1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Easily the best of NBC’s three Chicago dramas, “P.D.” sometimes surprises us with a great episode. It did that at the end of last season, when Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins, shownhere) reported on a bad cop; now it finds a way to isolate him with Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) and a White cop arrested for shooting a Black student. Here are the show’s best characters – one Black, one White, both fiercely honest but with differing perspectives. The result is beautifully written and acted.
2) “The Masked Singer” opener, 8 p.m., Fox. This ratings champ is back, with the same judges and the same editing tricks. (It inserts footage from previous seasons, to make it look like there’s a live audience.) But now there’s a new host; Niecy Nash took over for the first part of the season, after Nick Cannon tested positive for COVID. It also has a new twist: There will be two groups of contestants (not three), adding a “wild card round,” with new contestants injected into the show’s mix.
3) “Game of Talents” debut, 9 p.m., Fox. Here’s a fresh idea: Contestants meet performers and a list of talents; after some clues, they try to guess who does what. As a game, this is flawed: The clues are inconsistent; one batch is absurdly easy. Also, the system makes the early rounds almost irrelevant. Still, you’ll see impressive skills, some of them – jump-roping, contortions, etc. – that rarely reach primetime television. Wayne Brady hosts amiably and the fake audience seems delighted.
4) “Good Trouble,” 10 p.m., Freeform. This is a closed-end drama – a notion that works well for mysteries or, in this case, family dramas. Callie and Mariana leave their roommates in Los Angeles, to catch a party for their foster brother Brandon and his wife Eliza. Things are tangled: One of Eliza’s brothers broke up with Callie; the other has a secret romance with another foster brother, Jude. If you’ll forgive one contrivance (Jude’s first love is a waiter), this hour is subtle and strongly crafted.
5) “Resident Alien,” 10 p.m., Syfy. Last week ended with big trouble for Harry … or, more specifically, the alien who killed Harry and took his human form. His wife (well, Harry’s wife) was there. Also, a general was obsessed with UFO’s; her people took Harry’s spaceship and are ready to arrest him. That spurs a delightful mix of drama, dream scenes, humor and (really) a billion-year flahsback.