1) Football, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC. The colleges had their week in the spotlight, but now the pros take over. The season opens with the Los Angeles Rams (shown here) at home – the same spot where they won last year’s Super Bowl. The Rams (12-5 in the regular season) host the Buffalo Bills (11-6). The pre-game show starts at 7 p.m. ET, sometimes cutting to J Balvin’s nearby concert.
2) “Pinocchio” and more, Disney +. This is “Disney+ Day,” when the streaming service adds a ton of new shows. That peaks with two movies – Tom Hanks as Geppetto in a non-cartoon “Pinocchio” and the streaming debut of “Thor: Love and Thunder.” But there are also series, animated (“Cars on the Road”), regular (the British romance-mystery “Wedding Season”) and documentary (“Growing Up” and “Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory”).
3) “Reservation Dogs,” any time, Hulu. For 14 terrific episodes, “Cheese” has often been quiet and semi-noticed. Suddenly, he gets his own episode – and an excellent one. A quick event – we won’t spoil any surprises – throws him into a new world. The result – with a blistering guest performance from Marc Maron – starts in one direction, then takes remarkable detours. Add the third “The Patient” episode and you have a strong day for Hulu.
4) “Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS. Two weeks from the season-opener, this show continues to rerun its best storyline: Georgie’s ex-girlfriend is pregnant and his parents are trying to keep it a secret ftom the twins and the world; they fail, in an excellent episode. That’s followed by a “Ghosts” in which the macho Thor has night terrors and the courtly Isaac tries to prove he’s attracted to women.
5) ALSO: “Little Demon” (10 p.m., FXX) has a funny (and gory) take on teen popularity, through the eyes of a 13-year-old with demonic powers. At 9 p.m., HBO reruns its Diana documentary, “The Princess.” And TNT shows that actors can sometimes be great directors: Bradley Cooper made the superb “A Star is Born” (2018, 6:15 p.m.), also starring in it with Lady Gaga; Kenneth made “Cinderella” (2015, 9:15).