Remakes of old shows rarely work. For every “Hawaii Five-0” or “Upstairs Downstairs” that sticks around, there are far more “Charlie’s Angels” and “Love Boat” reboots that vanish because they fail to fire the nostalgia of the show’s old fans or grab the attention of those too young to remember.

A year ago, NBC looked at “Mockingbird Lane” (7 p.m., NBC) as a reinvention of “The Munsters.” After commissioning a pilot episode, the network decided not to give it a green light.

But tonight the network will air the one-hour test-drive as a Halloween special. According to published reports, the pilot, starring Jerry O’Connell and Portia de Rossi in the Herman and Lily roles and Eddie Izzard as Grandpa, cost as much as $10 million. So you can understand why NBC wants to get its money’s worth.

”Mockingbird” is produced by Bryan Fuller, a force behind the ABC fantasy series “Pushing Daisies,” and Bryan Singer (“X-Men”).

If enough people tune in to see the recycled horror comedy spoof, perhaps NBC will reconsider and “Mockingbird” will appear weekly. Or we’ll see why the network passed on it in the first place.

The original “Munsters” was CBS’ answer to ABC’s “Addams Family.” That 1964 series was updated for the big screen two decades ago.

”Mockingbird” will lead into a Halloween-themed episode of “Grimm” (8 p.m., NBC).

Tonight’s other highlights

• Chatty, confident undergraduates hatch a novel way to stay in touch and profit from the process in the 2010 drama “The Social Network” (6:30 p.m., FX), written by Aaron Sorkin.

• Licensed products show up for a holiday special on “Hoops & Yoyo’s Haunted Halloween” (6 p.m., Hallmark).

• Rapid weight loss and changes in mental state may be due to an internal parasite on “Monsters Inside Me” (7 p.m., Animal Planet).

• A suspect in a child murder case is slain on the 20th anniversary of the crime on “CSI: NY” (8 p.m., CBS).

• The team infiltrates a heavily fortified location on “Fringe” (8 p.m., Fox).

• “All Access Nashville With Katie Couric” (8 p.m., ABC) includes interviews with Taylor Swift and other stars.

• A murder appears to be linked to voodoo rituals on “Blue Bloods” (9 p.m., CBS).