1) “Doctor Who” season-opener, Disney+. In its 61 years, this show has had stops, starts, cancellations, revivals … and 14 stars. It has also had bursts of British wit … especially since Russell Davies became showrunner in 2005. Now the time-trekking show has a new streaming home, plus the 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa, 31, a Rwanda native) and a new companion (Millie Gibson, 19); they’re shown here.
2) “SWAT,” 8 p.m., CBS. This episode was planned to set up the series finale, a week later. Then came the surprise: CBS reversed itself and renewed “SWAT” for next season. Tonight’s hour involves a perilous rescue attempt, plus turning points: Hondo, facing community protests, might retire; Deacon has second thoughts about retiring.
3) “Fire Country” and “Blue Bloods,” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. First, a dangerous blaze gives the firefighters wa tough decision. Then there are family troubles on “Blue Bloods”: Danny’s son is a victim of campus crime; Frank is livid that his son Jamie and grandson Joe had a fight in public. Both shows wrap next Friday; they’ll be back in the fall, when “Blue Bloods” concludes its final season.
4) “Hamlet,” 9 p.m., PBS. A four-Friday Broadway binge begins. Coming are two concerts (stuffed with show tunes) and the Tony-nominated “Purlie Victorious.” First is this Shakespeare in the Park production. The cast is superb, led b Ato Blankson-Wood as Hamlet. Still, this isn’t for everyone. The setting is modern, but the dialog remains complicated and the ending is, at least, quite odd.
5) Movies, cable. Eddie Murphy’s first two “Beverly Hills Cop,” skillfully blending humor and action, are at 5:45 (1984) and 8:15 p.m. (1987) on IFC. That’s on a night that also has James Dean’s emotional “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) at 8 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies, plus some animated fun – “Raya and the Last Dragon” (2021), 8 p.m., Disney Channel; “Sing” (2016), 8:30, Freeform.
— Mike Hughes, TV America