They don’t make sitcoms like they used to, so TV Land casts talent that used to make sitcoms. And it almost works. Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) returns in “Happily Divorced” (9:30 p.m.).

For reasons that will become clear, the creators of this sitcom concentrated a whole lot more on the situation than the comedy. Drescher plays a happy housewife who is shocked, shocked, shocked to discover that after 18 years of marriage, her husband, soul mate and best friend (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”) is gay and wants to come out of the closet. But because they are heavily over-leveraged, neither has the money to move out of their posh house, and a kind of “Two’s Company” ensues, with Fran’s character pursuing new boyfriends while the newly out hubby sleeps in the den, only to pop up at the most inopportune moments.

Drescher brings a great deal of nostalgic goodwill from her years on “The Nanny,” but about three-quarters of the decent jokes here revolve around the “It didn’t occur to you he was gay?” theme. Even her parents (Rita Moreno and Robert Walden) get in on the act. One hopes the always-capable Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) will have more to do as her best friend in future episodes.

In a case of life-imitates-sitcom (or the other way around), this story neatly parallels the tale of Fran Drescher and ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, who co-created “The Nanny.” Apparently they remain good friends and collaborators and are co-producers of “Happily Divorced.” With “The Nanny,” Drescher and Jacobson confected a 1990s variation on a fairy tale. I’m not sure if viewers will find “Divorced” quite so enchanting.

• Speaking of retro-sitcoms, George Wendt guest stars on a new episode of “Hot in Cleveland” (9 p.m., TV Land) and even takes a “Norm” nod in a bar. In Amish country, of all places.

• If it takes decades for folks to yearn for old-fashioned sitcom stars, reality shows are recycled with a regularity that results in a sickening sameness. “Rocco’s Dinner Party” (9 p.m., Bravo) features reality restaurant fixture Rocco DiSpirito as he auditions three eager chefs to cater a meal for the host and “friends,” who turn out to be media insiders. There’s absolutely nothing on this show you haven’t seen before. A hundred times.

Tonight’s other highlights

• If required, Boston and Vancouver meet in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals (7 p.m., NBC)

• Two hours of competition on “So You Think You Can Dance” (7 p.m., Fox).

• Experts ponder the “101 Gadgets That Changed the World” (8 p.m., History).

• “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman” (9 p.m., Science) ponders the notion of an “edge” to the universe.

• ABC News presents “Caught in the Act” (9 p.m., ABC).

• Corporate hardball breaks out before a softball game on “Men of a Certain Age” (9 p.m., TNT).

• “30 Seconds to Stardom: Commercials’ Most Famous Faces” (9 p.m., E!) recalls personalities who sold themselves better than the product.