1) “Grantchester” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Like most English villages, it seems, Grantchester has pleasant people, idyllic settings … and lots of murder. Fortunately, it also has a crimesolving vicar and his weary friend the cop. Their domain includes Cambridge University, where tonight they visit parties (shown here) and find beautiful students are keeping ugly secrets. The whole thing gets solved quite easily, giving the show more time to work on lots of character details. The result is fairly entertaining, in a quietly classy way.
2) “Beecham House” debut, 10 p.m., PBS. John Beecham is tall and handsome, sort of like David Hasselhoff without the talking car. We see him first in an action-hero prologue, then jump ahead three years. Beecham is settling into a spectacular estate in Delhi, hoping to get permission to do business as a trader. This is 1795 and his English countrymen are eyed with suspicion in India. “Beecham” has a stiff story, filled with soap-style cliches. We’ll forgive it (a little) because of its elegant settings.
3) More British TV. Here are three true stories, each brilliantly told. At 8 p.m., PBS profiles Prince Albert, a truly creative monarch. Also at 8, Turner Classic Movies has “Chariots of Fire,” the Oscar-winning tale of pride, prejudice and the 1924 Olympics. And at 9 (repeating at 10:15), AMC concludes “Quiz,” a three-part gem about a controversy that shook the British “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?”
4) “I Know This Much Is True” finale, 9 p.m., HBO. Yes, Americans can also create top drama. Mark Ruffalo has drawn raves for his work as Dominick Birdsey and his schizophrenic twin Thomas. Tonight, a sudden tragedy changes everything. Also at 9, “Billions” has its mid-season finale on Showtime; Chuck takes desperate steps for family and also tries to manipulate a past collaborator.
5) More drama: At 8 p.m., CW repeats a good “Stargirl” episode, viewing a harsh possibility of modern teen life. At 9 (repeating at 10:01), it’s time for the murder trial on TNT’s “Snowpiercer.” At 10 on Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful,” Lewis, the crusty cop, confronts Townsend, the crooked councilman; Tiago, Lewis’ police partner, takes action when he learns his sister is in the evangelist’s congregation.