MORE TEEN ANTICS ON FX'S ANIMATED 'UNSUPERVISED'

Adolescence can be awkward and ugly, but the good news is the animated "Unsupervised" (10:30 p.m., FX, TV-MA) shows a glint of humanity beneath its teenage characters' crude language and behavior. A lot of the talent behind this FX cartoon comes from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." "Unsupervised" is more restrained and character-driven in comparison.

Gary (Justin Long) and Joel (David Hornsby) are overgrown boys content with bike riding and junkyard escapades. Gary's parents are largely absent; their block is blighted and sad. But both kids maintain an innocent optimism, particularly Gary, who takes a certain pride in doing his own chores and living independently.

Hormones and peer pressure convince them that their geeky pursuits are keeping them from girls and sex, two concepts they discuss in purely theoretical terms. Gary announces that his house is all but open and a wild party ensues, allowing "Unsupervised" to introduce its large cast of characters, some more nuanced than others.

It's difficult to determine what's more monotonous: sex-obsessed adolescent patter, or a 40-year-old writer's recollection and re-creation of the same. But once you get beyond the "Superbad" language, there's a germ of a nice little show here about young men slowly coming to grips with a grim world and their place in it. Still, BBC America's "The Fades," which premiered last week, is the better of the two coming-of-age series.

-- Speaking of grim worlds, "When Girls Kill" (10 p.m., E!, TV-14) scours the prisons of America to visit with juvenile female murderers whose crimes were so heinous that they were tried as adults.

-- "Best Buy: The Big Box Fights Back" (9 p.m., CNBC) shows how the ubiquitous electronics outlet found in malls across America has bested and outlasted its bricks-and-mortar rivals by providing service, repairs and the assurance of a Geek Squad at the ready.

"Box" includes lots of Best Buy's vintage ads from back in the days of the turntable and the VCR. Now some wonder if, like the tube television, Best Buy may be a thing of the past.

It faces a threat from online vendors who don't have to pay for buildings and sales staff. Many shoppers look at items at a Best Buy and then purchase them elsewhere. One Wall Street type quoted here calls the retailer "Amazon's showroom." "Box" describes a battle that may define the very nature of retail sales in the coming years.

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

-- Jack wants to discover the identity of Liz's new beau on "30 Rock" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

-- Fresh faces appear on "American Idol" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).

-- Reese's loyalty remains in doubt on "Person of Interest" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

-- Erin tries to make Andy jealous on "The Office" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

-- The fate of a doomed man hangs on rather flimsy evidence on "The Finder" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).

-- A mob boss's murder catches Jane's attention on "The Mentalist" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

-- A worried Mitch takes on a difficult new case on "The Firm" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

-- An expectant mother becomes a mugging victim on "Private Practice" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).

CULT CHOICE

Killed in a plane crash in 2001, the R&B singer Aaliyah had a starring role in the 2002 feature film "Queen of the Damned" (9 p.m., Logo), adapted from Anne Rice's novel.

SERIES NOTES

Penny and Leonard mull a sequel on "The Big Bang Theory" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... "Wipeout" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... Dreams and visions on "The Vampire Diaries" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).

Wedding plans bring arguments on "Rob" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Campaign ads on "Parks and Recreation" (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG)

Richard's milestone procedure on "Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) ... A chance to understand the past on "The Secret Circle" (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) ... Megan Mullally guest-stars as a rival talk show host on "Up All Night" (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

LATE NIGHT

Elizabeth Banks appears on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) ... Gina Carano and Owen Smith sit down on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS) ... Carrie Rebora Barratt is booked on "The Colbert Report" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).

Kathy Griffin and Joseph Arthur are scheduled on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jay Leno welcomes Wanda Sykes, Mark Cuban and David Nail on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) ... Tom Arnold and Keke Palmer appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (midnight, ABC).

Ewan McGregor and The Avett Brothers chat on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC) ... Craig Ferguson hosts Steven Wright and Sara Paxton on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

(Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.)