TODAY'S MUST-SEE

Vice-presidential debate and follow-up, 3 p.m., multiple channels. Some vice-presidential face-offs have drawn shrugs, but not this one. Strong ratings are expected, with Joe Biden and Sarah Palin at Washington University in St. Louis. For the second straight debate, a PBS person moderates. This time, it's Gwen Ifill.

OF NOTE

"Ugly Betty," 7 p.m., ABC. People seem to be deserting Daniel. His son is returning to France; his assistant, Betty, has an offer from Wilhelmina. Complications follow, in a fairly good episode that has some pivotal moments.

"Survivor" (CBS) or "Hole in the Wall" (Fox), 7 p.m. You can decide which of these fits into a political evening. One involves surviving in a jungle, amid lies and schemes; the other involves squeezing into a space where you don't fit.

"My Name is Earl," 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., NBC. In the first episode, Joy is encased in a bubble. It's Earl's fault, of course; now he must take her place, even swapping gossip at the salon. In the second, Jerry Van Dyke is a 75-year-old former Green Beret, dangerous when cranky.

"Tim Gunn's Guide to Style," 8 p.m. (repeats 9 p.m.), Bravo. Here's an ideal focal point for the season opener. Short and cute, she had a comfy wardrobe that fit her work among politicos in Washington, D.C. But now she has moved to New York City and wants to fit in. Gunn and his "fashion accomplice," Gretta Monahan, gently mold a new New Yorker.