1) “Batwoman” debut, 8 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 6), CW. The next great TV hero (shown here) has all the usual qualities – strong and silent, smart and solemn and terribly attractive, while smashing tough men and loving a beautiful woman. It all sounds like a cliche, except that it’s tautly written and beautifully filmed … and this hero is female. Ruby Rose (variously described as gender-fluid and a lesbian) is superb in the role. Dark, angry and violent, this isn’t for everyone; still, it’s skillfully executed, with movie-quality visuals.
2) “Kids Say the Darndest Things” debut, 8 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 6), ABC. Here’s the opposite of “Batwoman” — light and bright and family-friendly, with a feel-good approach. As an actress, Tiffany Haddish has ranged from rage in “The Kitchen” to lots of comedy, including “Girls Trip” and an Emmy-winning night hosting “Saturday Night Live.” Now she takes a job previously done by Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby – chatting with kids who are bright and unfiltered. The brief samples we’ve seen are promising.
3) “Almost Family” debut, 9:01 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 2), Fox. Between those extremes is this show. It gives us three likable women, then tips their world upside-down. Julia (Brittany Snow) is an administrator for her dad (the terrific Timothy Hutton), an esteemed fertility doctor. Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke) is a former friend; Roxy (Emily Osment) is a spoiled ex-Olympian. When the doctor is arrested for substituting his own sperm, these women are thrust together, creating both humor and human drama.
4) “This Is Us,” 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Last week’s season-opener repeated a trick from the pilot film: Introduce some apparent strangers to perplexed viewers, who don’t know a time-leap is involved. In the closing minutes, we saw that the blind singer is Kate’s baby, in the future. In our time, the teen father befriended Deja, Randall’s adopted daughter; the alcoholic veteran (Jennifer Morrison) met Nicky, Jack’s long-lost brother. Now Randall’s family adjusts to life in the city, where he’s a new councilman.
5) “Nature” season-opener, 8 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. The octopus isn’t like us, you know. It has eight legs, three hearts, blue blood, a sharp mind and, perhaps, a good soul. At least, Heidi (featured here) seemed soulful. Living with David Scheel (a marine biology professor in Alaska), she played with a floating toy, hugged (sort of) his teen daughter and even seemed to watch TV with them. This terrific documentary has lots of Heidi footage, beautifully filmed, but also visits other pieces of octo-research.
6) “SEAL Team” and “S.W.A.T.” season-openers, 9 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. These shows should fit neatly together. They’re macho, military tales with solid human cores. “SEAL Team” starts a two-parter, partly filmed in Serbia; Jason (David Boreanaz) and his team are tracking a group linked to bombing U.S. military outposts. “S.W.A.T: also has a bomber, this time using drones. Also, it introduces a senior officer (Amy Farrington) and has Hondo (Shemar Moore) meet his estranged dad.
7) “iHeartRadio Music Festival,” 8-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, CW. The CW season starts Sunday, two weeks after the big guys began. It’s a pretty good one, as “Batwoman” shows. While waiting, the network has a two-night, four-hour concert, hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Wednesday (subject to change) has Camila Cabello, Tim McGraw, Halsey, French Montana and Steve Aoki. Thursday includes Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, the Zac Brown Band, Mumford & Sons and Chance the Rapper.
8) “The Blacklist” season-opener, 8 p.m. Friday, NBC. For six seasons, “Blacklist” has had hints about Katarina Rostova, the near-legendary Soviet spy (and, sometimes, U.S. double agent) who is Liz’s birth mother. In last season’s finale, Red raced to Paris to warn her about an assassination attempt; she responded by kissing him, stabbing him with a syringe and abducting him. Now he’s alone in hostile territory, unsure if there’s anyone to trust. With few leads, Liz and the task force try to rescue him
9) More season-openers, Sunday. On “Madam Secretary” (10 p.m., CBS), Elizabeth is president, with a smear campaign endangering her first major legislation. But mostly, Sunday is for fantasy fans: On “Supergirl” (9 p.m., CW), a new owner brings in a star reporter …. On “The Walking Dead” (9 p.m., AMC), the Oceanside group trains for a possible Whisperers return …. And the great “Mr. Robot” (10 p.m., USA) is at Christmastime, with Tyrell bored, Dom paranoid and Darlene facing major issues.
10) Wrestling openers, 8 p.m., three nights. Yes wrestling – which was big in TV’s early, ragged years – adds three nights. AXS — which already has Saturdays — launches “Impact Wrestling” on Tuesdays … TNT debuts “All Elite Wrestling” on Wednesdays … And “WWE Smackdown” takes over Fox on Fridays. “Smackdown” started on cable in 1999, so this opener is a 20th-anniversary party. Guests will include Hulk Hogan, Goldberg and Ric Flair … whose daughter Charlotte has become a WWE star.