‘30 Rock’ opener very good, quite funny

Tonight’s must-see

“30 Rock” season-opener, 9:31 p.m., NBC. This series floats in on clouds of praise. There’s the best-comedy Emmy; there are the raves for Tina Fey’s work as Sarah Palin. Now, anything short of brilliance will be a letdown.

The result? Well, next Thursday’s episode really is brilliant; it has wit, a hilarious twist and Oprah Winfrey.

This week is merely very good – always interesting and sometimes quite funny.

A weak plot line has Jack (Alec Baldwin) back, working his way up from the mailroom. A much better one has Megan Mullally investigating, to see if Liz (Fey) can adopt a baby.

Tonight’s might-see

“ER,” 10:01 p.m., NBC. Ray Barnett (Shane West) was the macho doctor who became an embittered double-amputee. Now he visits, surprising Neela.

Meanwhile, Gates has troubles: Sam is so busy preparing for her pharmacology exams that she has no time for him; also, he’s locked in the stairwell on Halloween.

Other choices include:

“Ugly Betty,” 8 p.m., ABC. Last week, Kimmie (Lindsay Lohan) asked Betty for help; now Kimmie turns on her. Meanwhile, Betty’s dad – finally an official citizen – is ready to vote for the first time.

“True Blood,” 8 p.m., and “Atonement” (2007), 9 p.m., HBO. These are great shows, but opposites in tone. “True Blood” reruns a fierce hour that starts with Sookie fearing that her vampire lover has been killed in a fire. Then comes “Atonement,” a brilliantly filmed wartime romance.

“Twitches Too” (2007), 8 p.m., “Wizards of Waverly Place,” 9:35 and 10 p.m., Disney Channel. Kids can enjoy some horror-free magic.

“Grey’s Anatomy,” 9 p.m., ABC. The new trauma chief (played by Kevin McKidd of “Rome”) is challenging everyone. Meanwhile, Chief Webber challenges Bailey, giving her extra responsibilities and some virtually impossible surgery.

“Life on Mars,” 10:01 p.m., ABC. This time-travel stuff is baffling. Sam helps a beautiful young woman who is, alas, his mom from 35 years ago.