Daily Best Bets

1) “Great Performances: One Man, Two Guvnors,” 9 p.m., PBS. Americans know James Corden as a terrific talk-show host, but he’s also a gifted comedy actor. Here, belatedly, is the U.S. debut of a 2011 special, with Corden (shown here) as a luckless chap who secretly has two bosses … and must keep them apart. Based on a 1743 farce, this is mostly loud and silly; what seems funny onstage can seem way over-the-top onscreen. Still, Corden — who won a Tony award in the role – is a marvel. Read more…

1) “B Positive” debut, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. The first new, scripted show of the season is a delight, with great characters and sharp humor. Thomas Middleditch (the former “Silicon Valley” star) is great as a divorced dad who needs a kidney donor. But the real joy is Annaleigh Ashford (shown here with Middleditch) as Gina, a former high school classmate with a kidney to spare. A Broadway veteran (and Tony-winner), Ashford skillfully makes Gina seem caring and clueless, helpful to strangers and unable to help herself. Read more…

1) “American Ninja Warrior” (shown here in a previous week) finale, 9-11 p.m. NBC. Last week, only four of 16 finalists finished the course. There are still 11 more to tackle it tonight; then the top eight overall will face the “Power Tower” for the $100,000 prize. Lucas Reale, 21, a business student, is at the top so far. The others who finished: Najee Richarfdson, 29, a coach and ex-gymnast … Austin Gray, 22, a coach; he donated a kidney to a friend … and Jesse Labreck, 30, a gym-owner; her fiance, Chris DiGagi, fell shot. Read more…

1) Election coverage, all night, everywhere. Several networks – ABC, CBS, NBC – plan to start at 7 p.m. ET, an hour before polls start closing. Fox will wait until 8, but PBS will start at 6 … and the news channels will be at it all day. But with a cascade of absentee ballots, it may be approximately forever before anyone knows the winner. While waiting, you can catch such movies as “Godfather,” “Rocky” (shown here) and more; they’re mentioned next. Read more…

1) “The Good Doctor” season-opener, 10 p.m., ABC. Some shows ignore the COVID crisis, but others embrace it. Here’s the latter; working with infected patients makes everyone wary. Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, shown here with Hill Harper) loves Lea, but can’t be near her; Dr. Reznick, banned from surgery, navigates around the clinic, putting herself and others at risk. There’s more, in this start of a two-parter: Dr. Park prepares to return to Phoenix; Dr. Brown mourns Dr Melendez, who was killed in the season-ending earthquake. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: Roadkill” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. We meet Peter Laurence (Hugh Laurie, shown here) in a moment of victory. He successfully sued a newspaper that accused him of corruption. All is fine … except the newspaper may have been right. Also, he’s cheating on his wife … he’s distant with his daughters … he’s surrounded by schemers … and there are big twists ahead. We don’t know whether to like or hate him; we still won’t know when the four-parter ends, but there are big surprises along the way. Read more…

1) Halloween lite. There’s a long wait before trick-or-treating, so cable fills it. FX has all 31 “Simpsons Treehouse of Horror” (shown here) episodes — some family-friendly, some not — from 9 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Freeform has two each of “Twitches” (7 and 9 a.m.), “Halloweentown” (11 a.m. 1 p.m.) and “Addams Family” (5:10 and 7:15 p.m.) films, plus “Hocus Pocus” (3 and 9:20 p.m.) and the reboot of “Ghostbusters” (11:30 p.m.). Disney has “Zombies” movies at noon and 2 p.m. and a “Halloween House Party” at 5. Read more…

1) “Jazz at the Lincoln Center: A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration,” 9 p.m., PBS. From the start, “Sesame Street” has had sharp humor, vibrant visuals and great music. “I grew up loving the show,” Wynton Marsalis says. He’s guested on it and his trumpeter (Kenny Rampton) is in the “Sesame” band. Now the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Marsalis, offers a zestful hour of music, from “Sing” to “Rubber Duckie.” The “Sesame” stars – Bert and Ernie (shown here) and such – add dabs of humor. Read more…

1) “City So Real,” 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, National Geographic. Here is an epic documentary, tackling an entire city (Chicago), with all its passion and quirks. It starts on July 4, 2018, a half-year before the mayoral primary. Some 21 candidates announce, 17 file petitions, 14 make the ballot. But it also involves the flavor of the city, from bars to barbershops. “Real” originally ended with the election, but Geographic added a fifth part – showing the new mayor encased in protest (shown here) and pandemic. Read more…

1) “American Housewife,” 8:30 p.m., ABC. As the season gradually emerges, here’s a boost: Now ABC has all of its Wednesday comedies in place. They range from “Goldbergs” at 8 to “Black-ish” at 9:30; now “Housewife” arrives a week later than the others. It starts with what was supposed to be last season’s finale: Kate scrambles to make sure Taylor (Meg Donnelly, shown here) graduates from high school. Also, her husband finishes his ghostwriting project and their younger-daughter agrees to try sleep-away summer camp. Read more…