While it would be tempting to say that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is enough of an institution at this point to survive almost anything, nothing is forever in television (witness the fate of its forbear, which just barely survived the axe after a couple of seasons of ill-advised casting and lazy plotting). The fact is, SVU was pretty forgettable last season, with the jawdropping highlight being Erika Christensen's turn as an FBI agent losing her mind. Miley Cyrus would have been more believable in the role. Having the apparently comatose Adam Beach as part of the main cast didn't help either. The season ended with the departure of the likable (to me, anyway) Diane Neal as ADA Novak, and the fate of Fin (Ice-T) up in the air after he blew up at Stabler (Christopher Meloni).

So will the tenth season premiere (NBC, 10 PM) find SVU in better form? We will presumably learn something about Fin's future tonight. Plus, one cast change we're sure about is that Michaela McManus has escaped One Tree Hill to come on board as the requisite cute ADA. The main case involves a boy making accusations that his foster family is conducting medical tests on him, with Luke Perry and Sara Gilbert guest starring. As to the age-old speculation that this will finally be the year Stabler and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) have some especially heinous sex: let's just stick with the mayhem, OK producers?

House (Fox, 8 PM): What would a season of House be without some zany competition? The good doctor holds auditions for a new best friend, while hiring a private eye to keep tabs on ex-best friend Wilson. House also uses the private eye to assist with the mystery of why people who all received organs from the same donor several years before are suddenly dying.

NCIS (CBS, 8 PM): The sixth season begins with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and everyone else still reeling over Shepard's murder and the subsequent decision to break up the old team. Rocky Carroll, probably best known for his stint on Chicago Hope, is now a permanent cast member.

90210 (CW, 8 PM): The Wilsons are concerned that Annie's and Ty's relationship is moving too quickly. Hey, give them a break--the peer pressure involved with keeping up with Gossip Girl must be ferocious. Also, Naomi tries to keep her parents together, and Dixon offers to give Silver a hand with the musical.

Opportunity Knocks (ABC, 8 PM): They canceled Cavemen for this? J.D. Roth hosts this game show that will test families on their knowledge of each other and their daily lives. The most interesting gimmick is that the set is mobile--individual episodes are filmed at the homes of the contestants.

The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC, 8 PM): Rocco DiSpirito is competing against himself tonight: Dancing with the other stars (and with Karina Smirnoff), and appearing here to give healthy cooking tips to the losers. Also, the players bet on the amount of weight they will lose, and a challenge has a phone call home as its prize.

Dancing With the Stars (ABC, 9 PM): One of the first thirteen dancers gets eliminated before those remaining perform for the second night in a row. My guess is that Jeffrey Ross, who didn't do well and likely doesn't have the fan base to pull him through, will get bounced along with (sob) his partner Edyta Sliwinska. The show's reputation as family TV is seriously at risk now thanks to Cloris Leachman, who must have learned a lot of new words during her recent appearance at the Bob Saget roast.

Fringe (Fox, 9 PM): In the universe of this series, it's getting very dangerous to use any form of public transportation. Tonight, the team looks into a bus filled with passengers who appear to have been turned to stone, and discover a man who can forecast these bizarre incidents before they happen.

Greek (ABC Family, 9 PM): Evan works to help a fraternity brother whose academics are in crisis; the pledges at Kappa Tau have had enough of their ill treatment. This show needs more hazing. It's not college unless you're sleeping on a roof in your underwear.

Privileged (CW, 9 PM): Megan intercedes with the headmaster when she finds Rose may have to repeat a grade of school, and finds herself flirting with him, a development that makes her "friend" Charlie jealous. There's something about a character named Charlie having to listen to an attractive woman talking about her dates that hits close to home.

The Mentalist (CBS, 9 PM) Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane, a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation who once made his living as a phony psychic. Now armed only with a gift for observation, Jane works hunches to help solve the toughest cases. The pilot finds Jane and the detectives with whom he has a love-hate relationship working on the murders of the wife of a golf pro and her doctor, which could have a connection to other recent killings. The Mentalist faces tough competition from Dancing With the Stars and from Fringe, which has had a two-week headstart on building an audience, but the show fits solidly into the familiar CBS formula, and Baker could make it work.

Secret Lives of Women (WE, 10 PM): Examining the lives of four sex addicts: what the causes of their illnesses are, how they go about satisfying their compulsions, and how they attempt to hide their problems from others. The experience of someone in recovery is also discussed.

The Shield (FX, 10 PM): The Mexicans and Armenians continue to use Mackey as an intermediary, but the cop is having trouble keeping a lid on tensions. Also, a routine investigation involving a teenage shooter becomes more complicated, and Cassidy has questions about Mackey.

Without a Trace (CBS, 10 PM): CBS continues to use this series, now beginning its seventh year, to try and plug problem holes in its schedule. Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) grumbles about his new superior (Steven Weber), while he and the team look into the case of a missing man whose daughter had gone missing herself several years before.

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