Today on TV

• Horatio Hornblower: Loyalty (6, 8 and 10 p.m., A&E): Ioan Gruffud returns as Hornblower in the first of two new installments of this excellent series. Tonight, he's promoted to captain and given command of his own ship.

• JAG (7 p.m., Ch. 2): Harm and Mac investigate a death aboard a destroyer.

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (7 p.m., Ch. 4): One of the best animated specials ever. (Repeat)

• Tracy Morgan (7 p.m., Ch. 5): Premiere of this mediocre new sitcom — a throwback to the days when smart-mouthed, wise-beyond-their-years sitcom kids were actually thought to be funny.
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  Classic cartoon "A Charlie Brown Christmas" airs at 7 p.m. on ABC/Ch. 4.

  From the archive

  • Today on TV – Feb. 27, 2004
  • Saturday, Sunday on TV – Jan. 10, 2004
  • Today on TV – Dec. 3, 2003
  • Tonight on TV – May 13, 2003
  • Tonight on TV – April 28, 2003
• Celebrity Poker Showdown (7 p.m., Bravo): Celebrities play poker — and it's surprisingly entertaining. Tonight's players are Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle, David Schwimmer, Emily Procter and Willie Garson.

• The Simple Life (7:30 p.m., Ch. 13): Beverly Hills babes Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie try "roughing it" with an Arkansas farm family in the debut of this amusing "reality" show.

• College basketball (7:30 p.m., Ch. 5): BYU at Boise State

• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (8 p.m., Bravo): The Fab Five try to make over a disc jockey.

• 24 (8 p.m., Ch. 13): Chappelle takes over at CTU.