1) “Alien: Earth” debut, 8 p.m , FX. A big monsters-and-machines tale links neatly with a deeply personal story. In one, a ship with captured creatures has crashed on Earth. In the other, a dying tween girl’s mind and memories are injected into a synthetic body (shown here). In this two-episode debut, she and other synths try to rescue the brother of her human self.
2) More “Alien.” The FX series is descended from a long line of movies. The original “Alien” (1979) is 3 p.m. on FX, surrounded by “Prometheus” (2012) at 10 a.m., “Alien: Covenant” (2017) at 12:30, and “Alien: Romulus” (2024) at 5:30. Complicating things, HBO also has “Alien: Covenant” at 6:55 p.m.
3) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.., NBC. The show pauses to celebrate its 20-season (so far) rim. That includes performances, interviews and spectacle; a week later, “AGT” booms into quarter-finals: For each of four weeks, 11 acts perform live and viewers vote/
4) “The Hammer (2023)” 8 p.m. and midnight, Lifetime Movie Network. Before returning to comedies, Reba McEntire did this well-made tale of a tough judge in rural Nevada. It’s alongside “Jailbreak Lovers” (2022), an interesting true-life tale starring Catherine Bell, at 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
5) RERUNS: At 9 p.m., ABC’s “Will Trent” joins the trend of investigating a “wellness center.” At 10, NBC’s “Survival Mode” focuses on three families that tried to stay put as Hurricane Ian battered Florida. Also at 10, CBS’ “NCIS: Sydney” repeats the sleek season-opener. The boss has been compromised and a skilled, female assassin is loose.