1) “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. After escaping from slavery during the Civil War, Reeves farmed in Indian country. A decade later, the U.S. marshal heard about his skill with native languages; Reeves became the first Black deputy west of the Mississippi, a job he held for 32 years. Now his story is a Paramount+ series starring David Oyelowo (“Selma”), shown here, and produced by Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”); the first episodes air here.
2) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 8:30 p.m., TNT. Here is one of TV’s all-time best half-hours. It’s brilliantly written by Dr. Seuss and animated by Chuck Jones, boosted by the sly narration of Boris Karloff and the booming singing of Thurl Ravenscroft. You can also catch it at 5:30 p.m. Monday on TNT and at 4:57 p.m. Saturday on TBS.
3) “World on Fire,” 9 p.m., PBS. World War II delivers fierce blows in two continents: In the African desert, Harry’s unit is desperate; in England, his wife Kasia tries to keep her spy work secret from his mom. It’s a grim hour, but it has some strong moments, including her boss’ passionate defense of his choices. That’s preceded at 8 by a good “Hotel Portofino,” with Bella trying to stop her husband from getting control of the hotel.
4) “Krapopolis,” 8 p.m., Fox. In a surprise move, Fox flips its first two cartoons: “The Simpsons,” in
its 35th season, is nudged to 8:30; “Krapopolis,” in its first, moves to 8. Tonight, ancient Greece has a tech convention, where brash ideas – paper, for instance – are mentioned. The result is moderately funny, and leads to a “Simpsons” in which Homer becomes the neighborhood fear-monger.
5) ALSO: Two series debut, bearing fantasy touches. In “Beacon 23” (9 p.m., MGM+), wary strangers inhabit an outer-space lighthouse; in “The Curse” (10 p.m., Showtime), newlyweds host a house-flipping show while facing an alleged curse.