1) “The Wonder Years,” 9 p.m., ABC. Most weeks, Saycon Sengbloh (shown here with Dule Hll) is in the background, as Dean’s mom. Now she gets a terrific showcase, complete with great songs. Sengbloh was in seven Broadway musicals, usually in the chorus or understudying a star; then a play brought her fame and a Tony award. Here, her mother-in-law (R&B/gospel great Patti LaBelle) taps her for the church choir. The story is fairly good; the music is glorious.
2) “Young Sheldon,” 9 p.m., CBS. Over the next two days, one of the show’s best stories will rerun. Tonight, Mandy and Georgie cope with their first days of parenthood … Sheldon frets about the failure of his database … and Missy fumes. In one episode, she was caught sneaking to a frat party; in the next, everyone forgot her when the baby was born. In tonight’s final minutes, she takes a drastic step, setting up a terrific rerun at 8 p.m. Thursday.
3) “L.A. Fire & Rescue,” 8 p.m., NBC. There are some small fires here – one bringing fears that someone might be inside, another with the likelihood of a car explosion. But mostly, this is the rescue side – a cardiac arrest, a drunken driver, a potential suicide. Along the way, we see the calm precision of old-timers. One prepares for the next generation; another gently talks down a troubled soul.
4) “Human Footprint” debut, 9 p.m., PBS. Deliberately or not, we kept adding species from other lands. There are 15-foot pythons in Florida, feral pigs in Hawaii, Asian carp leaping out of Illinois rivers and smacking boaters in the face. It’s easy to root for a python-hunter (she’s caught more than 600) or a carp-capturing tournament. But what of wild horses, also destructive? This opener is both fascinating and thought-provoking.
5) “MasterChef” and “Food Stars,” 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Lots of food is being prepared tonight. On PBS, one chef learns to prepare the way-too-bony Asian carp; another masters the Hawaiian traditions for a pig feast. And on these Gordon Ramsay reruns? First, we see the Midwest tryouts; then the teams take tourists to the Arizona desert, then prepare a campfire dinner.