1) “Alien Earth” debut, 8 p.m Tuesday, FX. Here’s an ideal sci-fi mix: epic monsters-and-machines space scenes (shown here), plus a deeply human story. On one note, a ship with captured creatures has crashed on Earth. On the other, a dying tween girl’s mind and memories are injected into a synthetic body. With other synths, she tries to rescue the brother of her human self.
2) “The Rainmaker” debut, 10 p.m. Friday, USA Network. A 1997 Francis Coppola film (from a John Grisham novel) has been rebooted. This keeps only the basics — fresh from law school, a guy scrambles — and the names. It adds upscale people — his girlfriend and a nemesis (John Slatttery) — plus cases and twists that are involving and Grisham-y.
3) “Survival Mode,” 10 p.m. today, NBC. In February of 2021, Fort Worth had 36 straight sub-freezing hours, coating the highway with ice. At 6 a.m., a 133-car pile-up began. Six people were killed (four in their cars, two after stepping out of them) and 36 were taken to the hospital. This new hour is followed by a rerun at 10 p.m. Tuesday, with a Florida hurricane.
4) “Match Game,” 10 p.m. today, 9 p.m. Wednesday, 8-11 p.m. Saturday, ABC. The network really wants us to see this new version, with Martin Short hosting. On Wednesday, it has the fourth new episode (including Da’Vine Joy Randolph) … on Monday, it reruns the third (with Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog) … Saturday reruns, in order, the second, third and fourth.
5) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Just before the quarter-finals begin, the show pauses for a 20th-year celebration, with performances and interviews. A week later, the live shows start. The 44 acts include lots of music and dance, plus jugglers, roller-skaters, robotics, two comedians, three magicians and a “danger act”with, of course, Anna Danger.
6) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. We’re near the finish, with six home-chef duos remaining. Now they meet a garden full of barbecue buffs; two duos will then face off in a pressure test, eliminating one. That’s followed by another new Gordon Ramsay hour: In “Secret Service,” he tries to help a Philadelphia restaurant that offers worldly cuisine.
7) “Revival” season-finale, 10 p.m. Thursday, Syfy. What started as a sorta-fun, tongue-in-cheek tale ends as dark and murky. At the core is Em, the sheriff’s daughter and deputy’s sister. She was killed, revived (with others in Wausau, Wis.), now is about to be killed anew. The result is filled with Satanic turns, before ending with one final twist.
8) “Great America Recipe” finale, 9 p.m. Friday, PBS. The all-male finale ranges afar. Coby Bailey is a hulking firefighter and Navy veteran from Louisiana, cooking with Cajun traditions. Rex Alba is a tiny physical therapist in Ohio, reflecting his native Philippines. Waigal Safi is a San Diego foster-care specialist, following Afghan traditions.
9) Football, 8 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox. As the Sept. 4 opener nears, networks take turns. Fox has the Buffalo Bills (with a 13-4 regular-season record last year) at the Chicago Bears (5-12). Other games are on the NFL Network, at 7 and 10 p.m. ET Friday; 1, 4, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Next week, CBS, ESPN and Amazon have their turns.
10) “Nautilus” season-finale, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 11:07. After being ship-bound last week, this ends with two big-scale stories. One has Nemo and friends finally reach the treasure land — amid mega-complications. The other, surprisingly, is a giant corporate battle. “Nautilus” keeps straining credibility wildly, yet emerges as an oddly entertaining romp.