Fall premieres
The sitcom Work With Me (8:30 p.m., CBS) stars Nancy Travis and Kevin Pollak as married lawyers in a joint practice. Oh, the hilarity! The teen comedy-drama Popular (9 p.m., WB) begins with a two-part season premiere; Part 2 airs Thursday at 8 in its regular time slot. This flashy take on the brutal caste system of high school is an overdone cross between "Ally McBeal" (fantasy sequences, a girl singer who functions as a Greek chorus) and "Clueless" (it's all about the fashion). It might be one teen ensemble drama too many for WB, but it does have something to say about the addictive allure of popularity and the insecurities that fuel it.
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Series
Seven Days (8 p.m., UPN) has its season premiere, as does Cosby (8 p.m., CBS); the latter features Robert Culp in an "I Spy" dream sequence. On the season premiere of Dawson's Creek (8 p.m., WB), Joey and Dawson reveal what they did on their respective summer vacations. Vice President Tim Matheson makes his first appearance on The West Wing (9 p.m., NBC). American Justice (10 p.m. EDT/ 11 PDT, A&E) reviews the case of Alex Kelly, the "preppie rapist."
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Specials
What does Garth Brooks have in common with the Artist (formerly known as Prince)? Brooks has this weird thing for aliases and pretend personas, too. The restless country pop star promos his latest album in the mock rockumentary Garth Brooks ... in the Life of Chris Gaines (8 p.m., NBC), in which Brooks dons alterna-rock hair and soul patch to impersonate a fictional rocker making a comeback. Wiggy. The Kennedy Center Presents (check local times, PBS) offers the "Americanos Concert," in which host Edward James Olmos narrates a history of Latin music. Performers include Gloria Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Pete Escovedo, Sheila E. and Paquito D'Rivera.
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Sports
Baseball:
Reds at Astros (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Braves at Mets (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Rockies at Diamondbacks (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Dodgers at Giants (10:30 p.m., ESPN2)
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Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Molly Shannon, Debbie Allen
David Letterman (CBS) Mia Farrow, Russell Crowe, Paula Cole
Jay Leno (NBC) Noah Wyle, Shannen Doherty, Elvis Costello
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Margaret Cho, Laura Innes
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Isabella Rossellini
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