‘Thirtysomething’ Spices Cable Fare

Cable is packed with possibilities tonight, some better than others.

First up at 5 p.m. on Bravo is “thirtysomething” (also airing at 9 p.m.), the Emmy-winning drama with Ken Olin and Mel Harris as one of the upwardly mobile couples coping with life and love in Philadelphia.

Viewers generally were split on this 1987-91 series created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the team currently running ABC’s “Once and Again.” Some loved it, others loathed it, but the show was always good for water-cooler conversation the day after.

Author Candace Bushnell (“Sex and the City”) will host “thirtysomething” as part of “The Art of Television,” a showcase for groundbreaking programs of the past.

“Inside ‘thirtysomething’ Seminar,” a one-hour reunion special taped in June, airs at 6 and 10 p.m. on Bravo, with the show’s second episode following at 7 and 11 p.m.

At 9 p.m., Lifetime presents “Dangerous Child,” a predictable TV movie examining a teen’s violent behavior toward his parent. Delta Burke plays a divorced mother who is verbally and then physically abused by her 16-year-son (Ryan Merriman), a troubled student filled with rage.

Saving the worst for last, there’s “RoboCop: Prime Directives” (9 p.m. nightly through Thursday), a four-part, eight-hour Sci Fi Channel miniseries dealing with the clunky cyborg cop (Page Fletcher). Violent and vapid, tonight’s two-hour opener is to be avoided at all cost. That’s our directive.

Surf Report

SERIES

Trekker alert: The Sci Fi Channel airs 1964’s rarely seen first pilot for “Star Trek” (5 p.m.) with Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Christopher Pike.

Marc Summers hosts “Unwrapped,” a new half-hour show (7:30 p.m., Food Network) uncovering tasty tidbits about our favorite foods, from Twinkies to Tootsie Pops.

“AIDS in America: The Crisis Continues,” a new episode of “Investigative Reports” (10 p.m., A&E;), reminds viewers that 1 million Americans are infected with HIV and that drugs once hailed as potential cures have fallen short of expectations.

SPORTS

The Dodgers open a two-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates (4 p.m., Fox Sports Net 2), while the Padres visit the Angels (7 p.m., KCAL).