Recent TV trends have taken a chain saw to the adage “Dead men tell no tales.” In fact, on too many shows, the dead just won’t shut up. They talk to “The Ghost Whisperer” and mediate with a “Medium.” Cadavers, forensics and maggots (oh my!) do the talking on no fewer than three “CSI” corpse-fests.

Add “Raines” (9 p.m., NBC) to the crowded field of shows featuring the chattering departed. The pilot to “Raines” debuted Thursday and repeats tonight.

Jeff Goldblum stars as the peculiar LAPD detective Michael Raines. Ever since the death of his partner, Raines has been seen muttering to himself. But he’s not just conducting a one-way conversation. He’s having a hobnob with the homicide victim whose murder he’s investigating.

Unlike other series where ghosts appear with minds and motivations of their own, Raines’ visions follow certain logic. The image and personality of his hallucinations change as Raines finds out more about its case. These “ghosts” help Raines flesh out the victim and help him understand how and when they died.

Unfortunately, this ghost whispering doesn’t help his reputation at the precinct house, where at least one officer (Dov Davidoff) thinks he’s crazy and should lose his badge or at least his license to carry firearms.

Goldblum is well-cast as a cynical know-it-all who seems perfectly at ease talking to himself. From his roles as a world-weary pop journalist in “The Big Chill” and the hotshot hacker in “Independence Day” and his stint as a pitchman for Apple, Goldblum has done a good job of playing characters who are smarter than the average bear and don’t necessarily want the approval or even the company of other human beings. Is that a personality conducive to episodic television?

Raines does have a sympathetic captain (Matt Craven) and a therapist (Madeleine Stowe) with a disdain for cops, but for the most part he’s a solitary man, all too comfortable with his hallucinations.

“Raines” is a smart, well-written show, but it’s asking too much of the audience to focus on a disturbed central character without the distraction of sympathetic family or gaggle of sidekicks. Even “Monk” has a full-time hand-holder and extensive support group. I’m not sure whether Raines can make it on his own.

¢ Speaking of support groups, the series “Intervention” (9 p.m., A&E) moves to a new night and time. The documentary series, now in its third season, profiles people struggling with drugs and alcohol and the friends and family members trying to help them.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ The NCAA Basketball Tournament (6 p.m., CBS) continues.

¢ A patient with AIDS seeks help on “House” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ Scheduled on “20/20” (9 p.m., ABC): people who have survived kidnappings.

¢ A skinny weakling (Woody Allen) joins a revolution to impress a girl (Louise Lasser) in the 1971 comedy “Bananas” (10:15 p.m., TCM). A “Dick Cavett Show” (11:45 p.m.) interview with Allen follows.