1) “Perfect Harmony,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. These people are determined to win the next choir contest. They’ll practice relentlessly; nothing will get in the way … except, of course, deer season (shown here). In this Kentucky town, everything stops for hunting. Arthur, the crabby choirmaster, reluctantly joins the hunt. Tempers fray, friends fight; it’s another funny episode of the best new show on broadcast TV. Read more…
1) “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for a crossover, flipping the order of the first two shows. Firefighters and paramedics rush to a Bears game, where there’s a bacteria outbreak (shown here); then a fire causes Sevaride to suspect there’s something bigger. “Med” follows the outbreak, putting an apartment complex under quarantine; Will faces a bioterrorism suspect. That sets up “P.D.” and a massive manhunt; Voight fears it’s just a wild goose chase. Read more…
1) “The Resident,” 9 p.m., Fox. At first glance, this is a Halloween episode – vampires … and rising from the dead … and The Raptor (shown here) and Mina stranded in a creepy town, filled with angry stares. Stick around, though; there’s a medical basis for each story. The two hospital ones are heavy-handed, despite terrific work from Jonathan Lipnicki (the former child star) in the “vampire” tale. But the third, in creepyville, is beautifully written and filmed, with an important story at its core. Read more…
1) “The Terror: Impact” finale, 9 p.m., AMC. Opposite forces weave together. This is a horror story, sometimes gruesome …. It’s also a gentle folk tale, filled with gorgeous Japanese images …. And it’s a protest of sending 120,000 Japanese-Americans to internment camps. The closing credits show many of the actors and their detained ancestors … and show star George Takei (shown here), 82, a camp survivor. Read more…
1) “Batwoman,” 8 p.m., CW. In last week’s final minute, Kate (that’s Batwoman) had a startling notion: Maybe nasty Alice (Rachel Skarsten, shown here) is Kate’s long-dead sister, having become evil but not become dead. We’ll get an answer quickly, followed by ongoing arguments between Kate and her dad. He’s a one-note character, but “Batwoman” redeems itself with gorgeous visuals and its compelling lead character. Read more…
1) “The College Admissions Scandal” (shown here), 8 p.m., Lifetime, rerunning at 11:03. With the subtlety of a scream and the nuance of an avalanche, “Scandal” eyes a big story. It’s still watchable, because the reality is both shocking and perversely funny; the approach, however, is inept. Ducking the real stories (including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman), this has fictional parents – then makes one a hideous Cruella/Maleficent type, burying the drama in excess. Gretchen Carlson’s follow-up is at 10:03. Read more…
1) “The Blacklist,” 8 p.m., NBC. The season opened last week with dazzling twists and illusions. Red woke up in a French hospital, nearly paralyzed … or he (and we) thought that happened. It was a fake hospital (in Maryland), an elaborate ruse by the Russian spy whose existence is a secret — even to her daughter Elizabeth, who’s scrambling to find Red. Now the illusions build. At this point, Red has escaped and been re-captured. It’s a brilliant and explosive (shown here) hour, with surprises to the end. Read more…
1) “Perfect Harmony,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. This may be the first time we’ve seen a small church choir belt out “We Are the Champions,” celebrating a trophy for being most improved. “Harmony” is like that, pulling odd twists. Bradley Whitford, already a triple Emmy-winner, provides the core as a crabby choirmaster, but others are also first-rate. Tonight, Ginny (Anna Camp, shown here) unleashes her inner Dolly. And Spencer Allport, as her son, has some droll lines, sort of like Jake in early “Two and a Half Men.” Read more…
1) “Riverdale” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. Alongside its flaws (big ones, sometimes), “Riverdale” has had a key strength: It’s had some profoundly decent characters — Archie Andrews, his dad Fred and their neighbor Betty Cooper – at its core. Luke Perry, a small-town Ohio guy, gave Fred real depth and believability; his death in March (at 52, after two strokes) is approached tonight (shown here) with quiet respect. This hour could be considered too one-note; still, that note is deeply moving and well-deserved. Read more…
1) “Finding Your Roots” season-opener, 8 p.m., PBS. After growing up among Hollywood privilege, Mia Farrow (shown here in her movie days) and Anjelica Huston each lost a parent at 17. The deaths — Farrow’s dad, Huston’s mom – left them knowing little about half their roots. Now they get unsettling news: Farrow’s grandfather sent his wife to a mental home, where she died at 27. Huston’s ancestor fathered four slaves; his will freed them … but not until they were 30. It’s a fascinating hour that also traces Isabella Rossellini. Read more…
