A stint on “Dancing with the Stars” appears to be the best bet for getting your own show, but Penn Jillette cohosted “Penn & Teller: Bull—-” (9 p.m., Showtime) years before his brief and awkward turn around the dance floor.

“Bull—-” takes a highly skeptical look at popular beliefs and debunks many cherished and politically correct myths and misconceptions. Think of it as a John Stossel segment with a sense of humor and the volume turned up, and throw in loads of obscenity and occasional nudity.

Tonight’s season opener looks at the convergence of feminists and religious figures in a “war” on pornography.

¢ The ratings for soap operas and professional hockey have not exactly soared in recent years, so why not combine the two? Soapnet, the cable home to serialized melodramas, launches “MVP” (10 p.m., Soapnet), a multigenerational tale of sex, death, betrayal and money surrounding the fictional Mustangs hockey franchise.

The series kicks off with the accidental death of the team captain at a season-opening party, leaving his widow and daughter in a financial bind. To make matters worse, the nefarious team owner siphons off his dead star’s insurance policy to pay for a rising draft pick.

This episode of “MVP” will repeat on ABC Friday night at 9 p.m., following the “Daytime Emmy Awards.”

¢ “Live From Abbey Road” (9 p.m., Sundance), filmed at the legendary London recording studio, launches a second season of performances and interviews with musicians.

“Live” offers glimpses at established artists as well as up-and-coming performers from various musical genres.

Tonight’s “Live” features Mary J. Blige, Dashboard Confessional and James Blunt.

¢ “Independent Lens” (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents the documentary “Abduction,” the story of a Japanese girl kidnapped in 1977.

More than two decades later, her anguished parents discovered that her abduction was part of a bizarre North Korean plot that still reverberates in the field of international espionage and diplomacy.

¢ “Impact Earth” (8 p.m., Science) looks at NASA’s contingency plans for the threat of comets and meteors impacting the planet.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Jan’s lawsuit puts Michael in a pickle on “The Office” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ Lonny Ross and Keith Powell from “30 Rock” audition talent on “Last Comic Standing” (7:30 p.m., NBC).

¢ A slasher film set gets a tad too realistic on “CSI” (8 p.m., CBS).

¢ Crime doesn’t pay, not even the minimum wage, on “Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest Criminals” (8 p.m., TruTV).

¢ Cliques converge at the Miller’s house-warming party on “Swingtown” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ A psychic survivor finds himself behind bars in another man’s body on “Fear Itself” (9 p.m., NBC).

¢ Kathy makes a belated background check on members of her entourage on “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (9 p.m., Bravo).

Cult choice

Years before either version of “The Office,” director Mike Judge sent up the absurdities of the white-collar grind in the 1999 comedy “Office Space” (7:30 p.m., Cinemax), starring Ron Livingston.