1) “9-1-1,” 8 p.m. , Fox. Los Angeles life has been rough lately. The season’s first episode had a ransomware attack; the second had a citywide blackout. Now the blackout continues; the rapist who attacked Athena (Angela Bassett,shown hee in a previous episode) has escaped; Athena races to protect her family. And Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), struggling with postpartum depression, makes a big decision. Read more…
1) “Grantchester” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. On one level, this is an uncommonly bright hour: The crimesolving vicar vacations at a summer resort with his housekeeper (plus her husband), his curate (plus his secret lover) and his Geordie (they’re shown here) the cop (plus wife and kids). A solid murder mystery ensues – while planting the seeds for wrenching moments in the weeks ahead. There’s a lot of that sometimes; the “Call the Midwife” season-opener, at 8 p.m., is exceptionally grim. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live” season-opener, 11:29 p.m., NBC. As rumors swirled, fans feared the worst. Maybe Kate McKinnon was leaving … or Cecily Strong … or Kenan Thompson. But all three are back for this 47th season; only Beck Bennett and Lauen Holt are leaving. Bowen Young and Chloe Fineman move up to the main company, with three newcomers added. Owen Wilson (shown here) hosts the opener, with Kacey Musgraves as music guest. Read more…
1) “The Kennedy Center at 50,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Fifty years (and 23 days) ago, the center opened, offering an elegant home for … almost everything. Now it has a 50t-birthday celebration, on the same night as Disney World (shown here). This concert ranges from classical to hip hop. There are splendid moments from Kelli O’Hara, Dianne Reeves, violinist Raymond Chen and more. Joshua Henry opens the show with a passionate “A Change is Gonna Come” and closes it – joined by Common and a chorus – by turning “Glory” into one of the greatest TV moments of 2021. Read more…
1) “Station 19” and “Grey’s Anatomy” season-openers, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. It’s a crossover night, starting with personal problems at the firehouse. Just as Maya was marrying Carina (shown here) at the end of last season, she learned she’d been fired as captain; Andy blamed her own husband, Sullivan. Those issues and others are interrupted by crises at a festival. That takes us to the hospital, with its own woes. Bailey has trouble hiring doctors; Meredith, whose late mother lingers in her mind, meets a guy who knew her. Read more…
1) “Big Brother” finale, 9-11 p.m., CBS. The last remnants of summer TV are finally fading; after tonight, only “Bachelor in Paradise” will linger on the big networks. “Big Brother” started with 16 people and is now down to three – Xavier Prather, 27, a lawyer; Derek Frazier, 29, a safety officer; and Azah Awasum (shown here), 30, a sales diector. Tonight, one of them gets $750,000. Read more…
1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. This strong hour starts with one crisis and ends with another. As last week’s season-opener ended, a blind man wandered into a room that had a gas leak, then collapsed; Devon (shown here, left, in a previous episode) found him there, at the end of his shift, then also collapsed. That’s where we start this hour – which ends by introducing a fresh jolt. In between is a so-so story about Billie’s secret past. Read more…
1) “American Experience: Citizen Hearst,” 9-11 p.m. PBS; concludes Tuesday. William Randolph Hearst stormed into a stodgy newspaper world. He had money (thanks to an obliging mother), ambition and imagination – sometimes too much of all three. His papers had sharp writing and human-interest stories; at times, they also tended to exaggerate. Hearst built a castle, dated a movie star, had fancy dinner parties (shown here) ran for office; he built an epic life that crumbled during the Depression. Here’s a fascinating portrait. Read more…
1) Tony Awards, 7-9 p.m. ET, Paramount+. Back in March of 2020, Broadway suddenly closed. No one knew when it would be back or what would happen to the Tony Awards, with half the season’s shows still waiting to open. Now we know: Audra McDonald hosts a ceremony (a year late) for the half-season that happened. That skips three categories; see next item. And one category — best actor in a musical — has only one nominee, Aaron Tveit (shown here) in “Moulin Rouge.” Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Next week, this show starts its 47th season, filling a vast void on Saturdays. First, here’s one more rerun. Hosting is Anya Taylor-Joy (shown here), who is almost an Emmy-winner. (Her “The Queen’s Gambit” was named best mini-series; she was nominated for best actress in a movie or mini-series.) Lil Nas X is the music guest. Read more…
