Kiefer Sutherland returns to the Fox lineup in “Touch” (8 p.m.). He’s not Jack Bauer, but Martin Bohm, a sorely overextended single dad whose wife died on Sept. 11. His 11-year-old son, Jake (David Mazouz), has never uttered a word. He refuses to be hugged or even touched. Experts say he’s autistic, but Martin believes that Jake’s fascination with numbers may be more than a retreat to an inner world. It could be his advanced way of communicating.

Over the course of the pilot, we discover that Jake can see interconnectivity in numbers that gives him insights beyond the comprehension of most mere mortals. These numbers provide codes and clues that Martin tries desperately to decipher, even as social workers attempt to take Jake away from him.

Danny Glover appears for about 30 seconds as a mystic and professor who declares that Jake and other children like him are part of some new wrinkle in evolution, a hint of humans to come; they can see the wondrous connections in all of existence. If a plot about an advanced race with super abilities sounds familiar, it’s because “Touch” was written and created by Tim Kring, the man behind “Heroes.”

Words like “interconnectivity” and “synchronicity” offer a nice spin on an old-fashioned term: “coincidence.” And any drama filled with too many coincidences often seems contrived. “Touch” has a menu of nothing but coincidences served over a steaming bowl of Hollywood New Age gumbo.

There’s a subplot about a cellphone traveling around the world from one suitcase to another. The phone contains images and information that may save one London man’s marriage, turn an anonymous Irish singer into a superstar or transform a goofy Iraqi teen into a suicide bomber. It’s all presented with a breathless wonder that insists we overlook any lapses in logic and common sense. It’s like “Crash” on steroids.

For all of its excesses, “Touch” might be easier to take if it didn’t hobble so awkwardly on the crutches of such heavily loaded subjects — the heartbreak of childhood autism and the tragedy of Sept. 11.

Perhaps the greatest mystery surrounding “Touch” is Fox’s decision to air the pilot tonight and then ask viewers to wait until March 19 for the series to resume. I’m not sure viewers will make that connection.

• “Mystery of a Masterpiece” on “NOVA” (8 p.m., PBS) looks at forensic technology that combats the illegal traffic of stolen paintings and helps art history scholars tell genuine masterpieces from forgeries.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Auditions continue on “American Idol” (7 p.m., Fox).

• An accountant scams celebrity clients in the season premiere of “American Greed” (8 p.m., CNBC).

• Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) departs on “CSI” (9 p.m., CBS).

• A convicted serial killer provides clues to investigators on the new series “Dark Minds” (9 p.m., ID).

• Rock-and-rollers fall ill on “Royal Pains” (9 p.m., USA).