1) “Accused” (shown here), 9:01 p.m. Tuesday, Fox. After a grim and disturbing opener Sunday, this anthology bounces back sharply. In a skillful directing debut, Marlee Matlin guided talented actors, some who are deaf, as is Matlin. The story involves a deaf baby and a drastic decision. Even when a character makes a huge mistake, we’re rooting for her. That’s a hallmark of this series, which offers neatly nuanced portraits of people in swirling situations.
2) “Amertican Auto” season-opener, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. There’s another defect in one of the Payne cars; this one has disastrous consequences – including (really) a forest fire. Katherine (Ana Gasteyer), the boss, worries about her job … Wesley, the heir, worries about having to sell his boat … and Sadie flubs a press conference. It’s a funny episode, with a surprising conclusion. Paired with the new “Night Court” at 8, it offers erratic but lively fun.
3) Figure skating. It’s a four-day stretch of skating in San Jose. The women have their short programs from 10 p.m. to midnight Thursday on the USA Network, then the finals from 8-10 p.m. Friday on NBC. Men have short from 5-7 p.m. Friday on USA and finals from 3-6 p.m. Sunday on NBC. There’s more: finals of rhythm dance (7-9 p.m. Thursday, USA), free dance (2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC); and pairs (8-10 p.m. Saturday, USA).
4) “The Bachelor” opener, 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. After finishing third in “Bachelorette,” Zach Shallcross – a former tech executive, 6-foot-4 – meets 30 women. He’s 26, they’re 23 to 30, including a child therapist named Charity and an Oklahoma rodeo racer named Brooklyn. There are marketers, plus four nurses and a nursing student. That leads into the first new “Good Doctor” in six weeks, at 10 p.m.: Lea learns of pregnancy complications.
5) “All American” return, 8 p.m. today, CW. After an eight-week break, this is back with a birthday party for Billy (Taye Diggs) … who has a tough decision looming. Meanwhile, Spencer tries a step to help him and Olivia move on. Also back from breaks are CW’s “All American: Homecoming” (9 p.m. today) and “The Winchesters” (9 p.m. Tuesday, after an 8 p.m. rerun of the Dec. 6 episode, in which Tom Welling arrived as Mary’s long-lost dad).
6) “American Masters,” 9-10:30 p.m. Tuesday, PBS. Roberta Flack was a classical-music prodigy, on a college scholarship at 15. She went on to teach in high school, sing in clubs, cut records. Then came “The First Time Ever That I Saw Your Face.” It had been written in 1957 and recorded by many people (including Flack in ‘69). After Clint Eastwood put it in a movie, it soared to No. 1 and Flack soon won four Grammys. It’s a great story.
7) “Poker Face” debut, Thursday, Peacock. Rian Johnson, the “Knives Out” writer-director, links with Natasha Lyonne for an entertaining tale. She detects lies, a skill a Las Vegas boss wants to tap. That leads a big streaming week: On Tuesday, Hulu’s “1619 Project” views the long-range impact of slavery. On Thursday, Paramount+ adds its “Teen Wolf” movie and a “Wolf Pack” series; on Friday, Apple TV+ has Jason Segel’s comedy, “Shrinking.”
8) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. The late Chadwick Boseman hosted “SNL” five years ago, proving he could do sharp comedy; now his “Black Panther” colleague, Michael B. Jordan, gets his turn, with Lil Baby as the music guest. Jordan co-starred in NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” before going on to movies, including “Just Mercy,” two “Creed” films (he’s directing the third) and the two “Black Panther films.
9) Football and “Fire Country,” Sunday. Now we learn who will be in the Super Bowl. The NFC championship games is at 3 p.m. ET on Fox, with the AFC at 6:30 on CBS. When the latter ends (about 10 p.m. ET), CBS has a transplanted episode of “Fire Country,” the ratings hit that has been renewed for its second season: After a plane crash, a monstrous fire erupts. Now the prison-inmate team (with one new firefighter) links with a civilian crew.
10) ALSO: BBC America is back to its specialty – brilliantly crafted nature documentaries. The newcomer, “Frozen Planet II,” debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday, with David Attenborough narrating the story of penguin chicks, on their own and waddling toward a new life. That’s preceded by a three-day nature marathon, starting Thursday. The original “Frozen Planet” will rerun from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; “Planet Earth II” is from 2-8 p.m.