Season Premieres of Gilmore Girls, House and Survivor; Season Finale of Rescue Me and Other Watercooler TV

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

ReAct Now: Music & Relief (MTV, VH1, CMT, MTV2, VH1 Classic, mtvU, 8 p.m. ET) Live. Three Hours. More than 30 musical artists, including Ludacris, Sheryl Crow, John Melencamp, David Banner, Toby Keith, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, the Rolling Stones, Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, John Mayer, Kid Rock, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Melissa Etheridge, the Neville Brothers, Green Day, Usher, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band and Rob Thomas will appear in a three-hour, commercial-free mix of live and taped performances and emotional message-giving simulcast from New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and Atlanta over the networks of MTV, VH1 and CMT. It will also be seen online at MTV Overdrive and VSpot. ReAct Now will raise funds for the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and America's Second Harvest, among other organizations.

America's Most Wanted (Fox, 9 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. It should come as no surprise that the indefatigable John Walsh and his AMW team wasted no time traveling to the scene of the biggest natural disaster in the history of this country to help in any way they can. As seen in tonight's 19th season premiere, they are working to reunite separated family members and expose criminals who are using sinister scams to take advantage of victims of Hurricane Katrina. AMW is hosting a Web site for viewers to register missing loved ones or communicate with family and friends during this crisis. The address is http://katrina.amw.com. Incidentally, during its first 18 seasons, AMW helped bring about the capture of 850 criminals and reunited 41 missing children with their families.

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Man with the Screaming Brain (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Cult film icon Bruce Campbell (of the endlessly entertaining Evil Dead flicks) stars in and makes his directorial debut with this campy thriller about a wealthy American industrialist traveling in the former Eastern European block who is murdered — and then his problems really begin. A mad scientist (played by Stacy Keach) fancifully merges his brain with that of a dead streetwise cab driver and former KGB operative. Turns out both men were murdered by the same woman and, now fully reanimated and sharing the same brain, they hunt their killer down.

McLeod's Daughters (WE: Women's Entertainment, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. As the third season of this well-received Australian import begins, Claire must deal with the unfortunate fact that she wrongfully told Alex he is the father of her baby. Two new characters join the series this season: Stevie, an old friend of Claire's with a questionable past, and Dave, a new veterinarian described in the WE press materials as "more comfortable with animals than women" with "a warm personality and movie star good looks that make him irresistible." Lisa Chappell, Bridie Carter, Sonia Todd, Rachel Carpani and Jessica Napier star.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Marge finally has her fill of Homer's bad choices and hits the road on a voyage of self-discovery that results in a fast friendship with a marine biologist determined to save manatees from extinction and Marge from her unfulfilling marriage. Alec Baldwin provides the guest voice in this episode, which marks the beginning of the series' 17th season. Are any other fans of this series suddenly feeling old?

The War at Home (Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Michael Rapaport stars as a thirty-something husband and father who can't come to terms with the structures of contemporary parenting — and who is painfully aware of the fact that every objectionable activity his teenage children want to try is likely something he and his wife did when they were kids. In the opener, daughter Hillary exasperates dad when she brings home a male "study buddy" and son Larry has his parents convinced that he is gay. Rapaport has the same working-class appeal as the late Carroll O'Connor; over time, War at Home could evolve into the best situation comedy about the harsh realities of generation gaps since All in the Family or, perhaps, Family Ties.

Nick News: Do Something! Caring for the Kids of Katrina (Nickelodeon, Nick GaS, Nicktoons, 8:30 p.m. ET) Premiere. Reporting from the Houston Astrodome, Nick News host Linda Ellerbee explains how the worst natural disaster in American history happened and how young Nickelodeon viewers can help children who have been directly affected by this crisis. In addition to recounting details of the evacuations and the stories of citizens who were left behind to face the full horror of Katrina's aftermath, Ellerbee will also show how some children are raising money and gathering supplies for those in need. Nickelodeon has partnered with the Do Something organization on an initiative that encourages children to fill backpacks with school supplies, toys and personal hygiene items for young victims of this catastrophe. More information is available at www.nick.com and www.Dosomething.org.

The Flight that Fought Back (Discovery, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. As the nation struggles with the ongoing challenges of the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in American history it must also today mark the fourth anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in American history. There is a good deal of 9/11-related programming on television today, but the standout is this Discovery Channel documentary that recounts in minute-by-minute detail the taking of United Airlines Flight 93 by terrorists determined to fly the plane toward either the White House or the Capitol building and the heroism of the passengers on that flight who fought to regain control of the plane and prevent another mass tragedy on that terrible day. The Flight that Fought Back includes unforgettable voice recordings from passengers and personal recollections from family and friends of the deceased. Among the passengers on Flight 93 was Elizabeth Wainio, a Discovery employee traveling on company business to San Francisco. Her family was involved in the development of this documentary and met with members of the Television Critics Association in July to discuss their efforts.

My Fair Brady (VH1, 9:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. The love affair of former Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight and America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry, who met while filming the fourth season of VH1's The Surreal Life, is the subject of this latest entry in the network's Sunday night stew of cheesy reality fare. In the opener the live-in lovebirds' relationship is rocked after Chris kisses singer Jane Weidlin at a party. After Adrianne pitches a fit, Chris calls on his former TV mom Florence Henderson to intercede and offer counseling. Seems the Woman Forever Known as Mrs. Brady is a licensed therapist. Who knew? Can television get any stranger? Perhaps. (See next item.)

Breaking Bonaduce (VH1, 10:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. In another blow to aging baby boomers who fondly recall watching The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family on Friday nights when they were kids, VH1 tonight also debuts a reality show about the profoundly troubled Danny Bonaduce, fondly remembered as the red-headed scamp Danny Partridge. As in My Fair Brady, there's a relationship on the rocks in this series, too: The fifteen-year marriage of Danny and his wife Gretchen. They're in couples therapy (not conducted by Shirley Jones), trying to sort through the ramifications of Danny's recent infidelity and his shaky recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. According to a story in the New York Times last Sunday, Gretchen during the filming of this series asked Danny for a divorce; he responded by slitting his wrists and ended up in a psychiatric ward. This disturbing information suggests that VH1 might have come up with a more delicate title for this program.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Cash in the Attic (HGTV, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Expert appraisers guide families through their own homes, pointing out the often-surprising cash value of seemingly ordinary items and then stepping back as the family members debate whether or not to sell the designated objects. In the opener, a family grapples with the opportunity to sell their beloved grandmother's end tables and upholstered chairs to raise the money needed to refinish their hardwood floors.

Ambulance Girl (Lifetime, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates stars in and directed this adaptation of the autobiographical memoir by celebrity food writer Jane Stern, who overcame her own crippling fears and growing mid-life depression, saved her failing marriage and found new meaning in life by training to become an Emergency Medical Technician and devoting herself to the care of others.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

The Biggest Loser (NBC, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. 90 Minutes. Fourteen overweight folks begin a new competition filled with nasty torments and cruel temptations with the goal of avoiding elimination and losing the most weight of all. This season overweight viewers can join the Biggest Loser Club online and follow the diet and fitness program of the contestants on the show, at a cost vaguely defined on nbc.com as "less than $5 a week."

Bones (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. The first of two new procedural crime dramas set to debut on Fox this fall (the other is Killer Instinct), Bones features a pretty forensic anthropologist with a gift for determining details about the lives and deaths of people based on high-tech studies of their remains. Emily Deschanel stars as Dr. Temperance Brennan, the anthropologist who often assists law enforcement with murder investigations. David Boreanaz (Angel) co-stars as Special Agent Seely Booth, a FBI homicide detective and former Army sniper with whom Brennan is often teamed. Brennan is a woman of science; Booth believes the best way to solve crimes is through standard investigative work. They aren't exactly Mulder and Scully, but they'll do for now. Bones was inspired by the work of real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs.

Gilmore Girls (The WB, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. The series' sixth season picks up immediately where last May's cliffhanger left off, as Luke responds to Lorelai's proposal of marriage and Rory, now a college dropout, makes her mother's worst fears come true by moving in with her grandparents. It's hard to sympathize with Rory at this important crossroad in her life, because she's living large in her grandparents' plush pool house, enjoying it almost as much as street thug Ryan digs the Cohen's oceanfront pool house on The O.C. Remember when kids were lucky if they simply had a room of their own? Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop star.

House (Fox, 9 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. We'll find out on September 18 if Hugh Laurie wins the Emmy he so richly deserves for his wholly unique portrayal of troubled Dr. Gregory House on Fox' breakout medical drama. In the meantime, here's the first new episode of the show's second season, featuring a guest appearance by rapper LL Cool J as a death row inmate who suddenly collapses after hallucinating. Sela Ward continues her welcome role as Stacy Warner, the former love of House's life, who is settling into her new job as General Counsel to the hospital.

Supernatural (The WB, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Two established WB hotties — Jared Padalecki of Gilmore Girls and Jensen Ackles of Smallville — are teamed as brothers who follow their father on his tireless quest to track down the evil being that brutally slew their mother when the boys were very young. That search brings them into contact with monsters, ghosts and other malevolent entities. In tonight's series premiere, the baddie is a ghostly female hitchhiker who brings premature death to horny young men. Supernatural has truly creepy moments — more than any of the many other science-fiction and horror series making their debuts this fall — but it might be more compact and effective if the brothers were simply seeking their mother's killer on their own, rather than forever dragging behind their largely unseen father's manic search.

Rescue Me (FX, 10 p.m. ET) Season Finale. This extraordinary drama about New York City firefighters moved into truly dark territory in the penultimate episode of its second season last week, as Chief Reilly's mentally ill wife cut her own throat, 9/11 widow Sheila was brutally beaten by her lesbian lover and, in what may have been the most shocking and unexpected moment of any television series this year, Tommy and Janet's little boy was killed by a drunk driver. Geez, the lightest storyline in the hour was "Mike the Probie's" discovery of a potentially cancerous irregularity on one of his testicles. Tatum O'Neal was also impressive in her guest turn as Tommy's hard-drinking sister. Watching the characters on this always surprising, consistently original drama deal with this devastating loss should be a moving experience, and one that will keep the show in viewers' minds until it returns next summer. Denis Leary stars.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

All My Children (ABC, 1 p.m. ET, check local listings) Erica Kane — the much-loved character portrayed by the now legendary Susan Lucci — launches a talk show titled New Beginnings in today's episode. The first episode of that show within this show will find Erica in New York City, where she will seek hosting advice from Regis Philbin and the ladies of The View, hang out in Bryant Park with Whoopi Goldberg and Clay Aiken, learn how to pitch at Yankee Stadium, play basketball at the NBA store, tour Grand Central Station, sing and dance in Times Square with Broadway stars Cheyenne Jackson and Jenn Gambatese, and meet with past and present New York City Mayors Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg.

The Diary of Angelina Jolie & Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa (MTV, 7 p.m. ET) Premiere. A special episode of MTV's long-running series Diary follows Angelina Jolie and United Nations advisor and economist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs on their journey to a remote group of villages in Western Kenya, where Sachs' United Nations Millennium Project team is heroically fighting hunger, poverty and disease. Jolie and Sachs are seen interacting with members of the impoverished community as they review the work being done to address the many challenges facing the people of this region and the progress toward eliminating extreme poverty that has already been made. MTV's telecast of this special coincides with the opening of the United Nations Special Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, which seeks to reduce extreme poverty, disease and hunger by 2015. Jolie has since 2001 been a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and been a leading advocate in the fight against extreme poverty worldwide. More information is available at think.mtv.com.

Head Cases (Fox, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Chris O'Donnell makes his series television debut as Jason Payne, a successful attorney at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm who suffers a nervous breakdown when his wife throws him out of their house. After three months in a clinic, Payne is released and assigned an outpatient buddy: The thoroughly unlikable Shultz, a lawyer who suffers from an explosive emotional disorder. The two attempt to put their lives back in order by partnering in a law firm. Adam Goldberg co-stars.

Made in the USA (USA Network, 10 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Six teams of inventors and entrepreneurs, each with an exciting new invention of their own, compete in series of challenges inspired by the difficulties inventors face when marketing and promoting their products. One team is eliminated each week; the last team standing will be rewarded with a one-year contract to sell their invention on the Home Shopping Network. Judges include Joy Mangano, the very successful creator of the Miracle Mop and Huggable Hangers and Nolan Bushnell, the inventor of Pong and Atari and creator of the restaurant chain Chuck E. Cheese. In the premiere 50 teams of eager inventors are heartbreaking reduced to the final six. The stories of some of these people are really quite touching, and you may find yourself interested in some of the products they're pitching. We're hoping a smart company will acquire and mass-produce the Backrometer. Quickly!

TV Land Confidential (TV Land, 10 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. This is a Must-See show for TV fans. Each episode is packed with anecdotes and behind the scenes stories about the production of such classic series as I Dream of Jeannie, Happy Days, Three's Company and Family Matters. Tonight's series opener is titled Network Notes, and it's all about the feedback given to the creators and stars of classic series at the time of their original production by their networks, studios and sponsors. Among the stars interviewed: Tom Bosley, Debbie Allen, Diana Canova, Dana Delaney, Barbara Eden, Jennilee Harrison, Robert Guillaume and Jaleel White.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Survivor: Guatemala ‐ The Maya Empire (CBS, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Sixteen new castaways begin a fresh round of challenges and competitions, this time in Guatemala. Advance publicity for this, the 11th season of Survivor, suggests that the terrain will be more hostile and uncomfortable than average, which could actually turn viewers off to the show, just as the hot, dry, thoroughly unpleasant environs in Africa and the Australian Outback did in earlier seasons. Let's face it: Viewers want to see their Survivors in lush tropical island settings. Two past Survivors show up in tonight's season opener, though it is unclear who they are or what their involvement will entail. Rumor has it the surprise guests are luckless but tireless Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa of the unfortunate Ulong tribe in Survivor: Palau.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) This is a repeat of the sometimes gratuitous but always gripping two-hour fifth season finale written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which Nick (George Eads) is kidnapped and buried alive.

The Showbiz Show with David Spade (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Taking an approach similar to his classic Hollywood Minute segments on Saturday Night Live, in which he savagely skewered celebrities and show business insiders, David Spade will once again rip into the self-importance, hypocrisy and lucrative mediocrity that largely define the industry that has made him very, very wealthy.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Enemy (Nickelodeon, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. Nickelodeon's popular half-human, half-ghost teenager returns in a new one-hour movie that finds Danny buckling under the pressure of maintaining good grades while fighting ghosts. Danny is so stressed, in fact, that he cheats on the all-important Career Aptitude Test, setting in motion a chain reaction of unfortunate events for the citizens of Amity Park and the bringing about the arrival of a ghost named Clockwork who has the power to control time.

Twins (The WB, 8:30 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan are the creators and executive producers of this new comedy about twin sisters — one a beautiful but dim lingerie model, the other an ordinary-looking young woman with an engineering degree and significant business smarts — who are poised to take over their parents' thriving business, the fourth-largest lingerie company in the country. Sara Gilbert, Molly Stanton, Melanie Griffith and Mark Linn-Baker star. Twins isn't the most exciting new comedy to come along this season, but it should be a perfect fit in The WB's lightweight Friday night sitcom lineup.

Threshold (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. There are three new series on the broadcast networks this fall about beings that may be aliens appearing in or above an ocean and posing a significant threat to humanity. They are Surface on NBC, Invasion on ABC and this new CBS effort, by far the scariest and most compelling of the three. It certainly has the most interesting cast, which includes Carla Guigino (Karen Sisco), Charles S. Dutton, Brent Spiner and Peter Dinklage. Guigino plays Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey, a government contingency analyst whose job is to devise response strategies for worst-case scenarios, including the arrival of aliens on earth. William Mapother, who was so memorable last season as the very scary Ethan Rom on ABC's Lost, makes a truly creepy guest appearance in tonight's series' opener.

CMT Crossroads: Bon Jovi/Sugarland (CMT, 10:30 p.m. ET) Premiere. Bon Jovi and country trio Sugarland perform together in concert taped at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. Songs include Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive and You Give Love a Bad Name and the Sugarland hit Baby Girl.