Federal agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) has her doubts about the Visitors, as they come to be called, even after their gorgeous leader, Anna (Morena Baccarin), charms most of the planet, thanks in part to a collusion with ambitious news anchor Chad (Scott Wolf).
Erica has her hands full with rebellious teen son Tyler (Logan Huffman), who becomes smitten with a fetching female Visitor.
This new
"V" is a far more expensive-looking project and like
"FlashForward" and, for that matter,
"Lost," seems shot through with post-9/11 anxieties. Contemporary references abound. One theorist alleges that the visitors have infiltrated global elites and weakened us with unnecessary wars and financial fraud -- obvious references to recent events. At the same time, the media-fueled and cult-like adulation of Anna and the Visitors seems to echo concerns about fawning coverage of a certain president.
It's worth noting that the first "V" premiered the same year as "Red Dawn," another David vs. Goliath tale of insurrection against foreign invaders. At the time, U.S. foreign policy backed proxy rebellions in both Afghanistan and Nicaragua. But since 2001, American troops have been engaged in putting down insurrections in both Iraq and Afghanistan. More than hairstyles have changed since "V" arrived in 1984, only to depart after one season.
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---"Explorer: Inside LSD" (10 p.m., National Geographic) looks at efforts to use the drug for medical and therapeutic purposes.
---TV-themed DVDs available today include "The Shield: The Complete Series," 28 disks and 88 episodes of pure adrenaline.
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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
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---Two go home on "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m., Fox).
---"NOVA" (8 p.m., PBS) presents "Becoming Human," the first of three parts.
---A marine's accidental death proves revealing on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
---Eviction notices arrive on "Dancing with the Stars" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
---"By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" (9 p.m., HBO) recalls 2008.
---Clay revives his business on "Sons of Anarchy" (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
---Peter may be a source of information and insight on "The Good Wife" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
---A victim's only relative languishes in a coma on "The Forgotten" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
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CULT CHOICE
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John Ford directs a moving 1940 adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (10 p.m., TCM).
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SERIES NOTES
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---Gibbs begins to doubt an old friend on "NCIS" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG,V).
---"Biggest Loser" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
---Drug abuse on "90210" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14, L, V).
---David fears the worst on "Melrose Place" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14, L, V).
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LATE NIGHT
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---Al Gore and Brad Paisley appear on "Late Show with David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS).
---Conan O'Brien hosts Reese Witherspoon, Paul Teutul Sr. and Creed on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC).
---Pamela Anderson, Manny Pacquiao and the White Rabbits appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (12:05 a.m., ABC).
---Matthew Broderick, Chad Ochocinco and Reba McEntire chat on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC).
---Craig Ferguson hosts Billy Connolly and Dave Barry on "The Late, Late Show" (12:37 a.m., CBS).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kmcdonough@unitedmedia.com.
