TONIGHT'S MUST-SEES

"House," 8 p.m., Fox. These doctors, forever confining their feelings, meet their match: A patient refuses to leave his home. It's a strong hour that says much about the key characters.

"Frontline: Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story," 9 p.m., PBS. In the Ivy League world of George H.W. Bush, Lee Atwater seemed out of place. He was a South Carolinian who did everything — campaign, talk, sing blues songs — with ferocity. Friends describe Atwater lying and planting false rumors. A colleague describes him secretly masterminding the infamous Willie Horton ad. Still, many found him charming. Ed Rollins, a Bush aide, describes Atwater's "two-year-effort to destroy me." Still, Rollins was there for comfort as Atwater battled brain cancer. Before dying at 40, Atwater said he had recently come to love his Bible. Later, someone found that Bible — still in its original plastic. A fascinating life had brought one final spin.

OF NOTE

"Dancing With the Stars," 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. With Susan Lucci dumped last week, we're down to five stars. Tonight's first hour has a recap; the second trims the field to four.

"Nova: Alien From Earth," 8 p.m., PBS. On a remote Indonesian island, scientists found the 18,000-year-old bones of a fully formed adult, barely 3 feet tall, with a brain one-third the normal size. Some feel this is an anomaly or the result of the "island effect" seen in oddly evolved animals. Others swear it's a new species, nicknamed "the hobbit," showing an odd detour in evolution.

"NCIS," 7 p.m., CBS. When a rookie joins a bank-robbery investigation, Gibbs starts to question his own judgment.

"The Mentalist," 8 p.m., CBS. A murder probe is at a casino. That lets our hero make some extra money with his observation skills.

"Eli Stone," 9:02 p.m., ABC. The new, idealistic law firm created by Jordan (Victor Garber) is off to a tough start. Also, Eli has had a vision about Maggie's fiance.