From “One Small Step” to the cha cha step, astronaut Buzz Aldrin has become the Sylvia Miles of the Apollo program. Actress Miles was once so notable for attending minor gatherings of attention-seeking quasi-celebrities that she inspired the quip, “She would go to the opening of an envelope.”

Aldrin, legendary for being the second man to walk on the moon, now appears on “Dancing with the Stars” (7 p.m., ABC).

I’ll let posterity and Aldrin’s fellow astronauts judge him for tarnishing his celestial luster. He is joined this season by notables major and minor, including Pamela Anderson, Shannen Doherty, Kate Gosselin, Evan Lysacek, Niecy Nash, Chad Ochocinco, Jake Pavelka, Nicole Scher-zinger and Aiden Turner.

• Drugs, legal and illegal, loom large on the second-season premieres of “Nurse Jackie” (9 p.m., Showtime) and “The United States of Tara” (9:30 p.m., Showtime).

In “Jackie,” Edie Falco’s character does a remarkable job of juggling life, career, motherhood and a number of men, including her handsome husband, Kevin (Dominic Famusa). She also manages to cope with a pill addiction — a condition complicated by the hospital’s new robotic medication dispenser, a less cooperative drug dealer than her former lover Eddie (Paul Schulze).

On “Tara,” our heroine (Toni Collette) finds her multiple personalities kept in check by a steady supply of prescription drugs. But even while “normal,” our Tara manages to act out, making lugubrious wisecracks about her neighbor’s suicide. She also performs a dance number from “Slumdog Millionaire” at a cocktail party for some neighbors brought closer by the tragic event.

“Jackie” and “Tara” offer remarkable actresses the opportunity to play women faced with extraordinary circumstances. Both shows might be more credible and rewarding if their premises weren’t quite so extreme.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Chuck faces one last hurdle on “Chuck” (7 p.m., NBC).

• A rich father blames his son’s pain on his past on “House” (7 p.m., Fox).

• With CTU disabled, the NSA intervenes on “24” (8 p.m., Fox).

• “Unsung” (8 p.m., TV One) profiles artists considered underappreciated by the public. Tonight: Rose Royce, best known for the title track to “Car Wash.”

• Horatio’s son returns from war on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

• A cop killer’s peculiar background may prove mitigating on “Law & Order” (9 p.m., NBC).

• Dana Delany guest stars on part one of the two-part season finale of “Castle” (9 p.m., ABC).

• Patty grills Carol on “Damages” (9 p.m., FX).