Television dramas need to grab you by the throat and not let go for an hour. You would think a show about hostage negotiators and their well-armed sharp-shooting backup would be a surefire hit. Remember Fox’s “Standoff”? OK, maybe you don’t. And that one had Ron Livingston and a plot about sex between negotiators.

The new series “Flashpoint” (9 p.m., CBS) doesn’t have anything half as juicy. In fact, I’m not sure what it’s got. It has the talented and engaging Enrico Colantoni (“Galaxy Quest”) as Sgt. Gregory Parker. He spends the first hour negotiating, in broken Croatian, we’re told, to a enraged man who just shot his wife and has taken an innocent bystander hostage. Because the violent man is shouting in Croatian – or at least we think it’s Croatian – we don’t understand his history or motivations. The rest of the “Flashpoint” characters are speaking English, and I’m not certain I understand where they’re coming from, either.

One member of the squad appears to have put his emotions in escrow, and we all know that’s a bad thing. But whether showing off their macho swagger or engaging in workaday chit-chat, these paramilitary types don’t give too much away. And that’s hard for viewers to follow, or care about, for an hour at a time. So I fully expect this “Flashpoint” to fizzle.

¢ Revolutionary movements of the communist variety used to put people in “re-education camps,” where transgressors were tortured and taught the error of their ways. That’s not quite the same thing as “Queen Bees” (8 p.m., The N and Nick at Nite), but it’s close. This new eight-part show claims to represent a new twist on the genre – “reality with morality.”

“Bees” invites seven selfish girls to participate in what they think is a beauty pageant – one they can’t imagine losing. They’re spoiled brats, manipulative girlfriends and the Alpha-females of vicious brat packs of mean girls who send shivers down the spines of their classmates.

But on “Bees” they will compete to see who can transform herself into a nice and considerate young woman. The “Bee” who loses the most venom will also win $25,000. “Bee” hopes to deflate these divas and to show them – and viewers – how hurtful some words and actions can be.

¢ Vocational reality contests from “Runway” on down teach us that fabulousness is its own reward. In contrast, “Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., TLC) offers a portrait of a famed swimwear designer as a complete mess. Paige’s business acumen and managerial skills are about as skimpy as her bikinis. “Bust” follows her from one runway near-disaster to another, assisted by her loyal crew and warm and opinionated mother, Leah.

¢ “True Hollywood Story” (8 p.m., E!) profiles Heath Ledger, star of the new “The Dark Knight” film who died last January at 28.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson star in the 2003 thriller “2 Fast 2 Furious” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ A farmer and a chemistry professor shake their respective groove things on “Dance Machine” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ Voter fraud can be murder on “Numb3rs” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ Sheppard and Ronon are trapped beneath the rubble of Michael’s compound on the fifth-season premiere of “Stargate Atlantis” (9 p.m., Sci Fi).