“Washington Wives” (9 p.m., A&E) may sound like a Jackie Collins novel, but it’s really a pastiche of primary campaign footage, focusing on the spouses of the presidential aspirants. Teresa Heinz Kerry is shown ordering soup at a deli while fielding a battery of questions and requests for interviews. John Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, discusses her husband’s campaigning skills while trying to keep her pre-kindergarten son and daughter from getting out of hand on the bus.

The most controversial and enigmatic campaign wife is the woman who chose to sit out the primaries entirely. Judy Steinberg Dean was barely seen while her husband Howard Dean made his meteoric rise and fall in the polls. A practicing physician with two teenagers at home, Judy thought her time was best spent back in Vermont. This decision, along with her apparent shyness and lack of glamour, caused yet another wrinkle in the endlessly fascinating and painful discussion of just what a wife’s role should be during a presidential campaign.

Shot in cinema verite style without narration, “Wives” allows the women to speak for themselves. The closest thing we come to third-party judgments come from Sally Quinn, who as a kind of unelected queen of Georgetown society, has seen first ladies come and go. Completely absent here is any mention or discussion of the current first lady Laura Bush, who has largely avoided negative coverage.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Two houseguests face eviction on “Big Brother 5” (7 p.m., CBS).
• A pink-clad sorority sister (Reese Witherspoon) goes to Harvard Law School in the 2000 comedy “Legally Blonde” (7 p.m., Fox).
• Multiple murders involve police victims on “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).
• An emerging rap stars faces street violence and music industry corruption in the 2000 drama “Turn It Up” (8 p.m., BET) starring Pras, Ja Rule, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Tamala Jones.
• The guest of honor leaves her dinner party on “Without a Trace” (9 p.m., CBS).
• Carter confronts his snooty family on “ER” (9 p.m., NBC).

Late night

Matt Damon and The Hives make small talk on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Julia Stiles and “Jeopardy!” champ Ken Jennings on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Kaley Cuoco cracks wise on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).