TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Grey's Anatomy," 8 p.m., ABC. Here's the midsection of this show's brilliant, three-hour story, centering on a ferryboat crash. Meredith, who fell into the water, remains missing. A man remains pinned, so Izzie desperately tries surgery, using carpentry tools. And back at the hospital, Alex tries to somehow get information to family members. Parts of this rerun seem overwrought, but we rarely have time to notice. It's so quick, tense, visual and well-acted that there's no time to fret about the details.

"Mad Men" debut, 7 p.m., AMC. Late in 1959, the world still seemed to be run by WASP in Manhattan. They ruled corporations and courtrooms. They also ran the Madison Avenue ad agencies where this show is set. From there they could define the American dream. They could tell us that we really wanted to smoke cigarettes and vote for Richard Nixon. "Mad Men" meets them just as everything is about to change. Jon Hamm stars as Don Draper, a relatively honest guy by Madison Avenue standings. Rosemarie DeWitt is his sometimes-lover; John Slattery is his boss. Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones and Christina Hendricks co-star. On one level, it isn't easy to like "Mad Men." Draper seems cold and distant; it's tough to root for anyone. The biases seem too convenient; characters spout feelings (toward women and Jews) that even bigots would keep muted. Still, there's great potential. Matt Weiner, one of the "Sopranos" producers, views a time of transition; let's try it for a while.

OF NOTE

"Ugly Betty," 7 p.m., ABC. Betty has a tough time preparing for Fashion Week in this rerun while everyone else seems to have an angle.

"My Name is Earl," 7 p.m., NBC. In the start of a night of NBC reruns, Earl wants to celebrate his birthday and a year of doing good. Alas, everyone else would rather recall all his past misdeeds.

"The Office," 8 p.m., NBC. Michael decides that Phyllis' bridal shower requires a stripper and a guy dressed as Ben Franklin. At least one of these is a terrible idea.

"ER," 9 p.m., NBC. Kovac goes on trial defending his actions against Curtis Ames (Forest Whitaker). Meanwhile, Abby returns to work.

"Burn Notice," 10 p.m., USA Network. Michael tries to help a friend's daughter flee prostitution. That mission is complicated by the fact that someone is trying to kill him.