1) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. This was supposed to be when NBC’s overlooked comedies finally got noticed. CBS was turning to basketball, benching its own comedies for two weeks; NBC could shine … except, alas, basketball was canceled and the CBS comedies (via rerun) are back. Still, try NBC – “Superstore” at 8 p.m., the sometimes-hilarious “Will & Grace” at 9 and this dandy one (shown here). Jake meets his criminal friend (Craig Robinson), in a wild plot that zooms to Miami amid schemes.
2) “Bob (Hearts) Abishola,” 9:30 p.m. CBS. The bad news is that CBS only fills its basketball void with reruns. The good? Here are four half-hours from Chuck Lorre, TV’s best comedy producer. “Young Sheldon” has fairly good ones at 8 p.m. (Sheldon’s not invited to a party) and 8:30 (Dr. Sturgis spies on Meemaw’s new boyfriend). At 9, a funny “Mom” has Paget Brewster as Christy’s demanding boss. At 9:30, “Bob” – usually a droll delight – gets fairly broad, when Bob’s mom returns to work.
3) “Better Things,” 10 p.m., FX. Now for a different sort of comedy … or comedy-drama. No other show would start with its star (Pamela Adlon) simply playing the piano and singing, both badly, for three minutes. Or would have another scene in which she and her daughter keep hurling horrid insults at each other. It works because each character is crafted with warmth and depth.
4) “Confronting Coronavirus,” 8 p.m., PBS (check local listings). When the crisis spiraled, stations were in their pledge-drive period. That may explain why PBS is so late to a subject that CNN, ABC and others have been covering in great depth. Still, this is from the “PBS Newshour” team and will probably be well-done.
5) And more. Amid lots of good comedies, “Indebted” (9:30 p.m., NBC) is merely OK. Tonight, the elders teach the next generation how to lie to spouses. At 10 p.m., CBS reruns the second “Tommy” episode, a good one. When a cop is killed, the former police chief (Corbin Bernsen) stirs up dissent.