“Monk” (9 p.m., USA) returns for a special and altogether premature “holiday” episode. Thanksgiving may be six days away, but in Adrian Monk’s San Francisco, they’re already breaking out the mistletoe and holly.

The defective detective’s eggnog reveries are ruined by the arrival of his long-estranged father, Jack Monk (Dan Hedaya, “Cheers,” “NYPD Blue”). This is not the first time that a familiar character actor has played a part of Monk’s extended entourage. John Turturro has portrayed Monk’s equally obsessive brother, Ambrose. And Stanley Tucci (“3 lbs.”) turned up as an actor who lost himself in the method of Monk’s madness.

But murder takes no time off for the holidays. Jack Monk has taken a job as a truck driver for a shady company whose co-owner has just gone missing. It’s a real stretch to think of the 68-year-old Monk senior as the driver of a big rig. And it’s even more improbable to think of the germ-phobic Adrian riding along in his cab. But it’s a holiday episode, so all can be forgiven. All except for the fact that this should have aired closer to the holiday itself.

¢ In the tradition of “Wife Swap” and “Trading Spouses,” here comes “Split Ends” (8 p.m., Style). In each installment, scissor wizards with very different styles and clienteles must switch cities, lifestyles and salons.

The first episode features a male British diva stylist with a West Hollywood shop catering to celebrities. He gets up every morning before dawn for meditation and spinning classes. He just hates body fat. He spends additional pre-work hours primping, putting on makeup and fluffing his hair. When asked about his inclinations, he insists, “I’m not gay, I’m English!”

This Beau Brummel must switch shops with a bigger-and-louder-than-life stylist from a small Texas town whose salon specializes in pageant contestants and brides-to-be. Her nickname is “Booger Red,” so it’s best if she explains it. The Brit gets off on the wrong foot in Texas, insulting the shop’s methods and breaking into profanities. Red arrives in Hollywood with gifts for all, but she’s received with an icy formality not unfamiliar to viewers of “Ugly Betty.”

Like the folks in the best Christopher Guest movies, the characters in “Split Ends” seem almost too stereotyped to be real. But you can’t say they aren’t memorable.

¢ George Lopez hosts “Stand Up or Sit Down Comedy Challenge” (9 p.m., TBS), featuring talent selected in an online competition

¢ “Men In Trees” will no longer air Friday nights. The ABC comedy has been renewed for a whole season and will air Thursdays, beginning Nov. 30.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ A pop star’s (J.C. Chasez) father haunts him from beyond the grave on “Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m., CBS).

¢ A fired worker seems a likely suspect in a salesman’s demise on “Close to Home” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ Adama is forced to make a tough call on “Battlestar Galactica” (8 p.m., Sci Fi).

¢ A fatal sinkhole has unnatural origins on “Numb3rs” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ The two-part retrospective “Barbara Walters: 30 Mistakes in 30 Years” (9 p.m., ABC) concludes.