Lost debut, 8 p.m., Channels 9, 22.

As a man regains consciousness, he's lying in a jungle, wearing a suit jacket. He's trying to remember who he is and how he got there. From that first, fascinating moment Lost has our attention. This is from J.J. Abrams, the Alias producer and it has his touches. The two-hour opener has great visuals, strong stories and good actors inside compelling characters. They're survivors of a plane crash. Especially interesting are Matthew Fox (Party of Five) as a doctor, Dominic Monaghan (the Lord of the Rings movies and Hetty Wainthropp mysteries) as a fading pop star and Evangeline Lilly as a mysterious beauty. Now they have to build a society. This could be a terrific series.

Veronica Mars debut, 9 p.m., Channel 25.

Veronica is a teen who is distant from her peers. She's also a detective, keeping her dad's agency afloat. This is a complex role that few people could handle. Kristen Bell is ideal.

Worth watching

Smallville season-opener, 8 p.m., Channels 64, 26. Lois Lane, the Metropolis reporter, visits Smallville. Dr. Swann, played by Christopher Reeve, is back. Clark, Lex and Pa Kent have medical crises. Clark also finally learns he can fly.

Dr. Phil: Family First, 8-10 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Phil McGraw talks about the families of celebrities and regular people.

America's Next Top Model season-opener, 8 p.m., Channel 25. We meet this year's 14 contestants. They have an introductory pool party.

Law & Order, 9 and 10 p.m., Channels 5, 2. Jerry Orbach is gone now, working on a midseason spin-off. Dennis Farina, a former Chicago cop, is the new police detective. The first hour involves a female Army reservist involved in a prison-abuse scandal; the second involves a ferry crash.

The Bachelor season-opener, 9-11 p.m., Channels 9, 22. This show is 0-for-5 in making marriages, so it's changing. The people involved are a little older. There are two men, with the 25 women choosing one tonight and ousting the other. The chosen one will live in the same mansion as the women, possibly getting a better idea of who these women are.

The Question of God, 9-11 p.m., Channels 48, 16. Here's the second half of an interesting, four-hour series, examining faith through the opposite views of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis.

The Mountain debut, 9 p.m., Channels 64, 26. Oliver Hudson - Goldie Hawn's son and Kate Hudson's brother - plays a playful guy who is suddenly in charge of the family's ski resort. It's a sweeping story that may need a while to engage us.

CSI: NY debut, 10 p.m., Channels 12, 7. The forensic detectives take New York in the smart CSI spinoff It has strong actors - Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes and Hill Harper - in charge.