Mike Hughes on TV

1) “68 Whiskey”(shown here) debut, 10 p.m., Paramount. We’re at a field hospital in wartime, where earnest medicine co-exists with loose attitudes. That worked wonderfully in “MASH,” not so well in this blunt and heavy-handed show. It stars with a sex scene (lots of noise, little warmth), then has a brutal fight. Eventually we get to know the central characters – three medics, one black, one white, one Latina. It’s OK, but nowhere near what we expect from its producers, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Read more…

1) “New Amsterdam” return, 10 p.m. NBC. Fresh from a two-month break, here’s a high-octane hour. Three prisoners stabbed their guard; now they’re armed and loose in the hospital, stirring panic and extremes: One surgery is done by a wounded doctor, another by a doctor with a broken leg; also, Max and Dr. Sharpe (shown here in a previous episode) are held at gunpoint. Despite the chaos, the best moments are quiet: Some are with Dr. Kapoor and the woman he secretly loves; others bring deep emotion as Dr. Frome and his husband teeter close to a break-up. It’s a terrific episode. Read more…

1) Football, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2. By logic, Clemson should be comfy here. It’s in the national championship game for the fourth time in five years. It’s won twice in the past three years and is fresh from a come-from-behind win over powerhouse Ohio State. But this is in the New Orleans Superdome, almost home turf for top-ranked Louisiana State. Facing Oklahoma, Heisman-winner Joe Burrow (show here) tied a bowl record with seven touchdown passes – all in the first half; LSU won, 63-28. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: Sanditon” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. Jane Austen had barely started this novel, creating a place (a seaside town, trying to be a resort) and people. Ever since, people have tried to continue it; at least seven versions have been published. Now Andrew Davies has done it perfectly, creating a show with warmth, depth and surprises. Rose Williams is lovable as a smart-and-innocent country kid who meets three brothers – an optimist, a bumbler and a handsome enigma (Theo James, shown here with Williams).. Read more…

1) Football, 4:35 p.m. ET, NBC, and 8:15 p.m., CBS. Fresh from their overtime win (shown here) over the Saints in New Orleans, the Minnesota Vikings face the 49ers in San Francisco. Then the Baltimore Ravens host the Tennessee Titans. There’s more on Sunday, with Houston in Kansas City and Seattle in Green Bay. Read more…