BEST BETS FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 22, 2008

	DANCING WITH THE STARS ABC, 8 p.m. ET I'm not really pushing this series as one of the night's very best - but is indicative of the start of the 2008-09 TV season, such as it is. (This is the first night in months all six of my Best Bets have come from broadcast TV.) And I do have one compelling reason to watch: One of the contestants is Cloris Leachman, now 82. If you question whether there's enough vim and vigor in the old gal, please refer to her recent appearance on the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget. She had the fastest wit, and foulest mouth, in the house.
	THE BIG BANG THEORY CBS, 8 p.m. ET The gang is ready, and waiting, when Sheldon returns from his first date with Penny – and even though he doesn’t want to reveal too much, the hidden camera they installed has no such qualms. If you skipped this sitcom all last year, start now. It’s precious.
	HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET Sarah Chalke, as Stella, gives an answer to Ted’s proposal in tonight’s season opener. But don’t expect this necessarily to provide the definitive answer to the mystery mom of the title. A lot can happen between proposal and wedding vows – or between the fourth-season opener and the end of a series.
	HEROES NBC, 9 p.m. ET A sort of Cliff’s Notes special kicks off prime time at 8 p.m. ET, walking new viewers, and reminding returning ones, of what’s happened on this show, and where we left things. Then comes a two-hour third-season opener, which includes two great scenes featuring Hayden Panettiere. One shows her as a cold-blooded, leather-clad killer from the future – and the other shows her, in the present, at the mercy of serial killer and powers-stealer Sylar (Zachary Quinto), whose mercy isn’t exactly his strong suit.
	WORST WEEK CBS, 9:30 p.m. ET This new CBS series is based on a limited British sitcom, The Worst Week of My Life, which examined the seven days (in as many episodes) leading up to a young couple’s wedding. Americanized, this show takes a less focused look, but starts out similarly, with Kyle Bornheimer as a supremely unlucky guy whose mishaps lead to a series of misunderstandings and sight gags. Helping out most: Kurtwood Smith as the very unimpressed prospective father-in-law. For more, see FALL PREVIEW.
	BOSTON LEGAL ABC, 10 p.m. ET In tonight’s final-season opener, Denny and Alan privately debate the merits of a tobacco-company lawsuit – and then one of them does it publicly, in court.