TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Pirate Master," 7 p.m., CBS. Producer Mark Burnett has a new reality show, settling into his "Survivor" time slot. This one involves adventure. A 179-foot "pirate ship" spends 33 days around the Caribbean island of Dominica. On board, 16 people search for clues and treasure. They range from a 21-year-old receptionist and a 21-year-old glassblower to Christian Okoye, 45, a Nigerian native who was an all-pro running back for the Kansas City Chiefs.

"The Starter Wife," 9 p.m., USA Network. Molly Kagan (Debra Messing) has an easy, enviable life. Then her husband, a movie-studio head, dumps her. She's into undefined turf. That starts a promising miniseries with one-hour chunks on four more Thursdays. We haven't seen the full show but a sampling looks great. Adapted from a witty novel by Gigi Grazer, it has Judy Davis and Joe Mantegna in support; Jon Avnet ("Fried Green Tomatoes") directed.

OF NOTE

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), 6 p.m., USA Network. The last hour is way too stretched-out, so feel free to switch to CBS' reality pirates. Before then, however, this is a delight. Johnny Depp is brilliant as the erratic buccaneer; Keira Knightley and Orlando Boom are ideal as the bright-eyed heroes.

"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" (7 p.m.) and "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m.), Fox. It's been a no-rerun week for Fox, including the "Dance" auditions in Atlanta.

"National Spelling Bee," 7 p.m., ABC. Lots of ESPN people join the coverage with Robin Roberts as host. It's a worthy effort, but who would have guessed this: ABC has a spelling bee tonight and bingo on Friday; it's only a half-step from primetime tiddly winks and Mr. Potato Head.

"My Name is Earl," 7 p.m., NBC. Earl once tried to help Joy win a cat contest, Now he tries to undo the damage.

"30 Rock," 7:30 p.m., NBC. Alec Baldwin has some great moments tonight as Jack (the network guy) is given on-camera duty.

"The Office," 8 p.m., NBC. Michael's in trouble after planning "movie Monday."

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 8 p.m., CBS. A body turns out to be a mobster who has been missing since the 1970s.

"Shark," 9 p.m., CBS. A woman is killed in what looks like a failed robbery. Stark suspects that was actually planned by her husband — a judge who happens to be his enemy.

"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," 9 p.m., NBC. In a new episode of this excellent series, there are lots of problems in the midst of a live show. That revolves around the pregnancy of Jordan (Amanda Peet) and the pill addiction of Matt (Matthew Perry), plus a problem for Tom (Nathan Corddry).