UPN’s ‘Veronica’ shows up on CBS

CBS and Fox take advantage of a summer Friday night to showcase a couple of television’s more promising shows.

“Veronica Mars” (CBS) isn’t even on CBS; it’s a UPN drama. Viacom owns both networks, and it clearly thinks exposure on the more established network will draw fans to the drama starring Kristen Bell about a teenage detective toiling in a dark town of secrets and lies.

In the show’s pilot episode (8 p.m.), Veronica avenges a new kid who had been duct-taped to a flagpole by a gang of bullies. In the second helping (9 p.m.), the high school Sherlock takes on the case of the missing poker pot.

CBS’ Friday night trip to “Mars” continues next week with two more episodes. Single helpings of “Veronica Mars” are scheduled for Aug. 5 and 12.

Fox offers fans four chances to see why “Arrested Development” was recently nominated for the Emmy for Best Comedy. The show’s audience may not be huge, but its fans are dedicated, and Fox has renewed “Development” for another season.

On four consecutive episodes (Fox), the police seize the wrong Bluth (8 p.m.), Gob lets his no-show job go to his figurehead (8:30 p.m.), a stairway to Mexico (9 p.m.) and George Sr. is pronounced dead (9:30 p.m.).

Sometimes even the most overused journalistic cliches ring dreadfully true, and tonight “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC) looks at a story that qualifies as “every parent’s worst nightmare.” It also shows how some of society’s worst problems can occur in “the nicest homes.”

Thom and Deirdre Forbes, both 52, are bright, sensitive people who met at the New York Daily News when he was an editor and she worked as a photographer. They live in a big house filled with books in a safe, lovely suburb.

Their daughter, Carrick, was a beautiful baby and a bright child, but she recoiled from schoolwork and was quickly deemed a problem student with learning disabilities. Her drug use probably began with adolescence and only worsened when she dropped out of high school.

Using home videos and professional camera crews, “Dateline” followed the Forbeses as they try to cope with their daughter’s heroin addiction and her flight to New York’s drug-dealing demimonde while trying to protect their younger son from her influence. The Forbeses also fear that they may have passed along their own predisposition for substance abuse to their child.

Thom and Deirdre used to drink heavily but have entered recovery. And both come from families with histories of addiction. Just where do a parent’s responsibilities begin and end when heroin takes control of a loved one? Can you be too supportive of an addict? Too tough?

The answers don’t come easily.

Other highlights

The cult space western “Firefly” (7 p.m., Sci Fi), created by Josh Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), now airs weekly. Sci Fi will air the show’s single season in its entirety, including repeats, as well as episodes never aired on Fox.

Lil’ Kim plays a character named Chastity in the 2003 feature “Gang of Roses” (8 p.m., UPN).

Country relatives come to visit on “That’s So Raven” (8 p.m., Disney). Raven plays four characters in this episode.

Only math can stop a virus on “Numb3rs” (10 p.m., CBS).

Sandra Bernhard guest-stars on “Crossing Jordan” (10 p.m., NBC).

Scheduled on “20/20” (10 p.m., ABC): an interview with Lynda Carter.

Col. Tigh has his hands full with political intrigue on “Battlestar Galactica” (10 p.m., Sci Fi).

Comedian D.L. Hughley takes his bow as a talk-show host with the new weekly series “Weekends at the D.L.” (11 p.m., Comedy Central).

Cult choice

Panned by critics, the 1985 shocker “Ghoulies” (8 p.m., The Movie Channel) spawned three sequels. The cast includes the late Jack Nance (“Twin Peaks”) and Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”). Not to be confused with “The Goonies,” released the same year.

Series notes

Ed O’Neill guest-stars on “8 Simple Rules” (8 p.m., ABC) … Jenny McCarthy guest-stars on “What I Like About You” (8 p.m., WB).

On back-to-back episodes of “Hope & Faith” (ABC), Faith returns from abroad (8:30 p.m.) and takes up residence in a mall (9 p.m.) … Secondhand goods on “Blue Collar TV” (8:30 p.m., WB).

Van’s battle with the bottle on “Reba” (9 p.m., WB) … Three’s a crowd on “Less Than Perfect” (9:30 p.m., ABC) … The high school reunion episode of “Living with Fran” (9:30 p.m., WB).