1) “New Amsterdam” return, 10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. After a two-month break, this hospital drama is back (alongside “This Is Us”) with a high-octane episode. Prisoners stabbed a guard and stole a weapon. Soon, Helen and Max (shown here in a previous episode) are held at gunpoint; others face extremes: One surgery is done by a wounded doctor, another by a doctor with a broken leg. Still, the top moments are much quieter – some involving Dr. Kapoor, others with deep emotion as Dr. Frome and his husband teeter near a break-up.
2) “Seven Worlds, One Planet” debut, 9-10:30 p.m. ET Saturday on BBC America (which repeats it at 12:30 a.m. ET and IFC; 9 p.m. ET and PT, AMC and Sundance. Each week, this spectacular series views nature on one continent. That starts with the one with the most variety; yes, that’s us. In the desert, a road runner hunts; in the water, a fish builds a 3,000-stone nest … and – in something unknown until recently – a polar bear successfully hunts a beluga whale. There’s more, including the fairy-like beauty of a firefly forest.
3) College football championship, 8:30 p.m. ET today, ESPN and ESPN2. Undefeated teams collide. In a normal year, Clemson might be the favorite: It’s won two of the last three national titles; ranked No. 3, it had a come-from-behind win over Ohio State (No. 2). But this game is in the New Orleans Superdome, almost home turf for Louisiana State (No. 1), a formidable force. Facing Oklahoma (No. 4), Heisman-winner Joe Burrow threw seven touchdown passes – in the first half. LSU won, 63-28.
4) “Arrow” and “Legends of Tomorrow, 8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, CW. For weeks, the crossover story remained in limbo, with the future of Earth uncertain. Now it concludes, starting with big trouble: The DC superheroes are stuck at the Vanishing Point, where the Flash has … well, vanished. Oliver – who’s usually Arrow – arrives with a different identity; we also learn the origin stories of Monitor and Anti-Monitor. Then we move to the season-opener of “Legends,” where, perhaps, Earth is saved (again).
5) “68 Whiskey” debut, 10 p.m. Wednesday, Paramount. This used to be the Spike network, billed as the first network for men. And “68 Whiskey” starts like a guy’s obsession – a noisy sex scene, then a brutal fight scene. This is life in a medical unit in Afghanistan. It’s sort of in “MASH” mode, with some updates – the central characters are medics, one black, one white, one Latina – and with lots of extra crudeness. By the high standards of producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, it’s merely so-so.
6) “Grown-ish” season-opener and “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” debut, 8 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Freeform. Zoey starts her third college year, still sorting out her feelings for Aaron and Luca. She’s fresh from a summer abroad, with a dream job in front of her, but her friends face change – including pregnancy. Then comes a new drama-comedy from Josh Thomas of “Please Like Me.” This time he’s a dad, dealing with his father’s death and the needs of his teen sisters, one who is on the autism spectrum.
7) “The Good Place,” 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. With only three episodes left, the show changes format yet again. It’s been doing that a lot. Now Michael (Ted Danson) deals with the demons who just want to torture folks. “We’re not using chain-saw bears any more,” he insists. Instead, he has a complex new way to test who deserves it. That gives his people access to everyone’s records – even their own. Yes, that brings trouble; it also brings a bit of wisdom from Jason. (Really.) It’s another clever episode.
8) “Dynasty,” 9 p.m. Friday, and more, CW. After a month of reruns and specials, CW finally has new episodes. That starts Tuesday with the crossover conclusion, then continues – “Nancy Drew” at 9 p.m. Wednesday … “Supernatural” and “Legacies” at 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday … “Batwoman” and “Supergirl” at 8 and 9 p.m. Sunday … and on Friday, “Charmed” and “Dynasty,” with Blake’s trial. Alexis shocks the jury with her testimony and stuns her daughter Fallon with her latest marriage.
9) Screen Actors Guild awards and “Miracle Workers: Dark Ages,” 8 and 10:15 p.m. ET Sunday, TNT (which reruns the awards at 10:45 ET) and TBS. First are the awards, including a career one for Rober De Niro. (You can catch him Sunday in “Casino” at 9:52 a.m. on Starz and in “The Irishman” any time on Netflix.) Then is an advance look at the new “Miracle Workers” season – same stars (Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, etc.), same writer (Simon Rich) and a new concept, even funnier than the original.
10) Much more, Sunday. It’s a huge TV day, starting with games that decide who’s in the Super Bowl. That’s 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS and 6:40 p.m. ET on Fox … which follows with “9-1-1: Lone Star,” a busy drama that stuffs the hour with action, tragedy, whimsy and Rob Lowe. PBS has a terrific “Sanditon” episode at 9 p.m. and the start of the “Vienna Blood” mystery at 10. HBO debuts “Avenue 5” (Hugh Laurie and space tourism) at 10 p.m. and starts the 10th season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” at 10:30.