There's not much on TV tonight, but the two things that shouldn't be missed -- Fox's "The X-Files" and CBS' "Picket Fences" -- are on back-to-back, even though their backs are on different networks.
* "Bugsy" (8 p.m.-11 p.m., Channel 2) -- You know what really "Bugsy" me? The fact that this movie pre-empts "Homicide: Life on the Street" which is superb. Then again, this 1991 movie is directed by Barry Levinson, who's also one of the creative forces behind "Homicide," so who am I to complain? (He won't.) The main reason for watching "Bugsy" now, of course, is to watch Warren Beatty, in the title role, striking sparks with Annette Bening, who plays Virginia Hill, that would last long after this movie was released. NBC.
* "The X-Files" (9 p.m.-10 p.m., Channel 45) -- Tiptoeing ever nearer to the legacy of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," tonight's episode of "The X-Files" explores the possibility of modern vampires -- a week before Tom Cruise plays one on the large screen. Perrey Reeves plays a murder suspect whom Mulder (David Duchovny) feels may be a vampire, but otherwise looks pretty short in the tooth. By the way, what do you say to someone who's just become a vampire? Coagulations. Fox.
* "Picket Fences" (10 p.m.-11 p.m., Channel 11) -- Anticipating next week's real election night, "Picket Fences" holds its mayoral election during tonight's episode, and the results, announced at the climax, look to set up the series with meaty story lines for the rest of the season. Tonight's show takes an amazingly unblinking look at suburban prejudice, one that should be viewed as a family experience. Also, it includes a hilarious exchange between Fyvush Finkel's Douglas Wambaugh
and Ray Walston's Judge Bone, discussing a rap artist Wambaugh refers to as "Iced Coffee." CBS.
Cable
* " 'Saved By the Bell' marathon" (8:05 p.m.-12:05 a.m., TBS) -- Viewers of "Beverly Hills, 90210" this season might want to see this mini-marathon, which includes the 1992 made-for-TV movie "Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style" and the two "Saved by the Bell" series, to catch Tiffani-Amber Thiessen before she became the new "90210" bad girl.