1) CMA Awards, 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. It’s a good time for country women. Ella Langley (shown here) and Miranda Lambert lead in nominations, including two best-singles (“Choosin’ Texas” and “Be Her”) from the Langley album Lambert produced and co-wrote. Lainey Wilson hosts; all three will perform, as will Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Megan Moroney and more.
2) More country. Today, Hulu and Disney+ debut “Darius Rucker: They Called Me Hootie,” about the guy who’s both a pop and country star. And at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Robin Roberts (who produced that documentary) hosts ABC’s “Darius, Dolly and 60 Years of Celebration.” It previews the 60th CMA show, which will include a Dolly Parton tribute.
3) “Crime and Punishment in America,” 8 p.m. today, PBS, repeating at 10; continues through Thursday. For the second straight November, Ken Burns delivers a richly crafted documentary series. Last year was “The American Revolution”; this one views law-and-order, from tribal to modern. Lynn Novick (“Vietnam War”) produced a deep and dark portrait.
4) “Traitors: New Blood” finale, 8-10 p.m. Thursday, NBC. This concept has grown globally. A Dutch version started in 2021; British, 2022; Peacock, 2023; and now NBC. Alan Cumming hosted 22 people (some secretly “traitors”), including a doctor, a lawyer and an ironworker. The came “murders”; by 9 p.m. Thursday, the field will be down to six.
5) “Dancing With the Stars” semi-finals, 8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC and Disney+. Maura Higgins has already been on Peacock’s “Traitors” … and on its “Love Island” … and on three British reality shows. Now she’s in the final six here, with athletes (paralympian Ezra Frech, figure skater Amber Glenn), actors (Harry Shum Jr., Tatyana Ali) and comedian Connor Wood.
6) “Next Level Baker” opener, 9 p.m. Thursday, Fox. “Bakers are the ultimate nerds,” one contestant tells us. His day job is as an anesthesiologist, but his nerdy passion is baking. Others range from an ex-soldier to someone who lost her corporate job and now, at 25, is a social-media chef. The show is too overwrought, but the people are fun to follow.
7) “The Altruists” debut (Thursday, Netflix) and “”Percy Jackson and the Olympians” season-opener (Friday, Disney+). Four years ago, “The Dropout” told of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes’ start-up; now “Altruists” tells
of a crypto collapse; Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner star. The next day is the
skillfully crafted “Percy”; Annabeth has been taken.
8) Double Dudamel, PBS. 9-11 p.m. Friday, PBS. After triumphing in Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel leads the New York Philharmonic. His first TV concert there opens with a distant, 11-minute piece, then booms back with Mahler’s fifth symphony. And at 10:30 is a gem: In LA, he made a “Carnival of the Animals” cartoon; that also airs at 10 a.m. today,
9) “Yellowjackets” final-season opener, 9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime. The first three seasons drew praise, plus nominations from the Television Critics Association (program of the year) and Emmys (two for best drama). Now the final season begins. We see the rescue of the teen soccer team and the continued aftershocks, 25 years later.
10) “Maigret” season-finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Three excellent shows wrap their seasons. At 8 is “Professor T”; at 10, “The Gold” (based on real events) potently ends the stories of missing loot. And at 9, Maigret probes an elite club and long-ago human-trafficking; also, his wife (beautifully played by Stefanie Martini) nudges him toward a rural life.