1) “The Simpsons” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. In a burst of self-discovery, Mr. Burns (shown here) finds that his workers don’t like him. His solution is in the “Undercover Boss” style: With an elaborate disguise, pretend to be a new worker. The result is darkly funny and a reminder that animation shows weren’t stopped by COVID. The season-opener of “Bless the Harts,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Family Guy” follow at 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.
2) “Fargo” opener, 9 and 10:23 p.m., FX; rerunning at 11:45 p.m. and 1:08 a.m. It’s been three years since the third season ended, but now the fourth starts wonderfully. Originally scheduled for one 10 p.m. episode, “Fargo” instead gives us two. Gangsters – Italian, then Irish, then Black (led by Chris Rock) – fight for control of long-ago Kansas City. We also meet key females – a studious biracial teen and a scheming nurse, transplanted from Minnesota. The result is strange, violent and superbly crafted.
3) “The Comey Rule,” 9-10:35 p.m., Showtime. This is a strong night for politics buffs. At 9 p.m. ET (rerunning at midnight), CNN debuts its documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble”; at 10 ET, Fox News previews the debates, which start Tuesday. And at 9, Showtime starts its mini-series, with Jeff Daniels as former FBI Director James Comey. This part, well-made, concludes with the 2016 election. It reruns at 7:25 p.m. Monday, leading into the fierce swirl of events in the second half.
4) “Masterpiece: Van der Valk” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. This first season only has three episodes, but each was movie-length and ambitious, richly using the Amsterdam settings. Last week had old-world backdrops; this one is into the fashion scene, including a final-shootout in an industrial-style restaurant. We dislike the coincidence of having two plotlines conclude simultaneously; still, it’s an excellent episode that finally explains the show’s grim hero.
5) “iHeartRadio Music Festival” opener, 8-10 p.m., CW. Then again, instead of worrying about politics and murder and more, we can just catch a surge of pop music. Tonight has BTS, Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Migos, Thomas Rhett and more. Ryan Seacrest hosts the special, which continues Monday.