1) “Happy’s Place” debut, 8 p.m., NBC. Bobbie (Reba McEntire, second from right) inherited her dad’s bar, which she was already running. Now she learns a half-sister (left) she’d never met owns half of it. McEntire and some supporting actors get the most out of a so-so script. But the sister is underwritten and an employee (and friend) is badly overwritten, leaving a so-so show. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” season-opener, 10 p.m., CBS. Yes, Elsbeth is one of TV’s great characters, hiding a sharp mind under a surface of bright colors and cheery comments. But in this opener, much of the attention goes to a guest star: Nathan Lane (shown here) plays an opera lover who would kill for a better view. It’s a rich portrait, with Elsbeth stepping in to solve the case. Read more…
1) “Shrinking” season-opener, Apple TV+. Jimmy (Jason Segel, shown here) has a mixed record as a therapist. One client is in prison for murder, another is struggling and the boss (Harrison Ford) is frustrated. Also, a neighbor keeps telling Jimmy’s colleague to stop sleeping with him. Like the first season, this is a rare mixture of bright comedy and deep personal pain. Read more…
1) “BET Hip Hop Awards,” 8-10 p.m., BET and VH1. Megan Thee Stallion and Kendrick Lamar lead nominations, with 12 and 11. They’re up for artist of the year, alongside Nicki Minaj, Drake, Cardi B, Future, 21 Savage and GloRilla (shown here), who performs. So do 2 Chainz, Yung Miami, Juiccy J, Soulja Boy, Trina, E-40, Big Boogie and more; Fat Joe hosts. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Origins” debut, 9 p.m., CBS. In “NCIS,” Gibbs (Mark Harmon) was a skilled agent with a past marked by deaths and divorces. Now Harmon narrates this prequel. It’s 1991 and Gibbs (Austin Stowell), widowed and stoic, has just arrived. His first case is dark and compelling, but high-energy colleagues (two are shown here) keep this entertaining. Read more…
1) “Tracker” season-opener, 8 p.m., CBS. In its first season, this jumped to No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings. Now it makes new-season changes: Velma is helping Reeme start her law office; Colter (Justin Hartley, shown here) obsesses on a long-running case. That takes time, so the case-of-the-week – an interesting one – is solved quickly. It’s a fairly good start to a promising season. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Two generations of singers combine: Ariana Grande (shown here), 31, hosts; Stevie Nicks, 76, is music guest. It’s odd that Grande — with six No. 1 albums — isn’t singing, but she’s also a comedy actress. She did 92 Nickelodeon episodes, plus musicals on Broadway, on TV and in the upcoming “Wicked” movies. Read more…
1) “NCIS,” 9 p.m., CBS. Three days before a prequel debuts, here’s the final episode (shown here) with Mark Harmon as Gibbs. That was in October of 2021, when he headed to Alaska. We’ll get a partial glimpse of him in the excellent “NCIS: Origins” opener, from 9-11 p.m. Monday. After that, he’s strictly the narrator. Read more…
1) “Matlock” and “Elsbeth” reruns, 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. In the old days, CBS had Angela Lansbury solving murders. Now it doubles up – two terrific shows with folksy women outsmarting the bad guys. For “Matlock,” this is the third run of the pilot film, with a clever twist at the end; for “Elsbeth,” it’s the season-finale (shown here), complete with an offbeat fashion show. Read more…
1) “Abbott Elementary” (shown here) season-opener, 9:30 p.m, ABC. Stranded between a reality show (“Golden Bachelorette”) and a news report, this is a lonely comedy island. It deserves more; in each of its first three seasons, it was the only broadcast show nominated for the best-comedy-series Emmy. Now the school year starts amid some nearby construction chaos. Read more…
