1) “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” 8-10 p.m. Thursday, NBC. Coming soon (Nov. 21) is the second of Universal’s two “Wicked” movies. First, NBC (Universal’s corporate mate) has this concert special. The Dolby Theatre gets an Emerald City look; there, a 37-piece orchestra backs Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh (shown here) and more.
2) “St. Denis Medical, 8 and 8:30 p.m. today, NBC. Once home of “must-see” situation comedies, NBC started the season with none. Now it adds three this week (see No. 9), with a fourth coming next Monday. The clever “St. Denis” starts with Alex back from vacation and vowing to retain her good mood; it’s not easy. Then a security issue creates chaos.
3) “The Neighborhood,” 8 p.m., CBS, and more. First, Tracy Morgan pops in as Calvin’s cousin Crutch; then Calvin visits Harlem for Crutch’s son’s law-school graduation. That second one is on “Crutch,” a streaming-only series (Paramount+), which has all eight episodes today. A retro-feeling tale, it has noisy elders, nosy neighbors and brief bits of laughter and warmth.
4) “TV We Love” (today) and “I Am Chris Farley” (Saturday), both 8 p.m., CW. Here were two large and gifted comedy actors. First, Jackie Gleason and “The Honeymooners”; in its only season, it proved that TV comedy can have sharp dialog and blue-collar people. Then Farley, whose “Saturday Night Live” and movie careers were stalled by drug use; he died at 33.
5) “Murder in a Small Town,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, Fox. After being wiped out by the World Series last week, Fox’s regular series return. Game shows are today and Wednesday, with “Doc” Tuesday, preceded by this show: It starts with an apparent bear attack, then gets to twists and, of course, murder. The result is fairly dark, with dashes of the show’s small-town charm.
6) “The Lowdown” finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, FX. Don’t expect a big, mystery-show finale here. The main plot — including murder, intimidation and a land-grab — is disposed of quite quickly. That leaves more time for what this show has become –a beautifully written and played portrait of a truth-teller (Ethan Hawke), scrambling to re-assemble his makeshift life.
7) “Step Into … The Movies,” 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. It’s an all-dance, all-Hough night. At 8 p.m., “Dancing With the Stars” (with Julianne Hough as co-host and her brother Derek as judge) has a night of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame music. Then the siblings dance and sing in this 2022 specials, with more music from Ariana DeBose, Tate McRae and Amber Riley.
8) “Nature,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. Pigeons, we’re told, are the great urban survivors. They ride subways and escalators; they know which discarded bags have the best snacks. This gem leads a strong string of documentaries. At 9 p.m., “Nova” starts a two-week look at space-station crises. At 9 p.m. Friday, “Great Performances” profiles prima ballerina Tiler Peck.
9) “Happy’s Place” season-opener and “Stumble” debut, 8 and 8:30 p.m. Friday, NBC. As NBC continues its comedy comeback, there’s a hitch: Nudging a romance of its best characters (played by Reba McEntire and her real-life fiance, Rex Linn), “Happy’s Place” has a clumsy and humorless episode. We’ll hope for more from “Stumble,” a cheer-team comedy.
10) “Maigret” season-finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. By cliche, most fictional crimesolvers are single and solemn. Not Maigret; his wife (played with subtle perfection by Stefanie Martini) is a psychiatric nurse and an encouraging force. She’s a key part of the end of this compelling two-parter. Also, it’s the “Miss Austen” finale at 8 and “The Gold” season-finale at 10.