Sometimes it takes a slow night in June to make you ponder the nature of reality. All entertainment involves the suspension of disbelief, the understanding that we will dismiss for a moment the fact that the actors are performing at “make believe,” and accept their roles and enjoy, or not enjoy, the spectacle.

Seven Memorial Days ago, “Survivor” came along, and Americans couldn’t get enough of it. I thought it was amusing that this elaborate game of capture-the-flag proved so popular, particularly during the summer months, when, presumably, the weather is nice and there are so many temptations to go out and “play.”

But while the summer-camp aspects of “Survivor” still attract a large (if dwindling) audience, the notion of “Pirate Master” (7 p.m., CBS) has generated little interest. Could it be the fact that the competitors are taking on the “roles” of captains and other crew? Why does the notion of playing pirates seem artificial to the same people who buy into the “tribal” aspects of “Survivor”?

Fans of reality television are not the only ones confusing fiction and fantasy. Last Sunday’s season finale of “The Sopranos” was covered as it were the Normandy invasion. The show’s finale was on the front page of many newspapers in the space normally reserved for what we used to call “news.”

Are newspaper readers well served when made-up stories (acted, shot and edited weeks if not months ago) are covered as actual events? To use a term from “The Sopranos,” isn’t it journalistic credibility and integrity that get whacked?

Yes, there has been too much coverage of reality TV stars Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton. But at least they’re real. Hilton sits in an actual jail cell, and Smith is really most sincerely dead.

And, to steal another phrase, “The Sopranos” is not just television, it’s HBO. This season, the average episode of the show was watched by fewer than 5 million people, who paid premium cable fees for the privilege. Why does HBO deserve so much free publicity?

I know it must seem strange for a TV critic to complain that there is too much made of a TV show, even a great one. But as a newspaper writer and a citizen, I find this blurring of distinctions disturbing.

Let critics and entertainment writers cover the land of make believe. The “news” should be concerned with events that matter. Like whether a star from “Law & Order” should be the next president of the United States.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Earl seeks forgiveness from a dead man on “My Name is Earl” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ Liz settles for less on “30 Rock” (7:30 p.m., NBC)

¢ Kelly shares her family’s traditions with the rest of the gang on “The Office” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ Cleveland hosts San Antonio in game 4 of the NBA finals (7:30 p.m., ABC).

¢ The judges evaluate the performers with the fewest votes on “So You Think You Can Dance” (8 p.m., Fox).

¢ A flashback reveals how Matt and Danny first got fired from the show on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (9 p.m., NBC).