolen diamonds. This reruns the episode that added Sophina Brown as an agent and brought in Lou Diamond Phillips as guest star.

"Psych," 10 p.m., USA. When a foot is discovered, the guys go undercover with a football team. This episode requires us to accept the unbelievable — including Los Angeles having an NFL team. There are some good moments, but the central gimmick — Shawn pretending to be psychic, when he's merely a great observer — mostly gets in the way.