Fall premiere
The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff, Angel (9 p.m., WB), debuts. David Boreanaz stars as Buffy's guilt-ridden vampire boyfriend who has moved to L.A. to spare the Slayer from further heartbreak. While there, he enters into an agreement with a mysterious messenger (Glenn Quinn) -- Angel can try to atone for his 200 years of vampire mayhem by helping lost souls in trouble. Co-starring Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, who has moved to L.A. to seek fame and fortune.
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Series
On the season opener of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., WB), Our Heroine begins her freshman year at the University of California at Sunnydale, where she discovers that there are vamps on campus, too. Nova (check local times, PBS) begins its new season with a study of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and how civil engineers are trying to keep it from falling over. On the season premiere of Party of Five (9 p.m., Fox), it's Charlie and Kirsten's wedding day, but will they get hitched without a hitch? Also, Julia meets a nice guy (new semi-regular Kyle Secor of "Homicide"). Sports Night (9:30 p.m., ABC) begins a new season with Casey hemming and hawing over asking out newly single Dana. Frontline (check local times, PBS) presents "Secrets of the SAT," which draws on author Nicholas Lemann's forthcoming book, "The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy," to make the case that the SAT (and the lucrative test prep industry that has grown up around it) is undemocratic, unfairly administered and detrimental to promoting diversity in campus admissions. Now they tell us! Lily, Rick and their respective families eyeball each other at the school carnival on Once and Again (10 p.m., ABC).
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Sports
Baseball playoffs:
Astros at Braves (4 p.m., ESPN)
Mets at Diamondbacks (8 p.m., ESPN)
Rangers at Yankees (8 p.m., NBC)
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Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Brandy
David Letterman (CBS) Dan Quayle, Melissa Etheridge
Jay Leno (NBC) Jenny McCarthy, Ben Crenshaw
Charlie Rose (PBS) Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Catherine Bell, Carrot Top
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Molly Shannon
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