With no "Picket Fences," tonight's mandatory TV dose is prescribed as follows: take one hour of "The X-Files," then an hour of "Homicide: Life on the Street" and call me in the morning.
* "Family Matters" (8 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Channel 2) -- This episode of "Family Matters," in which the normally placid sitcom world is shattered by the threatening presence of a handgun, might carry more dramatic weight had "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" not pulled a similar trick, and a similar gun, earlier this week. However, give the show credit for trying, and for tackling one of today's most serious issues of all. ABC.
* "The X-Files" (9 p.m.-10 p.m., Channel 45) -- Part 1 of 2. Series star David Duchovny collaborated with series creator Chris Carter on this story idea, which, once again, manages to serve up some astoundingly creepy images for a prime-time network TV series. And it's got some hidden extras, or in-jokes, as well, including an oblique reference to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much." It has green slime, morphing bad guys, dying look-alikes -- and Mulder's long-missing sister. Fox.
* "Homicide: Life on the Street" (10 p.m.-11 p.m., Channel 11) -- The detectives home in on, and question, a new suspect in the shootings of their three colleagues. He's played by Steve Buscemi, whose guest appearance here is an electrifying one -- and gives Andre Braugher, as Frank Pembleton, another terrific interrogation session in "the box." NBC.
Cable
* "Hot Line" (11 p.m.-11:30 p.m., MAX) -- This low-rent variation on "Red Shoe Diaries," with Shannon Tweed as a late-night radio talk-show host trolling for sexy stories from listeners, has had one workable story so far, and lots of clunkers. This one, though, at least presents a semi-notable guest star: Kathy Shower.