TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"30 Rock" season opener, 8:31 p.m., NBC. This series floats in on clouds of praise. There's the best-comedy Emmy; there are the raves for Tina Fey's work as Sarah Palin. Now, anything short of brilliance will be a letdown. The result? Well, next Thursday's episode really is brilliant; it has wit, a hilarious twist and Oprah Winfrey. This week is merely very good — always interesting and sometimes quite funny. A weak plot line has Jack (Alec Baldwin) back, working his way up from the mailroom. A much better one has Megan Mullally investigating, to see if Liz (Fey) can adopt a baby.

TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE

"ER," 9 p.m., NBC. Ray Barnett (Shane West) was the macho doctor who became an embittered double amputee. Now he visits, surprising Neela. Meanwhile, Gates has troubles: Sam is so busy preparing for her pharmacology exams that she has no time for him; also, he's locked in the stairwell on Halloween.

OF NOTE

"True Blood," 5 p.m. and 12 a.m. (Friday) and "Atonement" (2007), 6 p.m., HBO. Great shows, but opposites in tone. "True Blood" reruns a fierce hour that starts with Sookie fearing that her vampire lover has been killed in a fire. Then comes "Atonement," a brilliantly filmed wartime romance.

"Ugly Betty," 7 p.m., ABC. Last week, Kimmie (Lindsay Lohan) asked Betty for help; now Kimmie turns on her. Meanwhile, Betty's dad — finally an official citizen — is ready to vote for the first time.

"Grey's Anatomy," 8 p.m., ABC. The new trauma chief is challenging everyone. Meanwhile, Chief Webber challenges Bailey, giving her extra responsibilities and some virtually impossible surgery.

"Life on Mars," 9:01 p.m., ABC. This time-travel stuff is baffling. Sam helps a beautiful young woman who is, alas, his mom from 35 years ago.