TV tonight: 'Shrek the Third

As the king fades, Shrek (married to the princess) fills in. Alas, an ogre lacks the subtlety for some tasks: When he christens a ship, it sinks; when he declares someone a knight, his sword inflicts pain.

So Shrek seeks a successor to the throne - Arthur Pendragon, a clumsy teen whose former mentor (Merlin) had a nervous breakdown. First, they must stop Prince Charming's coup.

Clearly, this is a comedy aimed at all ages. Kids will like the action (some of it a tad violent), the animation and the occasional silliness; adults will like the wit, plus the guest voices. Justin Timberlake (as Arthur or Artie) joins returning actors Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.

National Geographic examines messiahs

TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE: "The First Jesus?" 9 p.m., National Geographic.

At about the time Jesus was born, some stories say, a man who was considered a Jewish messiah was slain. The Romans killed him, then crucified his followers.

Very little of this was written down, but one stone tablet - open to interpretation - implies that God told him to rise from the dead after three days. This mildly interesting film goes to Jerusalem and Jericho to view the tablet and catch opposing views of scholars. There were several would-be messiahs, it says; Jesus may have repeated some things they did, but his turn-the-other-cheek approach was unique.

Other choices

• "Ghost Whisperer," 8 p.m., CBS. The ghost of a little girl becomes Aiden's companion - then tells his mother, Melinda, to stay away.

• "Law & Order," 8 p.m., NBC. After an armed robbery at an elderly man's shop, police fear this was part of a shakedown to get protection money.

• Finales, 8-11 p.m., Lifetime. First is the season finale of "DietTribe." The friends have their final weigh-in after participating in a triathlon and a makeover. Then (at both 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.) comes a rerun of the "Project Runway" finale, with a winner chosen.

• "Medium," 9 p.m., CBS. Allison's life was difficult enough with all those dreams; now she's getting messages from inanimate objects. Earlier, it was her car radio; now it's her new sunglasses. They show numbers that might reflect people's life expectancy.

• "Monk," 9 p.m., USA Network. After rejoining the police force, Monk tackles a difficult serial-killer case. Brooke Adams, the real-life wife of star Tony Shalhoub, guests; she's been on the show four previous times, in three different roles.

• "Flower Girl," 9-11 p.m., Hallmark. Here's a rerun of the pleasant-enough movie that debuted last weekend. Marla Sokoloff plays a flower-shop manager, always surrounded by other people's weddings.

• "Numb3rs," 10 p.m., CBS. Fisher Stevens - best-known lately as George Minkowski in "Lost" - plays a convicted bus hijacker. After robbers copy his technique, he seems willing to help.

• "20/20," 10 p.m., ABC. This is scheduled to wrap up Barbara Walters' interview with Sarah Palin. Earlier portions have been airing this week on "Good Morning America."

• "White Collar," 10 p.m., USA Network. After setting up a scam to retrieve a stolen painting, Neal traces the origin of the piece.