Two TV networks live up to the “TV” in their names with programs set in the business. “America’s Next Producer” (7 p.m., TV Guide) presents a contest among five men and five women to see who has the talent and drive to create a slate of hit shows. For their first challenge, the talented 10 have to create a one-minute comic short for the talk show “Late Night with Carson Daly.”

While “Next” looks to the medium’s future, “Back to the Grind” (9:30 p.m., TVLand) asks stars to reprise the jobs their characters performed on their vintage TV hits. Trust me: This is not as interesting as it sounds.

We all know Loni Anderson was a receptionist on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” But her real job was showing off her figure and delivering one-liners. Flash forward to 2007. Can the real Anderson cut it as a receptionist for a Los Angeles radio station? We see Anderson get the hang of the switchboard and sweet-talk callers to a country station. She’s then introduced to the hosts of a hip-hop show and runs through the gamut of a mega-media giant that broadcasts in every radio niche.

It’s supposed to be a commercial for this Los Angeles broadcaster, but it’s really a depressing reminder of why big corporate radio is so generic and boring.

In the next segment, Erik Estrada tries to qualify for his old job on “CHiPs.” Didn’t the producers of this show watch that dreadful CBS series in which Estrada masqueraded as a real cop? Don’t they realize that “Armed and Famous” was canceled almost instantly?

In future installments, Betty White, Bea Arthur, Ed Begley Jr. and Jimmie Walker will punch the time clocks at their old “jobs.”

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Cat Deely hosts “So You Think You Can Dance” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ Impersonators impersonate on “The Next Best Thing” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ “The Pursuit of Excellence” (7 p.m., PBS, check local listings) examines the competitive world of ferret breeding at Ohio’s annual Ferret Buckeye Bash.

¢ “Ghost Hunters” (8 p.m., Sci Fi) goes Hollywood, visiting a house “haunted” by the Manson murders and investigating Charlie Chaplin’s studios.

¢ The search continues on “Last Comic Standing” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ Back to the drawing board on “American Inventor” (8 p.m., ABC).

¢ “Biography” (8 p.m., Biography) profiles Howie Mandel.

¢ Scheduled on “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC): Nearly 30 New Jersey men fall for Chris Hansen’s predator sting.

¢ The bomber revealed on “Traveler” (9 p.m., ABC).