TONIGHT'S MUST-SEES

"House," season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. Last season ended with everyone on Dr. House's staff quitting or being fired. Now he stubbornly refuses to replace them. Cuddy nudges him; the mild-mannered Wilson holds his guitar hostage. That leads to some terrific comedy with a backdrop of deep tragedy. An explosion left many people dead and one woman with odd symptoms. It's a tough case, with a fascinating and plausible explanation.

"Reaper," debut, 8 p.m., CW. Sam (Bret Harrison) is young, under-employed and reasonably happy. The only glitch is that ... well, he's about to learn his parents sold his soul to the devil (Ray Wise). That sounds odd, but this show skillfully blends humor and action.

OF NOTE

"The War," 8-10 p.m., PBS. This chapter has special interest for Hawai'i residents: it looks at the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — keep your eyes peeled for Sen. Daniel Inouye, who appeared in the series opener on Sunday. Also covers the half-year preceding D-Day. The Japanese empire stretches over 4,000 miles.

"Bones" season opener, 7 p.m., Fox. Never a comfortable person, Brennan is fretting more than ever. She misses Zack in the lab; she gets nervous near Booth. Meanwhile, Angela scrambles to find her first husband — if she could just remember his name — and divorce him, to marry Hodgins.

"The Biggest Loser," 7 p.m., NBC. Dieters are secretly filmed facing tempting food.

"Dancing With the Stars," 7 p.m., ABC. The six male celebrities perform. They include two athletes (boxer Floyd Mayweather and race driver Helio Castroneves) and a guy who pays athletes (Mark Cuban, who bought the Dallas Mavericks with his Internet money).

"Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later," 5 p.m., HBO. Filmmakers revisit the school that in 1957 resisted court orders to admit blacks.

"The Unit," 8 p.m., CBS. Framed for war crimes, Jonas is on the run and Brown has been assigned to catch him. This episode (starting a two-parter) has some flaws.

"Boston Legal," 8:30 p.m., ABC. John Larroquette has played bad guys here, but now he's a new character, a partner in the firm. He soon clashes with Denny, who is arrested.