1) “American Idol” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Half her life ago, Carrie Underwood, 21, was the fourth “Idol” winner. Now, 21 years later (show here), she’s sold 95 million records … won eight Grammys … and starts work as an “Idol” judge. This season, the show will be once a week, not twice.
2) “The Rookie,” 10 p.m., ABC. After being ignored for too long, this gets a break: For 15 straight weeks, ABC says, it will have new episodes behind “Idol.” Tonight, Nolan and Bailey are on the town and see a murder; that’s scheduled to rerun at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
3) “Wild Cards” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. The first season was a delight, as a charming scam artist (Vanessa Morgan) helped trick crooks. The second strayed, mostly looking for colorful settings. Now this hour brushes off its main story (pool-hall schemes) to set up a longer-running one. It’s a decline in quality, but still kind of fun.
4) “Memory of a Killer,” 9 p.m., Fox. In Sunday’s opener, we met a suburban dad (Patrick Dempsey) who’s secretly a hitman, while struggling with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Now (after the “Extracted” opener at 8). his problems build: Someone may know where he lives and who his daughter is. In a fairly good hour, he ignores orders and goes on the attack.
5) “Hidden Assets,” www.acorn.tv. Last week’s opener was powerful. An Irish financial schemer killed himself; his widow fled to a vacation home in Spain … where a gunman lurked. Now police from both countries scramble for answers. It’s a strong, smart hour in a compelling, six-week story.