1) “Tommy” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. TV loves to show an outsider, tackling new turf. Here’s a prime example: “Tommy” Thomas, the new Los Angeles police chief, is female … and gay … and from New York. She’s an instant anomaly. In the wrong hands, this could have been riddled with cliches. “Tommy,” however, is written by Paul Attanasio, who drew Oscar nominations for “Donnie Brasco” and “Quiz Show” and then created “House.” It stars Edie Falco (shown here), a four-time Enmy-winner. Resisting cliches, they give us deeply layered characters.
2) “Katy Keene” debut, 8 p.m., CW. It’s fun to see people struggle in New York, slowly finding a smidgen of success. But this is different: Both of our heroines – Josie (from “Riverdale”) and Katy – have a bare-chested hunk who’s also a good guy. Career opportunities deluge them. There’s everything but a handsome prince … but wait, there;s one of those, too. Despite a charming star (Lucy Hale), this is way too much of a good thing.
3) “Indebted” debut, 9:30 p.m., NBC. Imagine the poor chumps who must fill in after the retirement of a Ruth or a Gehrig, a Brady or a LeBron. Last week, “The Good Place” ended its brilliant little run; now “Indebted” – a noisy and almost adequate comedy – arrives. Abby Elliott and Adam Pally play parents whose lives change when his mother and father (Fran Drescher and Steven Weber) show up, broke and clueless. There are some funny moments, but “Indebted” can’t resist cheap, jokey bits. It’s an OK show, failing by comparison.
4) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” season-opener, 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. It’s hard to stay fresh in your seventh season, but this show has found a way: Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) has been given a one-year demotion to street cop. In the first episode, Jake (Andy Samberg) tries futily to boss him; in the second, they try to uncover secrets of the interim captain. Also, Amy frets, Charles changes and the show’s fast-paced verbal nonsense persists..
5) “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” 8:30 p.m., Freeform. A bizarre episode is patched from mismatched parts. There’s a funny party scene … then some convincing drag lip-sync by Nicholas … then a touchingly somber scene involving his autistic half-sister … and then a verbal blitz, with a sex-abuse accusation spinning out of control. That last one is quite funny; it’s also a tad daring … and leaves us hanging, ending in mid-scene.