Most of us may still rue the wrath of winter, but on The WB it’s endless summer. A soapy combination of family angst, teen hormones and bathing suits, “Summerland” (8 p.m., WB) returns for a second run.

For the uninitiated, “Summerland” stars Lori Loughlin (“Full House”) as Ava, a pretty career gal who finds parenthood thrust upon her after the death of her sister and brother-in-law. This marks at least the 9,000th such plot since John Forsythe starred in “Bachelor Father” during the Eisenhower years.

And Ava’s story isn’t the only aspect of “Summerland” that harkens back to television’s past. Teen TV stars have been crossing over to pop stardom since the days when Ricky Nelson warbled “Lonely Town” on “Ozzie and Harriet.” With his safe and approachable image, some think Nelson did more to popularize rock ‘n’ roll than Elvis. Jesse McCartney, who plays Ava’s nephew on “Summerland,” and who soap fans may recognize from “All My Children,” scored a top 10 single with “Beautiful Soul,” the title track from his debut album. The song was recently tracked at No. 5 on MTV’s “TRL” countdown.

• The competition continues on “American Idol” (7 p.m., Fox). I know the producers are always tweaking things to make the show stronger. Is there any way they can outlaw the use of ballads by Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Michael Bolton? And add Phil Collins to that list for good measure.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Jen makes her choice known, and the producers have two hours to let us know, on the season finale of “The Bachelorette” (7 p.m., ABC). Followed by another hour (9 p.m.) in which Jen appears with her beau and greets her rejects.
• A second 13-episode season of “Dr. 90210” (9 p.m., E!) chronicles the private lives of cosmetic surgeons, as well as their wives, husbands, lovers and patients.

Late night

Dwayne Johnson and Solomon Burke appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and Scissor Sisters on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Christina Ricci and Duran Duran appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).