TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"House," 8 p.m., Fox. TV's best show is back after a brief baseball break. A handsome and charismatic doctor has spent his life bringing medicine and attention to people in Africa. Then he collapses. Dr. Gregory House hates the guy instantly. Ron Livingston (Berger on "Sex and the City") plays the good doctor. House prefers cynicism. Now he's more acidic than ever. This could infuriate some viewers — especially on the same night PBS starts a crucial series about global health. House is skewering important causes. Still, he does it with genuine wit — and there's a medical mystery involved.

OF NOTE

"Bones," 7 p.m., Fox. Here's another good show that's back from a baseball break. When someone's arm is found inside a bear, people jump to the conclusion — incorrect, perhaps — that the bear ate someone.

"Commander in Chief," 8 p.m., ABC. Florida is threatened by an oil spill.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 9 p.m., NBC. Cody Kasch (Zach on "Desperate Housewives") and Marcia Gay Harden are suspects in a school shooting after police find their Nazi material.

"RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge," 9 p.m., PBS; continues through Thursday. Less than 150 years ago, people learned about germs; less than a century ago, vaccinations became effective. Now medicines and doctors have done stunning work with smallpox. In the first hour of this richly crafted documentary — funded by Bill Gates and narrated by Brad Pitt — we see doctors trying to stop Third World polio and more. In the second, we see diseases that have evolved to resist drugs.

TONIGHT ON KHNL NEWS 8

Help man's best friend and the Hawai'i Dog Foundation by lending a paw! On KHNL News 8 at 5, you can adopt one of our friendly canines. Get the latest news, sports and weather tonight on KHNL News 8.