1) “The Lowdown” season-openers, 9 p,m, and 10:11-11:21 p.m, FX. Lee (Ethan Hawke, shown here) isn’t really geared for success. He makes a mess of his award-acceptance speech … and a bigger problem looms. Stumbling toward town is a guy (Tommy Lee Jones) who can disrupt his world. Great actors collide, in a show that’s sometimes overwrought, but mostly compelling.
2) “Abbott Elementary,” 8:30 p.m., ABC. Last week’s opener brought a hitch in Gregory’s promotion to assistant principal: The classroom replacement he’d hired turned out to be AI. Now he doubles as teacher and supervisor; also, Melissa and Jacob try to work out a compromise.
3) “Nature” and “Nova,” 8 and 9 p.m., PBS. Here are opposites. “Nature” took a good idea — “Sesame Street” characters on safari — and flubbed it with dialog only a tiny tot could like. Then “Nova” has an hour that’s deep, difficult and worth the struggle. Scanning awesome research, its “Evolution” series starts with the history of animals’ brains.
4) “Secrets of the Dead,” 10 p.m., PBS. The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe has fascinated people for centuries. A central structure, 300 feet wide, had 35-foot-high walls of careful stone design. With no written account, colonialists disrespected it. Now native archaeologists have uncovered the rich history of a place where 20,000 people thrived in drought-prone land.
5) ALSO: The “Chicago” shows follow up on last week’s jolts: On “Med” (8 p.m.), Goodwin learned who leaked the files; on “Fire,” Cruz was brutally injured. Also, Turner Classic Movies has Monty Python gems — “Holy Grail,” “Life of Brian” and “Meaning of Life,” at 8, 10 and midnight ET.