Nobody satirized the vicious chatter of the idle rich quite as cleverly as playwright Clare Booth Luce. “Stage On Screen,” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents her wonderful 1936 comedy “The Women” featuring an all-female, all-star cast of movie and television stars.

Director George Cukor immortalized “The Women” with his 1939 screen version starring Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford. Tonight’s performance of “The Women” was filmed live last winter during the Roundabout Theater Co.’s sold-out Broadway run. Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”) stars as Mary, the innocent socialite who loses her husband to the classic gold-digger Crystal (Jennifer Tilly, “Bullets Over Broadway”) and is embarrassed by a malicious gossip spread by her shallow, catty friend Sylvia (Kristen Johnston, “Third Rock from the Sun”). Rue McClanahan (“Golden Girls”) is simply unforgettable as the romantic and much-married Countess De Lage.

More than 60 years after its first Broadway run, “The Women” still delights with memorably snappy dialogue, campy cat fights, outrageous costumes (designed for the Roundabout by Isaac Mizrahi) and the old-fashioned story of a good woman who bares her claws to get her man.

Buffeted by weak ratings, failed shows and bad press, ABC has become the itinerant network, wandering from city to city in search of an audience. They started in “The Hamptons,” moved to “Boston 24/7,” and tonight will check in to “Houston Medical,” (9 p.m.), a six-part documentary about the staff and patients at a Houston’s Hermann Memorial Hospital. The series makes “stars” of several hard-working physicians, including Dr. Terri Major-Kinkade, who specializes in the care of premature babies. We watch her counsel the mother of a dying infant and learn about her husband, a hip-hop record producer.

Others include the brash young Dr. Henry, a hand surgeon who considers himself the best in the business. His wife, however, wishes he’d spend a little more time at home as she tries to get pregnant. Most colorful of all is 64-year-old Dr. James “Red” Duke, a trauma surgeon who sees every day as a new battlefield.

Tonight’s other highlights

Ali Landry hosts back-to-back episodes of “Spy TV,” (7 p.m., NBC).

The auditions continue on “American Idol: The Search for a Superstar,” (8 p.m., Fox).

Fasting in Italy on “The Mole II: The Next Betrayal,” (8 p.m., ABC)

Scheduled on “Dateline,” (9 p.m., NBC): the victims of drunken drivers weigh the emotional and financial toll.

“:03 Seconds From Gold,” (9 p.m., HBO), a fascinating look at Cold War era sports competition, recalls the upset victory by the Soviets over the U.S. basketball team at the 1972 Olympics.

Produced by Howard Stern, “Son of the Beach,” (9 p.m., FX) enters its third season with an hour-long spoof of reality television featuring appearances by Bill Maher, Jason Alexander and contestants from “Survivor” and “Temptation Island.”