Daily Best Bets

1) “American Masters.” 9 p.m., PBS. Back in the late ‘80s, one man was filming jazz great Max Roach; another made audio recordings of his memories. Much later, they merged, adding old clips and new interviews. Now we see a vivid life, spanning genres; Roach (shown here) ranged from the bebop masters (Monk, Miles, Dizzy) to a rapper. Alongside great music, we gret glimpses of friendship (Clifford Brown), romance (Abby Lincoln) and agony. Read more…

1) “Hell’s Kitchen,” 8 p.m., Fox. Last week’s opener left Gordon Ramsay seeming oddly pleasant. The women edged the men via a tiebreaker and no one was sent home. Now each side has to work on a dinner service and Ramsay returns to his screaming mode. Then “Lego Masters” (shown here) has an unusual challenge: Turn plastic bricks into playful home for real kittens. Read more…

1) “Quantum Leap” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. Fresh from a strong first season, this leaped into its second one before the strikes betan. It also shifted tone. Now there’s no holographic know-it-all to tell Ben what happened in the time he’s visiting. And this hour adds humor, when he crash-lands with a chaotic crew. It’s a sharp start with excellent guest stars, including the stars of “Manifest” (Melissa Roxburgh,shown here) and “Midnight, Texas” (Francois Arnaud). Read more…

1) “Only Murders in the Building” finale, Hulu. A great season concludes with Oliver (Martin Short, tighty) frantically trying to stop Loretta (Meryl Streep) from confessing. She’s just trying to protect the son she gave up at birth, but Oliver is convinced that neither is the killer. Also, he loves her AND needs her to co-star in his musical, alongside Charles (Steve Martin, center, alongside Selena Gomez) and others. Now we should learn who the real killer is … and, maybe, how the musical does. Read more…

1) “Loteria Loca” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. As Jaime Camil tells it, every home in Mexico has a loteria set. It’s sort of like bingo, but with bright pictures. The game has been in Mexico for 250 years and now reaches TV, with Camil (the “Jane the Virgin” co-star) hosting and producing. This version (shown here) starts with the cards, then moves on to interactive challenges. Read more…

1) “The Simpsons” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. At a time when most scripted shows were detoured by strikes, this is an exception: Animated shows are done far in advance; starting tonight, Fox has four new ones on Sundays. It’s the 35th season for “The Simpsons,” which seems as sharp as ever. Homer gets a wisp of crossing-guard glory (shown here); then, of course, he takes it to excess. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m, NBC. Before he became a pop-culture figure (by dating Taylor Swift), Travis Kelce (shown here0 was merely a football star. Three weeks after his Kansas City Chiefs beat his brother Jason’s Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, he hosted the episode that reruns today. It also includes Jason and the music guest, Kelsea Ballerini. Read more…

1) “A Song for Cesar,” 10-11:30 p.m., PBS. Cesar Chavez (shown here), friends says, loved to dance. He savored jazz and comedy; he was “this guy with an urban soul.” So his farmworkers’ movement rippled with music – from the back of flat-bed trucks, then in arenas. This vibrant film offers brief bursts of music. Much of it is way too brief; still, it’s fascinating to see the show bounce between a white-haired musician and his young self, almost 60 years ago. Read more…

1) “Hell’s Kitchen” opener, 8 p.m., Fox. After lots of flash and hype about the American dream, we meet the contestants – an appealing bunch of dreamers. At one extreme is a young Texan (shown here, left), now a chef in Chicago, who’s also a professional quidditch player. At another is a Mississippi chef, a single mom raising her six children and her sister’s three. They make their specialties and Gordon Ramsay seems genial enough. Next week, he’ll start screaming. Read more…

1) “Survivor” opener, 8-9:30 p.m., CBS. This is the 45th edition, filled with people who obsess on the show. Indeed, there are three lawyers … and two of them lie about their profession, so they won’t be considered schemers. Returning is Bruce Perreault, who was seriously injured in the previous opener; now there’s another rough challenge (shown here) and another person needing medical attention. It’s a fun start, right up to the closing surprise. Read more…