1) “The Big Bang Theory,” 8 p.m., CBS. Life is almost back to normal at CBS. “Love Island” has ended –it will be back next summer — and only “Big Brother” (9 p.m. today) gets in the way of comedy reruns. “Big Bang” is back in its Thursday spot and has a couple extra episodes Monday. Tonight brings a tough decision for Leonard and Penny (shown here in the finale); her ex-boyfriend wants him to be a sperm donor.
2) “Chasing the Cure” debut, 9-10:30 p.m. Thursday, TBS and TNT. When people face medical dilemmas, they sometimes turn to the Internet. Now comes a TV variation; it presents cases and asks viewers for suggestions and help. Ann Curry the host, offers the example of a young mom: “At 27, she can barely walk up a stairs. She’s been diagnosed with 10 separate diseases over the past eight years.” Now answers may or may not come from viewers.
3) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m., Fox. Dealing wih a “mystery box” ingredient is hard enough, but these contestants have three. After Gordon Ramsay’s chopping demonstration, they must use all three.
4) “Two Sentence Horror Stories” debut, 9 and 9:30 p.m., CW. Lots of people – from Edgar Allan Poe to filmmaker Roger Corman – have shown that you don’t need 90 minutes to tell something scary. The “Two Sentence” episodes we’ve seen (not thse two) are fairly good. Tonight’s opener has two tales with female directors and female protagonists. In the first, a serial killer targets single moms; in the second, a woman wakes up after an office party; she’s naked, in her own bed and unsure how she got there.
5) “Elementary,” 10 p.m., CBS. We’re a week from the end of this seven-season, 155-episode run. We also may be at the end of the line for Sherlock’s nemesis, tech billionaire Odin Reichenbach. He inadvertently gives evidence that could bring him to justice.