THE DAILY NEWS WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.

Byline: David Kronke

``Growing Up Grizzly 2''

(Animal Planet; 8 tonight)

Think: Jennifer Aniston hosts this special about a Utah couple who adopt and train grizzly bears for film work; she even gets a bear to do some tricks herself.

Don't think: NBC must've loved the idea of one of their biggest stars cavorting with an 1,100-pound killer with razor-sharp teeth.

In a nutshell: The bears, dangerous as they may be, are adorable and Aniston's enthusiasm is infectious.

``I Want to Marry Ryan Banks''

(ABC Family; 8 tonight)

Think: Jason Priestley stars as a washed-up actor consigned to chasing love on a reality show, where he genuinely falls in love (with Emma Caulfield).

Don't think: Are ``What are you into sexually?'' ``What turns you on?'' and ``So you haven't had a lot of men in your bed recently?'' really appropriate lines for a film on a network called ABC Family?

In a nutshell: Let's face it: Reality TV gets so progressively cynical that it's pretty hard to parody these days. Priestley capably plays an arrogant jerk, making it difficult for viewers to hope he hooks up with the far more empathetic Caulfield.

``Whoopi's Littleberg''

(Nick Jr.; 8 tonight)

Think: Whoopi Goldberg presides as mayor of a town filled with puppets, animated characters and preschoolers.

Don't think: Wasn't Whoopi embarrassed enough by her tenure on ``Hollywood Squares''?

In a nutshell: It's aimed at youthful, undiscriminating audiences. Not dissimilar to her NBC sitcom.

``Chasing Freedom''

(Court TV; 8 p.m. Monday)

Think: Juliette Lewis stars as an attorney helping a young Afghan woman (Layla Alizada) seeking political asylum from the Taliban in the pre-9/11 United States.

Don't think: The young woman who sucked Robert De Niro's fingers in ``Cape Fear'' is now a high-powered lawyer?

In a nutshell: Lewis is convincing in her petulance, less so in her legal savvy in an earnest, programmatic and only mildly diverting melodrama.

``Citizen King''

(KCET; 9 p.m. Monday)

Think: ``American Experience'' film on the last five years of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, from his ``I have a dream'' speech to his assassination, airing on what would have been his 75th birthday.

Don't think: Don't TV outlets stereotypically save documentaries like this only for February?

In a nutshell: Significant if familiar material, familiarly presented.

``Wire in the Blood''

(BBC America; 9 p.m. Monday)

Think: Tony Hill (Robson Green), an insightful psychological profiler, hunts down serial killers with Carol (Hermione Norris), a detective with whom he shares a tormented chemistry.

Don't think: Just when it seems America's cornered the market on grim, sexually depraved crime dramas, along come the Brits to make us look like utter amateurs.

In a nutshell: Hill counsels a child-killer and finds himself framed for rape by his student (Amber Batty), who slept with her friend's murderer. And that's just tonight's catalog of shocks. Demented, disturbing - and potentially addictive.

``Bands Reunited''

(VH1; 10 p.m. Monday)

Think: Haircut bands from the '80s who dissolved under fractious conditions are reunited for one last show. Tonight: Berlin, whose lead singer Terri Nunn and songwriter John Crawford had an ugly professional and personal separation.

Don't think: Other bands regrouped for the series are Dramarama, Romeo Void, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Kajagoogoo. These people must be stopped!

In a nutshell: A sort of fun idea, and Berlin's members are entertainingly self-deprecating: As host Aamer Haleen gets each of the band members to sign an album sleeve photo, keyboardist Dave Diamond notes, ``This'll get you a nickel on eBay.''

``Chappelle's Show''

(Comedy Central; 10:30 p.m. Wednesday)

Think: Second-season premiere of comic Dave Chappelle's anarchic sketch-comedy series.

Don't think: Chappelle the aspirant politician's campaign promise - fake Canadian IDs to allow Americans access to free medical care - is no worse than most real politicians' health-care initiatives.

In a nutshell: Like most sketch shows, the material is hit-and-miss, but when it connects, it can be some of the funniest stuff on TV. And he has a take-no-prisoners approach to racial humor guaranteed to amuse and/or offend everyone equally.

``IFC's Reality Night''

(Independent Film Channel; begins 8 p.m. Thursday)

Think: An evening of documentaries, including ``Lost in La Mancha,'' about Terry Gilliam's monumentally ill-fated Don Quixote film (8 p.m.); ``Keep the River on Your Right,'' about a New York artist who ventured into the Peruvian Amazon in 1955 and emerged a cannibal (10:15 p.m.); ``Go Tigers,'' about a small town rabid for high-school football (midnight); and ``A Brief History of Errol Morris,'' a portrait of the eccentric documentarian (2:15 a.m.)

Don't think: Has ``documentary'' become such a dirty word that such films have to be pawned off as reality programming?

In a nutshell: Famous and absorbing - if little-seen - films, ripe for rediscovery.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) ``GROWING UP GRIZZLY 2''

(2) ``I WANT TO MARRY RAYN BANKS''