“Commander in Chief” (9 p.m., ABC) returns to the schedule after a hiatus that left viewers confused and worried about the show’s fate. After a strong start, the drama had dropped in the ratings. In shelving and now moving “Chief” from its Tuesday perch, ABC has sheltered it from having to face “House,” the acclaimed Peabody Award-winning medical drama with the enviable position of inheriting “American Idol’s” enormous audience.

And just to confuse viewers further, “Primetime” will bounce around the schedule until late May. For starters, the “Primetime” that would normally air tonight will air tomorrow instead.

President Mac Allen (Geena Davis) has her work cut out for her. She’s working on her first State of the Union Address since assuming office. She’s not only the first woman president, but also an independent, so she faces the prospect of addressing a House and Senate composed entirely of potential enemies.

Her political problems are compounded by personal disaster when her husband (Kyle Secor) staggers and trips after leaving a dinner and falls onto a female intern, creating an embarrassing photo-op. The president’s efforts to pass a homeless initiative take a backseat to screaming headlines: “The First Gentleman is No Gentleman.”

The plot allows the high-minded “Chief” to criticize Washington for being too political and blast the media for its addiction to trivia and the whiff of scandal.

¢ Scheduled on “10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America” (History), the murder of three civil rights workers in June 1964 (8 p.m.), Shay’s Rebellion of 1787, the first challenge to the authority of the federal government (9 p.m.).

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Jeff Probst hosts “Survivor Panama: Exile Island” (7 p.m., CBS).

¢ Beleaguered by bullies, Chris takes drastic steps to change schools on “Everybody Hates Chris” (7 p.m., UPN).

¢ The final dozen emerge on two episodes of “American Inventor” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ On two episodes of “My Name is Earl” (NBC), bad karma hits summer camp (7:30 p.m.), fast food nation (8 p.m.).

¢ Three teens get caught in the crossfire of a rap rivalry on “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ An awards ceremony to remember on “The Office” (8:30 p.m., NBC).

¢ An expectant mother vanishes on “Without a Trace” (9 p.m., CBS).