1) “Independent Lens,” 10 p.m., PBS. Phil Sharp (shown here) grew up in rural Kentucky, where only 10 percent of classmates went to college. He stuttered and was dyslexic; he was, an educator says, “off-kilter, undaunted, unapologetic.” With homespun optimism, this compelling film says, he led science breakthroughs that have saved 20 million lives on Covid alone.
2) “Celebrity Weakest Link,” 9 p.m., Fox. “Link” doesn’t work when celebs are being nice to each other. So this time, it has comedians who do “roasts.” There are some funny moments here (and a couple of really bright comics), but the inherent flaws in the game are still obvious.
3) Sports surge. The baseball play-offs are overlapping with pro football now. For football, the Chiefs (off to a relatively slow, 2-2 start) visit the Jaguars (3-1), at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. For baseball, it’s Dodgers-Phillies and Cubs-Brewers, at 6:08 and 9:38 p.m.; both are on TBS, TruTV and Max.
4) “Murdoch Mysteries” season-opener, 8 p.m. ET, Ovation. It’s the 19th season for this Canadian show, and it starts big: There’s a morgue explosion, just after the mayor has disbanded the precinct. The result is, as usual, sort of adequate and pleasant. “Murdoch” reruns are at 7 p.m. (preceded by other mystery reruns) and from 9 to midnight.
5) ALSO: “Local Hero” (1983), at 6 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies, is the sort that indie-movie fans savor — a wry and endearing tale of an American businessman, descending on a quirky Scottish town. And at 8 and 8:30, CBS reruns the season-finales for “The Neighborhood,” with two graduations and then a new business on the other side of town.