1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Underwater life is filled with communal efforts; now we see some examples, beautifully filmed. A carrier crab (show here while carrying) gives rides to a fire urchin – which provides protection with its venom … Shrimps keep eels tidy; surgeonfish remove algae fron turtles … Golden jacks hang around dugongs, grabbing any shrimps they stir up … Some creatures even go in the mouths of others, for clean-up work. It’s a fascinating world.
2) “Black Adam” (2022), 8 p.m., HBO. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets his superhero turn here. He plays an ancient killer, reluctantly released by the Justice League to battle a greater evil. Critics were unimpressed. The movie made close to $400 million worldwide – but not enough to justify a mega-budget and heroes including Hawkman, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and (briefly) Superman.
3) More movies. At 8 p.m., Showtime has the brilliant ““Pulp Fiction” (1994) and the Paramount Network has an excellent Patrick Swayze double-feature — “Dirty Dancing” (1987) and then “Ghost” (1990) at 10:30. But the real gem could be “Duel” (1971, at 10 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies). Steven Spielberg was 24 when he made this film about a driver (Dennis Weaver) terrorized by a truck. It was originally a TV movie, just 74 minutes, then was expanded for theaters.
4) “Abbott Elementary,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., ABC. With “Home Economics” done for the season, ABC plans a couple double-rerun Wednesdays for “Abbott.” In tonight’s first episode, Janine (Quinta Brunson) insists her 2nd-graders join the 8th grade’s egg-drop experiment. In the second, she has a sick day, making the teachers’ lounge quieter … and forcing the principal to do some teaching.
5) “Chicago Med,” 8 p.m., NBC. Supply-chain troubles create a crisis in the hospital. That’s followed by “Chicago Fire” (including a movie-theater blaze) and “Chicago PD,” with a string of pharmacy robberies leading to a bigger case.
— Mike Hughes, TV America