Tuning in: On TV this week.

Sunday July 25

Dead Like Me (Showtime, 10-11 p.m.): TV series involving ghosts fill the airwaves. But none of them is really death centered. Rather, the genre allows writers to explore what theologians call "first questions" (such as what it means to live a good life). This second season begins with a droll episode in which a recently dead teenager is recruited to usher other dead people's souls into the afterlife. When she falls for a cute guy, things become complicated. As darkly hilarious as it can be, there's "grim" subject matter.

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (BBC America, Mondays 8-9 p.m.): Private eyes Randall and Hopkirk are partners - even if the latter is a ghost. Hopkirk isn't particularly smart, but he is helpful in manipulating natural forces. Though silly at times, the show is often amusing.

Mythbusters (Discovery, 10-11 p.m.): Sometimes tedious, sometimes rewarding, this new reality series examines the plausibility or implausibility of urban myths. Can a scuba diver really be accidentally sucked out of a lake by a firefighter's plane and then dumped in a forest fire? The hosts go to extravagant lengths to prove the myth impossible.

Rescue Me (FX, 10-11 p.m.): Dennis Leary stars in this engrossing series about firefighters who are handling (or failing to handle) the stress of a post 9/11 world. Tommy Gavin (Leary) talks to the ghost of his best friend, lost at ground zero. To make matters worse, his relationships at home are troubled. All these men are under the strain of keeping up a bold front for each other. Heavy, mature themes and some hard language.