If reality TV provides a showcase of willing amateurs or a second chance for the Pauley Shores of the world, then what are two truly great athletes doing on “Venus & Serena: For Real” (9 p.m., Family)? That’s a question the Williams sisters should ask their agent just before firing him. Or her.

The good news is neither Venus nor Serena embarrass themselves on this reality show. The bad news is they are on a reality show. “For Real” has a rushed, lets-get-this-over-with quality to it. Venus and Serena are seen talking, or rather screaming, over the din of a crowded restaurant because that seems to be the only place the crew could catch them before they went off to practice, or hold a press conference, or any of the other 9 million things they do – off-camera.

This being the ABC Family channel, “For Real” also has a patented Disney feel to it. The sisters are seen driving wacky in a golf cart, because that’s what all Disneyish starlets have to do. One half-expects the golf cart to be possessed by the spirit of Herbie the Love Bug.

Sports greats occupy a special place in our pop-cultural pantheon, somewhere near the very top. We would not have wanted to see a “reality” showcase with Lou Gehrig or Arnold Palmer. Those jocks, like Joe Namath, who went showbiz during their playing days only seemed to tarnish their reputation. The Williams sisters will have decades of post-tennis life to succeed or fail on television. Just ask John McEnroe. But for the present, we’d rather see them perform on the court, where they still reign as tennis demigods. “For Real” doesn’t tarnish them. It just knocks them off their pedestal and puts them in a golf cart.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ “American Masters” (7 p.m., PBS) profiles Bob Newhart.

¢ An escape plot on “Brat Camp” (8 p.m., ABC).

¢ On back-to-back episodes of “Law & Order” (NBC), a con’s finale (8 p.m.), curtains for a loose lawyer (9 p.m.).

¢ A sleepwalker stumbles into trouble on “CSI: NY” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ Sawyer withholds medicine on “Lost” (9 p.m., ABC).