Tuesday on Utah TV: "Parenthood" tackles the n-word with grace

You've got to hand it to the producer of Parenthood (9 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5) for their courage. Tonight, they tackle the n-word.

Young Jabbar (Tyree Brown) overhears the word during a rapper's recording session. Crosby (Dax Shepard), his white father, doesn't quite know how to explain it to him.

So Jasmine (Joy Bryant), his African-American mother, does the explaining. And does it very well.

It's not like the episode is in any way inflammatory. But passions about the use of the n-word run so high, it's a tough subject to tackle.

Elsewhere on TV ...

NCIS (7 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): An NCIS facilities manager is found dead months after he disappeared.

The Voice (7 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): The best of the blind auditions.

History Detectives (7 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): The family of an American soldier tries to return a Vietnamese soldier's diary to his family.

Raising Hope (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): At the funeral for Sabrina's grandmother (Tippi Hedren), who left a video, the Chance family meets Sabrina's awful mother (Melanie Griffith). (Season premiere)

Hart of Dixie (7 p.m., CW/Ch. 30): Zoe has to make a tough decision. (Season premiere)

Ben and Kate (7:30 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Kate is caught in a lie.

NCIS: Los Angeles (8 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A drone strike in Afghanistan leads to the discovery of the remains of a retired Marine.

Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars (8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): A pair is eliminated.

Go On (8 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Ryan realizes he has to start doing domestic chores for himself.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (8 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): The two-part, four hour documentary concludes.

New Girl (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Nick plays a series of pranks on Schmidt.

The Mindy Project (8:30 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Mindy hires an ex-convict as the new nurse.

Vegas (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A craps dealer is murdered.

Private Practice (9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): A suicidal patient makes a stunning confession.