What kind of man still reads Playboy? Seriously, I haven’t got a clue. I am old enough to remember when Hugh Hefner’s monthly was the paragon of sophisticated smut, the one magazine to read if you were thinking of buying a sexy European automobile or outfitting your bachelor pad with the latest hi-fi gadgets. But that was about 10,000 years ago.

A publicist sent me a copy of Playboy a few years back when one of the playmates was scheduled to appear on “Just Shoot Me.” While glancing through its pages, I was struck by the Velveeta-like sameness of the women featured within. Every one of them looked like they had been extruded from some plastic mold, artificially tanned to a golden perfection and topped with a wig that Christina Aguilera had thrown away. These weren’t the girls next door, they were the trashy daughters of the Stepford Wives.

To find out just what kind of girls appears in Playboy today, you’ll have to tune into “Girl Next Door: The Search for a Playboy Centerfold” (7 p.m., Fox). The special was created by the producers of “The Real World,” so you already know what to expect.

It’s not easy being PG. Particularly if you’re an hourlong drama. Viewers can’t get enough of police and detective stories, often the grittier the better. All three “Law & Order” franchises and “CSI” have flourished while more gentle dramas like “Touched by An Angel,” and “Ed” have seen their ratings slip. And what ever happened to the Jersey girl romance “That’s Life”? The only family-friendly drama to flourish is the “Gilmore Girls.” But that’s on the WB network, where you can get away with lower ratings. It would never have lasted on one of the four top networks.

The perennially PG “Providence” (7 p.m., NBC) ends its fourth season with its dreamy lead, Sydney (Melina Kanakaredes), seeking refuge in her boyfriend’s apartment as she is stalked by a violent schizophrenic. But not even Sydney’s boyfriend can protect her when the clinic catches fire. Meanwhile, Tina (Maria Pitillo) arrives suddenly in the maternity ward. All of these cliffhangers should have loyal fans waiting for the start of season five, but the renewal of the PG-rated “Providence” is anything but certain.

Tonight’s other highlights

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star in the 1992 sequel “Lethal Weapon 3” (7 p.m., UPN).

ABC staff members discuss how adoption has touched their lives on a repeat Barbara Walters special (8 p.m., ABC).

An executive’s lover is murdered in an attempt to cover up financial hanky-panky on the season finale of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m., NBC).

On back-to-back season ending episodes of “Reba” (WB), Brock takes refuge in a tree house (8 p.m.), Cheyenne graduates from high school to teenage motherhood (8:30 p.m.).

Scheduled on “48 Hours” (9 p.m., CBS): Kirk Douglas, Julie Andrews, Lauren Hutton and Loretta Lynn discuss the secret of their long careers.

When a 22-year-old woman with Down syndrome becomes pregnant, her protective mother reports that she has been raped on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (9 p.m., NBC).

Scheduled on “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC): Diana Ross and Whoopi Goldberg discuss their roles as mothers. John Stossel profiles the Osbournes and asks experts to evaluate their parenting style.

“Walt Disney World Resort: Behind the Scenes” (8 p.m., Travel) examines the secrets of the popular vacation destination.

Cult choice

A quivering creature attacks a small town and even oozes through a movie projectionist’s window into a theater filled with screaming teens in the 1958 horror film “The Blob” (7 p.m., Turner Classic Movies). Steven McQueen stars.