1) “Shared Planet” season-opener, 10 p.m., PBS. Even in packed cities, nature survives. We see mountain lions in Los Angeles (shown here with the “Hollywood” sign in the background), a huge oyster project in New York, trees blooming near (or on) the skyscrapers of Medellin and Singapore. A week after its Earth Day shows, PBS propels this globally ambitious, four-week documentary.
2) “Nova,” 9 p.m., PBS. As Americans prepare to celebrate 250 years of democracy, this hour goes back 2,500 years. Visiting excavation sites and artifacts, it views the hesitant arrival of an Athens government that used votes and even a citizen lottery. It’s a fairly interesting hour, following a rerun of a delightful “Nature” film about woodpeckers.
3) “Chicago Fire,” 9 p.m., NBC. A week after a taut crisis for the EMT’s, the focus returns to Sevaride; he probing a fire at an abandoned store that had squatters. That follows “Chicago Med,” with a patient’s difficult labor. On “Chicago P.D.” at 10, an old VHS tape reveals secrets about Ruzek’s father.
4) “Survivor,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. This adds a half-hour to the usual 90 minutes — which is a stretching from the original 60. It includes a return of the show’s “auction.” And — since “Survivor” is built around challenges — it has a visit from “MrBeast,” known for his YouTube challenges.
5) “The Rainmaker” (1956), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies;; and “Marty Supreme,” 9 p.m., HBO. In huge roles, gifted actors play guys propelled by word-torrents and willpower. Burt Lancaster plays a con man, promising to produce rain; Timothee Chalamet plays an optimist, promising to make ping-pong an American sport. Both get people to root for unlikely dreams.