Ask most people to name the first reality show on TV and chances are The Real World won’t be the name that comes to their minds.

At least, not right away.

But the MTV fixture is actually the show that blazed the trail that so many others have followed. And, oddly enough, unlike a lot of the other reality contenders, this one is still going strong.

Things have come a long way since The Real World first showed up in 1992. And yet, there’s something still bizarrely compelling about its simple premise — peeking in on the private goings-on of strangers who have been picked to live together.

The 18th season of the MTV series makes its debut on Canadian airwaves tonight. The setting this time is Denver, where seven sexually supercharged people — four males and three females, all in their early 20s — arrive from various cities around the United States in order to be roommates.

They don’t waste time kicking things into high gear. They hang out. They make out. They go out. They make out. They party on. They make out. They argue. And, oh yeah, they make out. In fact, in the first episode, two of the women lock lips in the hot tub. And by the end of the show, one of the guys manages to score with two separate women.

Meanwhile, the guy who came all prepared with a truckload of condoms doesn’t get any action at all.

And, of course, a third guy reveals he is gay, which raises serious issues for the dude who shares his bedroom.

Canada’s MTV channel is making the most it can out of The Real World: Denver. The channel is airing the opening episode four times tonight. The instalment will also get a telecast on CTV (MTV Canada’s corporate mothership) tomorrow night. And, of course, MTV.ca is brimming with extra Real World: Denver attractions, too. (10 & 11 p.m., midnight & 1 a.m., MTV)

- If you missed the initial telecast last week, check it out tonight. CBS serves up another look at this year’s extremely clever Christmas episode of How I Met Your Mother, in which the show’s script substitutes the word "Grinch" for a really bad word that Ted (Josh Radnor) calls Lily (Alyson Hannigan), which leads to a clash that almost ruins everyone’s Christmas. (8:30 p.m., CBS)

 Also on the yuletide watch: there are those who say it’s no match for the original movie, but the 1994 rendition of Miracle on 34th Street is still a worthwhile holiday attraction. Richard Attenborough has the role of the department-store Santa who claims to be the real deal. (8 p.m., CBC)

 Trailer Park Boys fans can get into the holiday spirit — or should we say spirits? — as Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (Jean Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) celebrate the season in a repeat telecast of last year’s fun-filled Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special. (9 p.m., Showcase)

 Doug (Kevin James) runs into trouble when he adopts a dog from a neighbour on The King Of Queens. (8 p.m., CBS)

 Allison (Patricia Arquette) keeps reliving the same day in her dreams in a good rerun of Medium. (8 p.m., CTV; 10 p.m., NBC)

 Identity continues its trial run as host Penn Jillette keeps the mind games going with the show’s contestants — and viewers. (8 p.m., NBC, Global)