What's On TV

TV highlights for the week of Oct. 24-30. Shows listed are not necessarily recommended by the Monitor. All times are Eastern; check local listings.

SATURDAY 10/23

Cupid (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): If you haven't seen this appealing new drama, tune in tonight when Trevor (Jeremy Piven a k a Cupid) helps a rock star (played by Lisa Loeb) search for her long-lost love. (TV-PG, D)

SUNDAY 10/24

Major League Soccer (ABC, 3:30-6 p.m.): D.C. United will be seeking its third straight title when it plays the expansion team Chicago Fire today in Pasadena, Calif.

Beauty (CBS, 9-11 p.m.): In this contemporary retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," Janine Turner plays Alix Miller, a painter who falls in love with Lee Crompton (Jamey Sheridan), a rich and reclusive writer with a disfigured face. This dewy-eyed romance oscillates between pretentious and pleasing. (TV-PG, L)

MONDAY 10/26

Return to Orbit (Discovery, 8-11 p.m.): John Glenn has been on TV a lot these days, but it has been mostly in bits and bites. But this program is a one-stop info booth for Glenn. The captivating three-part presentation kicks off with Walter Cronkite hosting. David Hartman and Gary Sinise follow up with stories about other astronauts and the Mir space station. (TV-G)

TUESDAY 10/27

CHiPS '99 (TNT, 8-10 p.m.): First "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" came back, and now "CHiPS" joins them. TV's popular duo of the '70s - Ponch (Erik Estrada) and Jon (Larry Wilcox) - are back patrolling California's highways in this new movie. Only this time, Jon is Ponch's boss. As they chase down a car-theft ring, Judge Judy and Johnnie Cochran pop in as guests. Flashbacks to the original series make this campy fun. (TV-PG)

The ACLU: a History (PBS, 10-11 p.m.): Narrated by actor Joe Mantegna, this intriguing film examines high-profile legal battles that have made the American Civil Liberties Union controversial during its 80-year history. The program takes up the famous Scopes monkey trial and the ACLU's defense of the American Nazi Party marching in a Chicago suburb. (TV-G)

WEDNESDAY 10/28

John Glenn, American Hero (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): On the eve of Glenn's return to space, this absorbing documentary captures his life and career from his Marine Corps days to becoming a pioneer astronaut and senator.

American Masters - Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note (PBS, 9-11 p.m.): This biographical series presents an enchanting portrait of one of America's musical titans. An entertaining thread runs throughout the documentary even though, at times, it is unfocused on the music. Reminisces make up for the lack of original footage. (TV-PG)

THURSDAY 10/29

Space Shuttle Launch (CNN, 1-2:30 p.m.): Thirty-six years after his historic 1962 shot into space, John Glenn (left) is suiting up again. Only this time he is just one member of the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. TV legend Walter Cronkite will also return to cover the live event in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Check local listings for network telecasts of live coverage and other special events.