TV’s best bets: ‘Sarah Jane’ battles monsters

Tonight’s might-see

“The Sarah Jane Adventures,” 7:30 p.m. and “Battlestar Galactica” (9 and 10 p.m.), Sci Fi.

Russell Davies has breathed life into the “Doctor Who” world. He created good, new rounds of “Who,” plus two spin-offs – the sharp “Torchwood” (8 and 9 p.m. Saturdays on BBC America) and “Sarah Jane Adventures.”

Elisabeth Sladen, who did a guest role on “Who,” stars. She plays Sarah Jane Smith, who battles monsters and such, with the help of three kids, one of them genetically engineered. This is a 30-minute show, but tonight’s opener (which we haven’t seen) is 90 minutes. It’s followed by a rerun of last week’s offbeat “Galactica” season-opener at 9 p.m.; a new episode (Cylon-human tensions build) is at 10.

Tonight’s might-see II

Miss USA, 9-11 p.m., NBC.

Donny Osmond – who hosts tonight with his sister Marie – says his approach is basic: Have fun; don’t get too serious. That should be easy. The pageant is set in Las Vegas, stuffed with glitz.

Other choices include

“King Kong” (2005), 8 p.m., both TBS and TNT. In his wonderful “Lord of the Rings” movies, director Peter Jackson combined great stories with brilliant filmmaking. Here, he has only the filmmaking, wrapped around a lunk-headed story.

“Ghost Whisperer,” 8 p.m., CBS. In a new episode, someone threatens to tell the world that Melinda talks to ghosts.

“The Departed” (2006), 8:30 p.m., HBO. Starting with a smart script – yes, some movies have one – Martin Scorsese skillfully directed a dream cast. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson led this Oscar-winning cops-and-crooks tale.

“Numb3rs,” 10 p.m., CBS. A gang leader is in prison, but getting messages to the outside.