1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Americans have this prim image of Emma Thompson. She’s played doctors, queens, a professor, a prime minister and more. She adapted and starred in “Sense and Sensibility”; we think of her as being … well, sensible. But Thompson was the first woman in Cambridge’s Footlights comedy troupe; she did lots of comedy on British TV, even hosting her own sketch show. Now she has her first time hosting “SNL”; the Jonas Brothers are music guests.
2) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Here’s a rerun of Sunday’s episode, with the six singers each doing an inspirational song, plus one that was done 50 years ago at Woodstock, from “Johnny B. Goode” to “Piece of My Heart.” One person was sent home, leaving a final five for Sunday.
3) “Ransom,” 9 p.m., CBS. It’s a tricky situation for Eric: There’s an assassination attempt in Colombia … and his new girlfriend is the prime suspect.
4) “The Son,” 9 p.m., AMC. For some families, the only hope is an alternate truth. People know Eli led a raid on the neighboring Garcias … and his son Peter resisted, rescuing Maria Garcia and taking her to Mexico. But Eli insists Pete has just returned from being a war hero. Now the two fight the land speculator who slaughtered their cattle. Laced with flashbacks (to Eli’s days with the Comanche) and flashforwards (to his granddaughter), this is a strong hour that ends with a surprising return.
5) “The Spanish Princess,” 9:59 p.m., Starz. Here’s another chance to see the opener of this mini-series, before he second episode airs Sunday. Despite some flaws – including hard-to-read subtitles – it’s a fairly interesting look at the woman who would eventually marry two members of British royalty.