A galaxy of familiar TV stars appears in the two-night miniseries remake of “The Andromeda Strain” (8 p.m., A&E, concludes Tuesday). Based on the Michael Crichton novel that inspired a 1971 film, this “Strain” has been updated to reflect our era, complete with fears of international terrorism, Homeland Security turf wars and the delicate dance between a government’s need to control information and the media’s rights.

This expensive-looking film, executive-produced by Tony and Ridley Scott, begins with a satellite falling to Earth in a remote Utah town. An impetuous teen takes the fallen space orb home with him in his pickup truck, just ahead of the army commandos sent to retrieve it. But before they complete their mission, the boy, the town, the commandos and the whole town are struck dead by a mysterious virus.

Enter the Wildfire team, a crack squad of military and civilian scientists assembled to combat biological warfare. And enter Benjamin Bratt (“Law & Order”), Rick Schroder (“NYPD Blue”), Andre Braugher (“Homicide”), Christa Miller (“Scrubs”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”) and Viola Davis (“Life Is Not a Fairy Tale”) as various doctors, agents and officers in pursuit of the truth and/or their own nefarious agendas. Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”) has the most fun here, as a rogue reporter, fresh from rehab, set to ferret out the truth.

Not for the squeamish, “Strain” sports more dead bodies than a week of “CSI” repeats. While admirable, the production seems infected by that most dreaded miniseries affliction: It takes two nights to tell a story that could easily unfold in one evening.

¢ Viewers with shorter attention spans might enjoy “The Movie Preview Awards” (7 p.m., MyNetwork), a two-hour salute to promotional trailers, honoring 16 categories from Best Trailer to Best Voiceover. My favorite prize has to be the Golden Fleece Award, the best trailer for a bad movie. Comedian and former late-night talk-show host Sinbad presides over this event.

¢ Miniseries like “Andromeda Strain” remind us how performers can take on roles separate and distinct from their more famous characters. That’s why they call it acting. Recently, some of limited gifts have opted instead to turn their life into a performance and “act out” the banality of their idle hours as fodder for the reality mill. Hence, we get shows like “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated” (9 p.m., E!), which follows the former actress best known for her part in one of Hollywood’s ugliest divorces from one of Hollywood’s sleaziest husbands. It follows Richards’ return to the dating pool and a trip to the DMV and to a tattoo parlor. Before you judge the “Starship Troopers” star too harshly, remember that she’s getting paid to appear in “Complicated.” What, exactly, are you getting from watching this?

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Families clash on “Vacation Swap” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ Life without restrictions on “Greek” (7 p.m., Family).

¢ An all-star cast re-enacts the Normandy Invasion in the 1962 war epic “The Longest Day” (7 p.m., AMC).

¢ Wedding bells ring on “Wildfire” (8 p.m., Family).

Cult Choice

Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris star in the 2005 pulp thriller “A History of Violence” (8 p.m., Spike), directed by David Cronenberg and adapted from a graphic novel.