1) “David Makes Man” debut, 10 p.m., Oprah Winfrey Network. In books and movies, Winfrey leans toward complex people in depressing circumstances. So it’s logical that she linked with Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose play was the basis for the Oscar-winning “Moonlight.” With his own boyhood as an example, McCraney gives us a brainy 14-year-old (shown here), commuting from a tough housing project to a magnet school. One mentor (Phylicia Rashad) is a teacher, another is imaginary. It’s not an easy story.
2) “BH90210,” 9 p.m., Fox. Now for the precise opposite of “David Makes Man.” This has privileged people in pleasant places; flatly acted and drably written, it’s modestly entertaining in an uninvolving way. The original “Beverly Hills, 90210” stars play heightened versions of themselves. Tori Spelling is determined to reboot the show, but even Jennie Garth – her partner on other projects – has doubts; Shannen Doherty seems out of the question. From there, we have slight drama and occasional comedy.
3_ “Nova,” 8 and 9 p.m., PBS. First is a rerun, looking at the New Horizons spacecraft, zooming to Pluto and beyond. Then a new hour tells what scientists know about Pluto so far. That’s followed at 10 p.m. by a “Breakthrough” rerun, taking a historical look at telescopes.
4) “SEAL Team,” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. After being bumped by reality shows for most of the summer, this returns with a two-parter. In the first hour, the team prepares for cushy duty, training troops in the Philippines; Jason, who is widowed, worries about paying for his daughter’s college education. In the second, that duty turns rugged, when there’s a bombing in Manila.
5) “Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX. After soaring quickly in the 1980s drug world, Franklin has key gaps. Tonight, he tries to learn a little about the history of black protest … and about a killing in his family … and about Teddy, his mysterious drug supplier. Viewers know Teddy is part of the Iran-Contra drugs-and-guns scene. In some strong moments tonight, Franklin starts to ask questions; also, his college-bound ex-girlfriend fumes at her dad (a cop), after she was beaten up by a neighbor girl.