1) “Stumble,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. In last week’s opener, an intense cheer-team coach (Jenn Lyon) was fired from Sammy Davis Senior Junior College, where her husband is the football coach. She went to a nearby school and assembled a makeshift team, which collapsed (literally). Now (shown here), she shares a media event with her old school. Sight gags — some of them quite funny — abound. Read more…
1) Elsbeth,” 10 p.m.. CBS. Tony Hale, a familiar chump on “Arrested Deveolpment and (with two Emmys) “Veep,” plays a tech billionaire who frets about an uprising of the masses. He builds a home bunker … then finds nasty uses. Elsbeth (shown here with her police colleagues) probes the case, in a fairly good episode that also sees her deal with the widow of her nemesis, Judge Crawford. Read more…
1) “The Golden Bachelor” finale, 8-10 p.m., ABC. In pro football, Mel Owens was a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker. He was a starter for six of his nine seasons and an honorable-mention All-Pro. Now he’s a lawyer, 66, choosing between two retirees: Cindy Cullers (shown here, center), 60, was a biomedical engineer; Peg Munson (ri8ght), 62, was a firefighter and a bomb tech. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Origins” and “NCIS,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. Put these together and you have a compelling, movie-length tale. The first hour (starting with Mark Harmon as the old Gibbs) takes the team to a small town (shown here) for quick twists, fierce action and a so-so finish. The second makes up for that, brilliantly bridging past and present, with a smart story, dabs of humor and deep pools of emotion Read more…
1) “The Paper,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. Twelve years after “The “Office” ended, the fun resumes. The company was sold to a Toledo firm, which has an awful newspaper (shown here). With much idealism and no experience, Ned takes over the paper. Some episodes (already on Peacock) paint him as too foolish, in the Michael Scott mold. This opener, however, is a delight. Read more…
1) “Maigret” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. In fiction, crimesolvers tend to live alone; Maigret is a pleasant exceptioon. His wife (played with subtle perfection by Stefanie Martini, shown here) is a psychiatric nurse and a positive force. Now she plays a key role in the compelling end to this two-week story. Read more…
1) “I Am Chris Farley” (2015), 8-10 p.m., CW. Farley was compared to one of his comedy idols, John Belushi. They were large men and gifted comedy actors, creating memorable characters. Both starred on “Saturday Night Live” for five years; both died of a drug overdose at 33. Farley created memorable characters, including his overwrought life coach, shown here. Fired from “SNL,” he was building a movie career; here’s a profile. Read more…
1) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m., PBS. A dancer since she was 2, Tiler Peck (shown here) became the New York City Ballet’s prima ballerina. Then came a divorce, an injury and her father’s death. Filmed over six years, this sees Peck, now 36, rebuild her life. It closes with gorgeous excerpts from her choreography debut, an NYCB piece set to a Poulenc concerto. Read more…
1) “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The second “Wicked” movie is still two weeks away, but here’s a special. The Dolby Theatre becomes an Emerald City set, where a 37-piece orchestra backs Ariana Grande (shown here), Cynthia Erivo, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh and more. There are also interviews, dance numbers and film clips. Read more…
1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Pigeons (shown here), it seems, are the ultimate urban survivors. They’re gifted physically — they can zoom vertically from the ground, like a helicopter — and mentally. They learn how to ride subways and escalators; they know which discarded bags have the best snacks. This delightful hour follows them in London and New York City. Read more…
