Lock n’ Load 9 p.m. History Channel
We love our weapons, and now there’s an entire television series devoted to them, hosted by a most qualified aficionado: sergeant/drill instructor/Vietnam vet/actor R. Lee Ermey (above). Inquiring minds will learn everything there is to know about the life of an armament: who dreamed it up, how it works, who made it better, its historical victories and defeats. On tonight’s premiere episode: machine guns. On deck: tanks and artillery.
House of Games 7:30 p.m. IFC
Put on your thinking caps for playwright David Mamet’s mind-boggling puzzle of a first film. Lindsay Crouse (a former Mrs. Mamet) stars as a psychologist who ventures into the world of con games to try to help a patient who is in over his head. The plot grows convoluted to the point where you, dear viewer, may feel like the mark. Buckle your seat belts for the ending. Pictured above: Crouse with Joe Mantenga.
Ghost Whisperer 8 p.m. Channel 4
In an episode with universal resonance, Melinda deals with the ghost of an overbearing mother.
Philadelphia 10 p.m. Bravo
The first mainstream Hollywood film to deal with AIDS, and a tour de force for star Tom Hanks.
X Games 8 p.m. ESPN
Street cycling, motocross, and big air rail jam, oh my!
Dog Whisperer 9 p.m. National Geographic Channel
Cesar works with a five-legged miniature pinscher whose owners run the Venice Beach Freakshow. No wonder the dog needs help.
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