George Clooney and other notables lend their voices and observations to "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportun- ity for Women Worldwide" (9 p.m., PBS).

Filmed in 10 countries and based on a book of the same name by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, "Half" is an expose of human trafficking and unspeakable cruelty, as well as an argument that many of the solutions to world crises can arrive only when women are given real

political and economic power.

Over two nights, "Half" will look at a culture of gender violence in Sierra Leone, where most rapes go unreported; a prostitution industry in Cambodia, where children are approximately 30 percent of brothel workers; the epidemic of maternal mortality in Somaliland, where 1 in 12 mothers dies in childbirth; and the burgeoning prostitution industry in India. Celebrities, including Diane Lane, Gabrielle Union, America Ferrera, Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes and Olivia Wilde, travel with the authors and

various experts to examine

oppression and opportunities firsthand. Union visits Vietnam, where a program to foster literacy in girls is making a

difference. Wilde shows how women entrepreneurs are

changing the Kenyan economy and visits a village near Nai-

robi established as a haven from violence and rape.

The notion of Hollywood

celebrities extolling the virtues of women's liberation takes on a whole new dimension when seen from this vantage point.

---There was a time when smaller networks aimed at younger audiences typically launched their new series

earlier than the rest. Fox started this years ago, when new episodes of "Beverly Hills, 90210" premiered well before school was back in session. For reasons unclear, the CW has elected to kick off its new season later than any other network this year. It officially launches with the airing of last month's iHeartRadio Music Festival (8 p.m., TV-PG).

The two-day concert was held in Las Vegas and included performances by Usher, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Swedish House Mafia, Pink, Aerosmith, Rihanna, No Doubt, Lil Wayne, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Enrique Iglesias and Green Day.

---Speaking of unorthodox launches, kid-friendly Nickelodeon embarks on a whole slate of shows aimed at the mothers of its intended audience with exclusive online content. NickMom.com presents the interview series "Parental Discretion With Stefanie Wilder-Taylor," the documentary comedy series "MFF: Mom Friends Forever" and the standup series "NickMom Night Out." "What Was Carol Brady Thinking?" is a send-up of "The Brady Bunch," including clips of the iconic series.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

---Blind auditions continue on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

---A garage explosion scatters the evidence on "Bones" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

---Bay and Zarra run into trouble with a vandal on "Switched at Birth" (8 p.m., ABC Family, TV-14).

---Dani's death leaves everyone shaken on "Alphas" (8 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).

---Jason London, Frank Langella and Dennis Hopper are among the stars of the 2000 miniseries "Jason and the Argonauts" (8 p.m., Encore).

---A familiar face gets roughed up in a bar fight on "The Mob Doctor" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14). If you're curious, you should catch this rookie drama while you can. Low ratings have all but guaranteed its early cancellation.

---Tao faces a reversal on "Major Crimes" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-14).

---McGarrett needs Catherine's help on "Hawaii Five-0" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

---Charlie and Miles return to the rebel camp on "Revolution" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

---Beckett returns from suspension on "Castle" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

---"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (9 p.m., Travel, TV-PG) visits Burgundy.

CULT CHOICE

We are now nearly as far away in time from the debut of "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" (7 p.m. and 10 p.m., Spike) in 1977 as that movie was from the 1939 "Buck Rogers" serials that helped inspire it.

SERIES NOTES

---Pre-nup fussiness on "How I Met Your Mother" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

---Louis interferes on "Part ners" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

---In Martha they trust on "2 Broke Girls" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

---Vince needs nursing on "Mike & Molly" (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT

---Adam Devine and the Shins appear on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS).

---Paul DelVecchio, Josh Wolf, Jen Kirkman and Ryan Stout are booked on "Chelsea Lately" (11 p.m., E!).

---Stephen Colbert and Martha Wash appear on "Late Show With David Letterman" (11:35 p.m., CBS).

---Jay Leno welcomes Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson and Cher Lloyd on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC).

---Zooey Deschanel, Maggie Grace and Electric Approach appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (midnight, ABC).

---Liam Neeson, Joanna Garcia and Matt & Kim visit "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (12:35 a.m., NBC).

---Craig Ferguson hosts Ethan Hawke on "The Late Late Show" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

Kevin McDonough can be reached at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.