The new British import “Life on Mars” (9 p.m., ABC) offers a mind-bending mystery. Hit by a car while investigating the kidnapping of his partner and girlfriend (Lisa Bonet), New York detective Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara) comes to on New York’s mean streets, circa 1973. His colleagues, including Lt. Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel), Detective Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli) and Detective Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy), find him curious, particularly when he begins rattling off nonsense about cell phones. His greatest social faux pas is to treat female officer Annie Norris (Gretchen Mol) as an equal.

With a cast to die for, “Mars” combines procedural detective work, historical and cultural dislocation and a central dilemma worthy of “The Twilight Zone.” Is Sam in a coma or some kind of purgatory? And why do the cases from his “old” present seem linked to his new job in the past?

The atmosphere leans a tad too heavily on the soundtrack. The makers of “Mars” can’t be entirely faulted for conjuring up a too Day-Glo vision of New York in 1973. Keitel and Imperioli are perfectly cast as tough, profane cops unfettered by legal details and unaware that their unpolished ways will soon go the way of the eight-track.

¢ Another import, “Kath & Kim” (7:30 p.m., NBC), originated in Australia. The manic Molly Shannon plays Kathy, a 40-something shopaholic mother clinging to youth while living in a garish house filled with knickknacks and exercise equipment. Her dreams of “Kathy Time” get put on hold when her spoiled daughter Kim (Selma Blair) abandons her marriage of six weeks to go home and sponge off Mom.

If there’s a point to this comedy, it’s to lampoon the life of people who fill their heads with the empty gossip from glossy magazines. It would be hard to make either character sympathetic, but the perspective vacillates between condescension and contempt. What few laughs “Kath” provides come from John Michael Higgins (“Best in Show”) as Kathy’s boyfriend. Most of those giggles come not from what he says but what he wears and how he wears it.

¢ Not only is “Eleventh Hour” (9 p.m., CBS) yet another British import; it’s the latest of many series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI,” “Cold Case,” “Amazing Race”). Rufus Sewell stars as a brilliant FBI scientist who detects patterns in evidence that others find hard to grasp.

If this sounds like “The Mentalist” or “Numb3rs,” it is. There’s nothing terribly wrong with “Eleventh Hour,” but there’s nothing terribly new, either.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Jeff Probst is host on “Survivor” (7 p.m., CBS).

¢ David Arquette guest stars on “My Name Is Earl” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ The Phillies and Dodgers meet in Game One of the National League Championship Series (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ An office incident draws police attention on “Ugly Betty” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ The team reacts to Warrick’s shooting on the ninth-season premiere of “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ An ethics seminar spirals into chaos on “The Office” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” (8:30 p.m., NBC) sends up the news.

¢ Banfield (Angela Bassett) puts the staff on edge on “ER” (9 p.m., NBC).