Adolescence marks a time when things matter deeply, truly and utterly or they don’t mean anything at all. Cable covers both extremes of the emotional spectrum with “Fallen” (7 p.m., Family) and the movie-length version of the “Drake & Josh” (7 p.m., Nickelodeon) franchise “Really Big Shrimp.”

The cartoon-like “Drake & Josh” sitcom debuted in 2004. The title characters become unlikely stepbrothers when their respective parents remarried. Suddenly the nerdy, needy Josh (Josh Peck) and the cool Drake (Drake Bell) became inseparable. In tonight’s “Shrimp,” Josh arranges for Drake to play at the local movie theater where Josh works. Within moments, Drake is discovered by a talent agent, and his song is slated to play during the Super Bowl. All seems to be going swimmingly until Josh’s moves as Drake’s manager mess things up.

Viewers who wonder where old sitcoms have gone to die should not miss “Drake.” Every line is punctuated by a thunderous laugh track. Every teen appears to be 16 going on 35. At their most charming, the boys are like a Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin for the 21st century. But they are only infrequently charming.

Some of the gags are both ancient and questionable. The mental instability of Josh’s “crazy” co-worker is mined for cheap laughs. And for reasons that add nothing to the plot, the grandmother of Josh’s boss comes to live in his house. She’s huge, cranky and obsessed with the toilet. If this is your idea of humor, don’t miss the eight-hour “Josh & Drake” marathon, beginning at noon Saturday.

¢ Family Channel repeats the 2006 TV movie “Fallen” (7 p.m., Family) tonight in anticipation of original episodes, airing Saturday and Sunday. The convoluted occult teen thriller stars Paul Wesley as Aaron, a dreamy orphan who turns 18 only to discover that he is actually a Nephilim, a descendent of a race of half-humans/half-angels who have been kicking around since the fall of Lucifer from heaven. A heavenly hit squad is out to destroy the remaining Nephilim, including Aaron. And you thought high school was rough.

It’s hard not to half admire a show that turns John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” into a teen melodrama. “Fallen” will appeal to teens who sop up the complicated fantasies of “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars.” Much dialogue concerns “fulfilling one’s destiny” and of “prophecies foretold.” For reasons obscure, one of Aaron’s helpers is a spirit who appears in the form of a Labrador retriever.

For all of its talk of good and evil, “Fallen” really divides its young audience into two very different spheres. You are either blessed with a sense of humor and irony or you are not. Those so anointed will probably snicker at “Fallen” and giddily anticipate the “South Park” or “Simpsons” parody thereof. Those without irony are doomed to take “Fallen” at face value.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ An angry spirit wants to shut down a desert drag strip on “Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m., CBS). Can you blame him?

¢ Julianne Moore stars in the 2004 psychological thriller “The Forgotten” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ April’s early labor proves ominous on “Jericho” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ The case of the bad girlfriend on “Monk” (8 p.m., USA).

¢ The story of a corporate jet crash does not quite add up on “Numb3rs” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ A stripper turned tabloid floozy follows her troubled son to the grave on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (9 p.m.,NBC).

¢ Scheduled on “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC): an interview with Nicole Richie.

¢ A pedal to the metal equals murder on “Psych” (9 p.m., USA).