Proof that “reality” television has replaced or perhaps surpassed old-fashioned soap operas can be found on “Oh Baby, Now What?” (9 p.m., A&E).

The documentary follows a group of 20-something friends and acquaintances in Los Angeles about to have their lives transformed by the arrival of a tiny new acquaintance.

Brad is a likable if immature guy who recently moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest. His one-month relationship with the beautiful if aloof Sara was already on the skids when she announced that she was pregnant with his child. Sara claims she told all of her boyfriends that she didn’t believe in birth control, but somehow Brad didn’t get the message. Brad doesn’t believe in abortion, and he’s also a tad agnostic when it comes to marriage and commitment.

Sara, an imperious yoga instructor, takes her pregnancy in stride and appears to believe that Brad will come around, move in and settle into fatherhood.

Brad, a waiter, has other plans. He still lives with Megan, a friend from back home, who believes Sara trapped Brad into his predicament. He also confides in his older pal, Paulie, another hometown acquaintance who shares Brad’s penchant for football. Their shot-and-a-beer, meat-and-potatoes outlook seems wildly at odds with Sara’s tofu temperament.

As on “The Real World” and a million imitations, all of the characters here are very young and just coming to grips with their own identities.

Cautionary note: “Baby” includes footage of Sara’s home birth. While broadcast with pixilation, some may find this scene too intimate and intrusive to endure.

While it may not have been the filmmaker’s (R.J. Cutler) intention, “Oh Baby, Now What?” unfolds like a cautionary tale. Gee, what happens when you combine contemporary sexual mores with a personal ban on contraception? A film like this would work well with an old-fashioned panel discussion about sexuality, parenthood and personal responsibility. Absent that, viewers will have to talk, and presumably think about it, themselves.

¢ Fans of nonreality soap operas should tune into “The 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” (7 p.m., ABC). The three-hour extravaganza reunites “Dancing with the Stars” host Tom Bergeron with that show’s first champion, Kelly Monaco.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ A pilot and a flight attendant on a plane bound for disaster contact Melinda on “Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m., CBS).

¢ Howie Mandel hosts “Deal or No Deal” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ Suspicions fall on a former spouse when a bride-to-be is found slain on “Close to Home” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ A chance to get away from it all proves chaotic on “Las Vegas” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ An FBI office becomes a terror target on “Numb3rs” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ A careless teen contest turns deadly on “Conviction” (9 p.m., NBC).

¢ Adrian comes to think that his wife may be alive on “Monk” (9 p.m., USA).