-- Are soap operas dead or merely morphing into something else? Every season brings another obituary for a favorite daytime distraction. But when a series like "All My Children" departs, something different but still quite similar takes its place. Viewers who have drifted away from the contrived afternoon romances still turn up for "The Bachelor" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14), an inane time waster that makes "One Life to Live" look like Chekhov in comparison.
Viewers far too young to have ever seen "As the World Turns" are tuning into a very old-fashioned sort of soap. Now in its second season, "House of Anubis" (7 p.m., Nickelodeon, TV-G) concerns a group of teen students at a British boarding school with an occult vibe. It's as if Hogwarts moved to a rather iffy bed-and-breakfast.
The teens form cliques, befriend and shun one another, and dabble in magic in half-hour dollops. Like any soap or telenovela, "Anubis" airs nightly; there are already 45 new episodes to sample this season.
And, similar to other soaps that are churned out in serial fashion, "Anubis" has a decidedly low-budget feel with lots of hit-or-miss performances. It also has a distinctly imported sensibility. Shot in the U.K. and produced for a European audience, "Anubis" has a visual palette that's far removed from the shiny, happy, live-action cartoon aesthetic of a show like "Victorious" or its Disney competition. There's also far less emphasis on one-liners or jokes. It's like a dour "Degrassi" with ghosts and spells.
If viewers of a certain age were to stumble upon "Anubis," they might think it's some PBS station recycling a Britcom from the early 1970s. It really looks that dark and cheaply made. And I mean that in the nicest way.
-- While the gang watching Nick is matriculating at "Anubis," Discovery's audience is getting a very different orientation. "First Week In" (9 p.m., TV-14) follows folks as they are "welcomed" into the penal system from the moment of their arrest onward. The show puts a special emphasis on first offenders, chronicling their interaction with officers and guards as well as other inmates who are more hardened to their environment.
"Week" is part of a crime-themed night on Discovery, from "Gang Wars" (8 p.m., TV-14) to back-to-back helpings of "Mobster Confessions" (10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., TV-14). Something to cuddle up to on a long winter's night.
TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
-- Charity can be contagious on "House" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
-- "The Layover" (9 p.m., Travel, TV-PG) visits the meat and potatoes side of San Francisco.
-- A surprise visit to the slammer on "Hawaii Five-O" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
-- Scheduled on "Rock Center With Brian Williams" (10 p.m., NBC): Mitt Romney's family, charity work in Haiti, George Clooney.
-- A bachelor's fling ends in death on "Castle" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
-- "Unsung" (10 p.m., TV One, TV-PG) recalls Bobby Womack.
-- Advice galore on "America's Money Class With Suze Orman" (9 p.m., OWN, TV-PG).
-- Parsimony gets a bad name on "Extreme Cheapskates" (10 p.m., TLC, r, TV-PG).
--"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (10 p.m., Travel, r, TV-PG) visits New York state's Hudson Valley region.
CULT CHOICE
Writer/director Mel Brooks sends up the Western movie genre in the 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles" (8 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
SERIES NOTES
Memories of weddings past on "How I Met Your Mother" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Trivia galore on "Who's Still Standing?" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) ... Charlie's orientation on "Gossip Girl" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) ... Cupcakes 4-ever on "2 Broke Girls" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
A very familiar face on "Two and a Half Men" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... Tasty roaches and grasshoppers on "Fear Factor" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) ... Time to give thanks on "Hart of Dixie" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) ... Otherwise engaged on "Mike & Molly" (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
David Cross appears on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS).
Mark Wahlberg and Snow Patrol appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes Janet Jackson, Larry the Cable Guy and Eli Young Band on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Channing Tatum, Ben Flajnik and Uh Huh Her appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (midnight, ABC).
Mark Wahlberg and Surfer Blood visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Howie Mandel on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).
(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)
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