Best-bets for Feb. 23: propulsive “P.D.,” amiable “Alien”

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. This is easily the best of the three “Chicago” series, as shown tonight. After a bland “Chicago Fire” at 9 p.m., we get this taut hour. It starts with Haily Upton (Tracy Spiradakos, shown here) on a nighttime run. A crisis leads to a stunning opening; then the propulsive story streaks toward its emotional finish. There’s strong writing and visuals, plus great work from Spiradakos. Read more…

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. This is easily the best of the three “Chicago” series, as shown tonight. After a bland “Chicago Fire” at 9 p.m., we get this taut hour. It starts with Haily Upton (Tracy Spiradakos, shown here) on a nighttime run. A crisis leads to a stunning opening; then the propulsive story streaks toward its emotional finish. There’s strong writing and visuals, plus great work from Spiradakos.

2) “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition” finale, 8 p.m., CBS. Carson Kressley has been ousted now, joining the list of semi-celebrities booted. Teddi Mellencamp (John’s daughter) went first, followed by former Olympic skater Mirai Nagasu, singer Chris Kirkpatrick and sometimes-actress Shanna Moakler; also, Chris Kattan (formerly of “Saturday Night Live”) left on his own. Now it’s time to pick a winner.

3) “Resident Alien,” 9 p.m., Syfy. There are consequences whenever you kill someone and take over his body. “Harry” (actually, the alien in Harry’s body) found that when the real Harry’s wife showed up; now there’s another arrival. Also, an earlier remedy – wiping a day from the memories of the sheriff and his deputy – looks shaky. It’s another terrific episode, mixing humor, drama and a tad of warmth.

4) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Horses were in America 50 million years ago, fossils indicate. They disappeared from the continent … then returned on Spanish ships and molded the western frontier. Beautifully filmed, this looks at the wild mustang, the underdog Morgan horse, the American quarter horse and the Appaloosa, which was bred and molded by the Nez Perce people.

5) “Nova,” 9-11 p.m., PBS.  At 17, Hugh Herr was a leading climber. Then he and a friend became disoriented during a blizzard; rescued after three sub-zero days, he lost both legs below the knee. Herr received prosthetics, became an even better climber … and became a top engineer, now heading MIT’s prosthetics lab. This film profiles Herr and views progress in prosthetics. Add “Predicting My MS” at 10:30 and you have a great non-fiction night on PBS.

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