Michael Wood's Story of England (8pm, UNC-TV) - Historian Michael Wood filters the 2,000-year history of England through the story of one small town located in the heart of the country: Kibworth, Leicestershire. From the Roman era to the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the English Civil War, the Industrial Revolution and World War II, this four-part series intertwines the local and national narratives, marking the milestones that changed the town and country forever. Two back-to-back episodes tonight and then the final two episodes will air on July 10 and 17.

MasterChef (9pm, Fox) - Judge Graham Elliot joins the amateurs in the kitchen, taking part in a mystery box challenge. It's double-elimination night.

Freud's Naked Truths (9pm, Smithsonian) - A new documentary about the life and work of the great 20th century painter Lucian Freud, the grandson of Sigmund Freud. Before Lucian died last year, he gave his full backing to this documentary, which includes the only known footage of him painting on what turned out to be the last day he ever worked.
 
Franklin & Bash (10pm, TNT) - Peter and Jared advocate for a notable judge who's charged with having an affair with a lawyer.

Craft Wars (10pm, TLC) - Challengers must create patio furniture from beach toys. $10,000 prize for the winner.

Haunted Highway (10pm, Syfy) - The debut of a new series featuring paranormal investigations at locales along remote roads (producers need to call me!). Tonight, strange creatures are sought in Utah and Montana.

Pretty Little Liars (8pm, ABC Family) - In the third season premiere, the girls reunite after a summer apart and struggle to move past Mona's revelation and Maya's death. Before long, another surprising event rattles the town.

Rizzoli & Isles (9pm, TNT) - Season three opens with Jane and Maura's friendship in jeopardy in the wake of the shooting of Maura's biological father, an Irish mob boss. Bonus: Ed Begley, Jr. guest stars. Also, we see how Rizzoli and Isles first met (photo at left is a clue).

Love in the Wild (9pm, NBC) - Season 2 of the reality series in which singles travel to the jungle in search of "love" and "adventure" (translation: "sex" and "notoriety").

Concert for the Queen: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration (9pm, ABC) - Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, and Stevie Wonder are among the performers at a concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee held outside London's Buckingham Palace. Backstage interviews are conducted by Katie Couric.

Franklin & Bash (10pm, TNT) - In the Season 2 opener, Peter and Jared seek a promotion by trying to sign a beverage-company bigwig as a client.

So You Think You Can Dance (8pm, Fox) - Christina Applegate and Lil C are the guest judges tonight.

Franklin & Bash (9pm, TNT) - The good news is tonight's episode is the season finale. The bad news is that the show has been renewed for a second season. (Hey, if I can't mock Franklin and Bash, right, who can I mock?)

Roseanne's Nuts (9pm, Lifetime) - Roseanne attempts to cook a Passover meal using only vegetables from her farm, but soon realizes she needs more food and enlists the help of her celebrity guests to prepare dinner.

Necessary Roughness (10pm, USA) - Dani helps an extreme sports star whose nightmares begin to affect his performance. Also, Dani prepares for her high school reunion, even though her ex-husband will also be there.

Rescue Me (10pm, FX) - Tommy's 9/11 interview airs, with predictably combustible results. Meanwhile, Sean goes out with Emily, the bridal shop clerk, and Kelly gets the results of her blood test.

Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief (10pm, ABC) - In a report on out-of-body experiences, Bob Woodruff recalls his own shortly after being injured in a bombing in Iraq in 2006. Woodruff also interviews Colton Burpo, the boy whose experiences are recounted in the best seller, "Heaven Is For Real."

The Voice (8pm, NBC) - The final four singers are unveiled in a results show.

Franklin & Bash (9pm, TNT) - It saddens me that Harry Hamlin ("LA Law") is guest starring on a show about lawyers and that show is "Franklin & Bash."

Life on a Wire (10pm, Discovery) - A sneak peek at a new limited series commissioned by Discovery that profiles highwire walker Nik Wallenda and his incredible family.

Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief (10pm, ABC) - The first of a five-part series from the producers of "Nightline" on spirituality and ESP opens by exploring possible extrasensory links between identical twins that are said to enable them to share emotions and physical sensations when they're not together. Juju Chang reports.

Men of a Certain Age (10pm, TNT) - Joe's friendship with bookie Manfro becomes more twisted and tangled. Also, Owen plants hidden cameras in the dealership to observe the behavior of his sales team, and Terry's date night goes off course.

Rocco's Dinner Party (10pm, Bravo) - Three chefs compete to serve a themed meal for Rocco's mystery guest, described as a "well traveled culinarian" (Anthony Bourdain?). Other guests include D.L. Hughley, Mary Alice Stephenson, Bebel Gilberto, Gilles Mendel, and Cindi Levine.

So You Think You Can Dance (8pm, Fox) - The third and fourth round of auditions.

Great Performances at the Met: Nixon in China (9pm, UNC-TV) - Composer John Adams conducts the Met premiere of his acclaimed opera, "Nixon in China," about the 37th president's historic 1972 visit to the communist country. Baritone James Maddalena stars as Richard Nixon, with Janis Kelly as Pat Nixon and Richard Paul Fink as Henry Kissinger.

Franklin & Bash (9pm, TNT) - A new legal dramedy from TNT about a couple of low-rent, wise-cracking lawyers (Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar) who go corporate. Here's our review.

Men of a Certain Age (10pm, TNT) - A strong new season premieres with a shakeup in Terry and Erin's relationship (and Terry turning 50), and Owen receiving an interesting offer from a competing dealership.

The World According to Paris (10pm, Oxygen) - A new reality series documenting the glitzy life of heiress Paris Hilton. This is not an endorsement.

 If you're a fan of lawyer shows but find yourself missing the irreverent immaturity of a couple of 14-year-old boys, have I got a show for you.

"Franklin and Bash," a new legal dramedy premiering Wednesday night on TNT, doesn't earn its keep with deep, complicated plotlines. Instead, it relies primarily on pretty people and smart-alecky, wise-cracking dialogue to carry the hour.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Although I will point out there's a big difference between "smart" and "smart-alecky.")