TONIGHT'S MUST SEES

“SOUTHLAND” RETURN, 7 P.M., NBC

Good intentions created mixed results, in this pilot.
Producer John Wells and writer Ann Biderman tried a deeply layered portrait of Los Angeles cops. Some of that gets lost in the visuals. Hand-held cameras worked well in the indoor settings of Wells' “ER,” but become herky-jerky here.
The best part of the pilot is the relationship between a rookie (a college guy and lawyer's son) and his training officer, a tough guy who has purple-prose moments. Two strong actors, Ben McKenzie and Michael Cudlitz, bring them alive.

“SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER” (1977), 4:30 AND 11 P.M., WE; OR “TOP GUN” (1986), 5 P.M., OXYGEN; OR “LETHAL WEAPON” (1977), 5 AND 10 P.M., SPIKE.

On a weak night, cable piles up movies that were box-office giants a generation ago. It also reminds us that popular movies can be well-made.
The best is John Badham's “Saturday Night Fever.” Sure, it stirred trends for disco and BeeGees music and John Travolta; still, it also had a solid core, showing tough Brooklyn kids, just over the bridge from a white-collar world.
“Top Gun” is also strong. Director Tony Scott merged sleek visuals and music with a tight little script and a strong cast of emerging actors. Tom Cruise is at the top, but you'll also spot Val Kilmer, Kelly McGinnis, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins and more.

For more small screen tips for tonight, as well as television stories of all sorts, visit MikeHughes.tv to read the TV writers column and blog.