Success breeds imitation, so the smart producers learn to imitate themselves. Cloning may still be a touchy subject among ethicists, but it’s clearly been embraced by broadcasters. The best examples of this radical procedure are “Law & Order” and “CSI,” entertainment organisms that seem to grow stronger with each new mutation.

Add “The Real Housewives” (8 p.m., Bravo) to the list. It’s interesting to remember that the Orange County installment of “Real” seemed whipped up as a cheap and dirty way to cash in on “The OC” craze. “The OC” has been gone for years, but the “Housewives” just keep coming. The series that brought you women you loved to loathe from Orange County and Manhattan now opens a new outpost in Atlanta.

But this is not the Atlanta of Scarlett O’Hara or even the Sugarbaker sisters from “Designing Women.” Four of the five “Housewives” on this series are black women who preside over huge houses in a city one refers to as “Hollywood for African-Americans.” This series profiles a community dominated by self-made tycoons who made fortunes in real estate, retail, entertainment and sports.

Even viewers who resent the gimmicks of reality television have to give “Real Housewives” its due. Characters arrive fully formed and ready to rumble.

The central story of the first episode involves the tensions between NeNe, the voluptuous and brassy wife of a real-estate magnate, and Sheree, a haughty soon-to-be-divorced mother who considers herself the city’s most important socialite. By the end of the first hour, Sheree insults NeNe in a way that promises d-r-a-m-a with a capital D.

¢ While we’re on the subject of football and decor, Tony Siragusa of the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens co-hosts “Man Caves” (8 p.m., DIY) with decorator Jason Cameron. As the name implies, “Caves” showcases the kinds of spaces “real” guys would devise if money (and women) were not a serious factor.

¢ Mike Rowe and “Dirty Jobs” (8 p.m., Discovery) return with 11 original episodes. Tonight: Mike swabs the deck of a tall ship. A marathon of “Dirty Jobs” repeats kicks off at 3 p.m.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ “Nova” (7 p.m., PBS, check local listings) enters a new season with a look at the discovery of dinosaur bones and fossils in the Arctic. Just how did creatures long considered “cold blooded” survive on Alaska’s North Slope?

¢ A teen requires radical facial surgery on “House” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ Major League Baseball (7 p.m., TBS) divisional playoffs.

¢ Tom Brokaw moderates a town-hall-style presidential debate (8 p.m., CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, BBC America) between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.

¢ Frannie’s first formal on “Greek” (8 p.m., Family).

¢ Vic schemes to end the gang war on “The Shield” (9 p.m., FX).

¢ “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” (9 p.m., Style) returns for an eighth season.

Cult choice

The ultraviolent 1967 gangster film “Bonnie and Clyde” (9 p.m., TCM) combined the class consciousness of the 1930s with the generational upheaval of the 1960s to celebrate a different kind of rebel.