8 Simple Rules season-opener, 8 p.m., Channels 9, 22.

Bridget is usually considered sexy, not savvy. Still, she starts the school year as class president; problems follow, in a fairly funny episode.

Also showing up at school are her little brother, now a nervous freshman, her sister - and even her mother. The mom has a history with the principal (Adam Arkin).

Tonight's oddity

dr. vegas debut, 10 p.m., Channels 12, 7.

The good news is that this series avoids sugarcoating. It presents a Las Vegas that covers the extremes, a fun place that can also ruin lives.

The bad news is that this first hour spins lots of stories at us, none of them terribly engaging.

At the core is a doctor (Rob Lowe) who was in trouble elsewhere. Now his friend (the wonderful Joe Pantoliano) has given him a second chance. The doc has his own little clinic, inside a massive Vegas casino-hotel complex.

We meet lots of interesting people there, including a brainy beauty who is trying to put herself through college by working in the casino. There's potential, but the pilot falls short.

Worth watching

Joan of Arcadia season-opener, 8 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Last season ended with Joan and both of her parents experiencing crises in faith. That continues tonight as Joan returns from summer therapy that is supposed to rid her of hallucinations.

Complete Savages debut, 8:30 p.m., Channels 9, 22. Keith Carradine provides the steadying force here as a single dad trying to raise a house full of teenage sons. The boys, alas, are mostly a predictable bunch. Tonight's pilot film (directed by Mel Gibson, the show's producer) seems interesting only when they quiet down enough to help each other.

JAG season-opener, 9 p.m., Channels 12, 7. Mac feels she may be a target for assassins.

Faith and Hope season-opener, 9 p.m., Channels 9, 22. Faith (Kelly Ripa) has finally gone too far. In this funny season-opener, her sister's husband insists she move out.

Reba, 9 p.m., Channels 64, 26. In last week's season-opener, Barbara Jean and Reba both rejected Brock. Now that she's on her own, Barbara Jean starts acting like a teenager.

Third Watch, 9 p.m., Channels 5, 2. Aidan Quinn arrives as the new boss of Cruz, who has been causing trouble.

Medical Investigation, 10 p.m., Channels 5, 2. In one small town, several kids have come down with an extreme muscular disorder.