Daily Best Bets

1) “Ordinary Joe” debut, 10 p.m., NBC, rerunning at 8 p.m. Friday. In a year when the networks try safe, simple concepts, here’s the exception: On graduation day (shown here), Joe faces three paths (literally); then we flash ahead to three variations of his life. He’s a cop, a nurse, a rock star; he marries Amy or Jenny or neither. In each case, he finds warmth, joy and agony. Written and played with subtle skill, this has great work from James Wolk and strong support from Elizabeth Lail and Natalie Martinez. Read more…

1) “Muhammad Ali” opener, 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10:15; continues through Wednesday. Ken Burns again tackles a larger-than-life figure, rippling with contrasts. Ali was a sweet-spirited kid who grew up in a devout Baptist home. Dyslexic, he stumbled in school, but compensated by being the class clown. He started boxing at 12; then, in his teen years, his 6-foot-3 frame began to fill out. He became a great athlete and a force of global impact (shown here), ideal for Burns’ flawless touch. Read more…

1) “S.W.A,T.” and “NCIS: New Orleans,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. When the season starts Monday, reruns will mostly disappear from the broadcast networks. Here’s one last shot for some key ones: In the “S.W.A.T.” season-finale, a police station is bombed and there’s a showdown with a domestic-terrorist group. Then the series finale of “NCIS: New Orleans” includes the wedding day (shown here) of Pride and Rita (Scott Bakula and Chelsea Field, married in real life), complicated by worries about his son. Read more…

1) “Great Performances: The Red Shoes,” 9 p.m., PBS. Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of artistic obsession keeps getting award-winning adaptations. A 1948 movie won two Oscars and the 2020 stage production (shown here) of theBritish ballet won two Olivier awards. Set in old Hollywood (and using movie music by Bernard Herrmann), it has gorgeous visuals and choreography. But to follow the plot, you have to listen to all the spoilers the narrator offers before the story begins. Read more…

1) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” finale, 8-9 p.m., NBC. “Nine-Nine” (shown here in a previous episode) started hot in 2014 – Golden Globes for best comedy and comedy actor (Andy Samberg), Television Critics Association nominations for best comedy and new show. Then things got bumpy: Fox cancelled the show after five seasons; NBC aired two more full seasons and this 10-episode summer one. After tonight, NBC heads into a fall line-up that will mostly be laugh-free in prime time. Read more…

1) “MasterChef” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. This amiable show is strictly for home chefs. This year’s 15 contestants ranged from a student, 22, to a hospice nursing assistant, 59; they included a construction worker, an animal trainer and a lifestyle coach. Now we have the final three – Autumn Moretti (shown here), 27, a bartender; Suu Khin, 30, a food-blogger; and Kelsey Murphy, 32, a physical therapist. Read more…

1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The ratings-leader is ready to pick a champion. Tonight, the 10 finalists perform and viewers vote; Wednesday’s finale (9-11 p.m.) will name the winner. Singers won in five of the first six years, then went two for nine. This year’s final-10 has three singers and a nurses’ chorus (shown here), plus two comedians, two magicians, an acrobat and a taekwondo team. They range from singer Victory Brinker, 9, to Josh Blue, 42, and already a “Last Comic Standing” winner. Read more…

1) “Hell’s Kitchen” (Fox) and “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC) finales, 8-10 p.m. Next Monday, the new season officially starts. First, there’s a flurry of finales – these two, plus “Lego Masters” Tuesday and “MasterChef” and “America’s Got Talent” Wednesday. This edition of “Hell’s Kitchen” is confined to young pro chefs, 24 and under; tonight, that’s trimmed to two, who each lead the preparation of a five-course dinner. Also, “Ninja” (shown here in a previous episode) wraps its three-parter, as people face the final obstacle course. Read more…

1) “American Rust” debut, 10 p.m,, Showtime. As a soldier and as a Pittsburgh cop, Del (Jeff Daniels, shown here) was battered emotionally. He retreated to become police chief of a small town in rural Pennsylvania; there, it turns out, the problems are more personal and more painful: His sometimes-lover (Maura Tierney) faces foreclosure; her son becomes a murder suspect. Based on a much-praised novel, “Rust” is written and played with the sort of understated power that Daniels masters. Read more…

1) 9/11 (shown here) coverage, all day. Twentieth-anniversary ceremonies start at 8:30 a.m.ET in New York and 9:45 a.m. in Shanksville, Pa., with the broadcast networks and cable news channels covering. There’s much more, with 9/11 marathons starting at 7 a.m. on History, 9 a.m. on Discovery and 12:30 p.m. on National Geographic. Reruns will dominate, but there are also new specials we’ll mention next. Read more…