TODAY'S MUST-SEES

"Leverage" debut, 5, 8 and 11 p.m., TNT. Timothy Hutton plays a former insurance investigator, an honest man mistreated by his old employers. Now he links with the scam artists he used to chase. Their goal is to cheat the cheaters. The result is slick, smart and filled with sharp twists.

"Front of the Class," 8-10 p.m., CBS. As a boy, Brad Cohen was overwhelmed. He had Tourette syndrome, causing him to blurt out sounds and make twitchy movements. Kids mocked him; teachers grumbled. And as an adult? He's now an award-winning teacher. This is a fascinating, true story, beautifully told. Tom Rickman ("Tuesdays With Morrie") wrote a quietly upbeat script. Jimmy Wolk is great as Cohen; despite the surface quirks, he's a charming man to root for.

OF NOTE

"The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice," 3, 6, 9 and 12 p.m., TNT. The first two "Librarian" films (rerunning at 11 p.m. and 1 p.m.) thrust a naive guy (Noah Wyle) into international adventures. Now he's less naive and the story sticks to the U.S. It gets silly at times, but remains moderately entertaining.

"Ty Pennington: Behind the Scenes" (6 p.m.) and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (7 p.m.), ABC. First, Pennington reflects on favorite moments from the 130-plus "Extreme Makeover" homes so far; he also has bloopers and a look at his own home. Then a new "Makeover" helps a Minnesota music teacher.

"The Cutting Edge" (1992), 8 p.m., CW (Oceanic Digital Channel 93). Having dumped its Sunday shows, CW airs a fairly good movie about a pampered figure skater (Moira Kelley) and a tough hockey player (D.B. Sweeney).

"Top 10 Christmas Towns," 8 and 12 p.m., HGTV. Light, cheery and fairly interesting, this visits towns that do Christmas big.

"Desperate Housewives," 8 p.m., ABC. While Carlos and Gaby adjust to their transformed lives, Lynette tries desperately to help her son. Also, Dave is acting crazed.

"House of Saddam," 7-9 p.m., HBO; concludes next week. Sunday's story follows Saddam Hussein from his power thrust in 1979 to his Gulf War defeat in 1991. The story — which producers insist came from three years of interviews with insiders — paints a murder-prone despot.