1) “Ordinary Joe,” 8 p.m., NBC. Monday was way too busy, packing three of the best new shows alongside “NCIS” and more. If you missed the “Ordinary Joe” debut, catch this quick rerun. We meet Joe (James Wolk) on graduation day, facing three choices. Then we follow all three – cop, nurse, rock star (shown here) – through joy and pain. It’s a complicated task pulled of by a subtle script and gifted actors. Read more…
1) “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime” season-openers, 8 and 10 p.m, NBC. A slick congressman says he’ll be in the White House; Benson (Mariska Hargatay) says he’ll be in prison for making mothers trade sex for housing. It’s a tough case – that gets tougher at the end of the first hour. One character (Chief McGrath) is written and played way too broadly, but others are – in the “L&O” fashion – solid enough. Then “OC” finds Stabler (Christopher Meloni, shown in a previous episode with Hargitay working undercover . Read more…
1) “The Wonder Years” debut, 8:30 p.m., ABC. The original series began in 1988 as a comedy-drama, then kept leaning to the drama side. Now this well-crafted reboot starts there. We meet Black family (shown here) in middle-income Montgomery, Ala. Don Cheadle is the adult narrator, looking back at his childhood; Dule Hill is his dad. There are some laughs, but this is the spring of 1968; life soon turns serious. Read more…
1) “FBI” trilogy, 8-11 p.m., CBS. Sprawling across three shows and two continents, this is an epic way to launch a new series. At 8, the “FBI” season-opener has the slaying of a woman who was at a yacht party with some rich creeps; two “FBI: Most Wanted” guys, Crosby and LaCroix – are soon involved. Then the “Most Wanted” opener, at 9, points to the debut of “FBI International” at 10. Zadan (Zeeko Zaki, shown here in a previous epiosde), from “FBI,” rushes to the Budapest bureau, to pursue a Jeffrey Epstein-type villain and his hostage. Read more…
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…
