Mike Hughes on TV

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. It’s Nurse Appreciation Day at the hospital, a fact that’s met with skepticism. “If they really appreciated us, they’d get us more nurses, not cookies,” someone says. Chasing profits, the hospital keeps adding procedures without adding staff; it’s a flaw that strikes powerfully tonight. An hour that starts with fun and games (shown here) and starkly. “Resident” still flounders when trying a lighter story; a jockey sub-plot here is a prime example. But when it’s serious – as it often is – it works well. Read more…

1) “Independent Lens,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Here’s a Veterans Day view of war-zone people; they’re interpreters, risking scorn and death to help American soldiers. Congress has said they should get hurry-up consideration, if they apply to move here. Bureaucracy, however, doesn’t seem to have a hurry-up mode. We meet a likable chap (shown here), a chain-smoker who goes by the name Philip Morris; he had to wait four years. Another man gave up on waiting and decided to flee, with tragic results. Read more…

1) “Back to Life” debut, 10 and 10:30 p.m, Showtime. Returning to the seaside village where she grew up, Miri has her doubts. So does everyone else. Convicted of murder as a teen-ager, she was in prison for 18 years; now even her parents are afraid of her. Daisy Haggard (shown here) created this show, stars in it and is one of the producers. In just six half-hours (on three Sundays), she gives us humor, drama and a big finish. The parents’ sub-plot is lame, but the rest of this is a terrific little gem. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. For Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this is a can’t miss year. She won three Emmys (for writing, producing and starring in “Fleabag”) and was nominated for a fourth (for producing “Killing Eve”). Then she hosted the season’s second “SNL,” which reruns here; it was a big improvement over the first. The “Mid-Day News” sketch was sharp and another – letters between a war-time soldier and his love, with Mikey Day (shown here) and Waller-Bridge – was wonderfully clever. Read more…

1) “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” 8 p.m., ABC. For a while, it looked like musicals might become an old-people thing. Then came “High School Musical” and a new generation. That’s been followed by two sequels, a theater version, more Disney/ABC musicals … and now this: When the Disney+ streaming service starts on Tuesday (Nov. 12), it will include this series (shown here), which pretends to be a documentary, following teens trying out for the school show. Tonight, ABC gives us the first hour. Read more…

1) “Perfect Harmony,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. The Perpetual Praise mega-choir is overwhelming. “They are the Death Star of church choirs,” Dwayne says. They have platoons of singers, fog machines and an arena-like facility with giant screens. Now the tiny Second First Church choir is lured into a challenge … while its conductor (shown here) is having a bad hair day. After a so-so Halloween episode last week, “Harmony” reverts back to form, as the best new series on a broadcast network. Read more…