1) “Ghosts” debut (shown here), 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Ever since “Big Bang,” CBS has stuck to a comedy formula. It has sharp, verbal shows; most are produced by Chuck Lorre, most have a studio audience. Now it detours – no Lorre, no audience, lots of sight gags. The result works wonderfully. In “iZombie,” Rose McIver showed she’s perfect at sci-fi humor. Now she plays a young wife who has a near-death experience; after surviving, she’s the only living person who can see the ghosts in her historic house.
2) “CSI: Vegas” debut, 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. Back in 2000, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” injected some fresh life into a stodgy network. When it ended, 15 years later, CBS was back on top. Now the show returns, with a new title, a new lab and some new stars – including the always-terrific Mel Rodriguez as the chief medical examiner – plus the originals: There’s Brass, Hodges, Sidle and (in the final minute) Grissom. The opener often has a stiff, sterile feeling, but it’s still worth catching.
3) “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It,” 9 p.m., Tuesday, PBS. At 5, Moreno moved with her mother from Puerto Rico to Long Island. She took dance lessons, was on Broadway at 13, signed a movie deal as a teen … and endured stereotype roles. The exception was “West Side Story”; she won an Oscar, vowed to wait for good roles … and didn’t do another movie for seven years. She survived that (and a toxic romance with Marlon Brando) and is still working at 89. It’s a great story.
4) CW makeover, all week. For the first time in its 15-year existence, the CW goes seven nights a week. The new night – Saturday, with “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” at 8 and “World’s Funniest Animals” at 9 – is mild, but part of a busy week. On Wednesday, two well-made dramas – “Riverdale” and “In the Dark” – have their season-finales at 8 and 9 p.m. … on Thursday, the so-so “The Outpost” has its series finale at 9 … and on Friday, “Nancy Drew” starts its third season; see the next item.
5) “Nancy Drew” season-opener, 9 p.m. Friday, CW. Nancy has changed from the early books, when she was a 16-year-old crimesolver. She’s in her “gap years” – out of high school, working as a waitress and applying to the Ivy League. She’s also learned she’s an heiress. Tonight, she meets a supernatural nemesis and starts a murder mystery. Those parts are so-so, but the character parts are excellent: Nancy meets a sharp FBI profiler; also, her friend, who proposed to Nick, anxiously awaits his response.
6) Baseball-football collision. This is baseball’s big time, with the play-offs beginning. That starts with one-and-done wild-card games – the American League, Tuesday on ESPN; the National, Wednesday on TBS. Then the division series start Thursday on TBS, Fox Sports1 and the MLB Network. But football is likely to steal attention. At 8:20 p.m. ET Thursday, Fox has the Rams at the Seahawks … at 8 p.m. Saturday, CBS has Alabama at Texas A&M … at 8:20 p.m. Sunday, NBC has Buffalo at Kansas City.
7) “9-1-1,” 8 p.m. today, Fox. Life in Los Angeles has been rough this season: There was a ransomware attack in the first episode and a citywide blackout in the second. Now the blackout continues, creating a nightmare for Athena (Angela Bassett): The rapist who attacked her has escaped; she races to try to protect her family. Meanwhile, Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) continues struggling with postpartum depression. She makes a big decision; so does Eddie (Ryan Guzman), who has health problems.
8) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m. today and 8-9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. The auditions phase – complete with spinning red chairs and sudden surprises – is finishing now. By the end of Tuesday’s hour, each coach
will have a dozen singers, who start “battle rounds” next week. That’s part of a busy reality-show week, complete with some new arrivals. At 9 p.m. Wednesday, CBS’ “Tough as Nails” starts its season; on Sunday, CW has a reboot of “Legends of the Hidden Temple” at 8 and the “Killer Camp” opener at 9.
9) “Hispanic Heritage Awards” and “Three Divas at Versailles,” 9 and 10 p.m. Friday, PBS. Here is a rich range– from music (Carlos Santana, Ivy Queen, Kali Uchis) to actress Salma Hayek and NASA engineers. Medleys include a Santana tribute and “’West Side Story’ at 60.” Broadening the scope at 10 p.m., Latina sopranos Isabel Leonard, Nadine Siera and Ailyn Perez perform amid the stunning beauty of the Palace of Versailles. That concludes splendidly, with folk tunes backed by a Spanish guitarist.
10) “The Equalizer” season-opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS. This was the one break-out hit of last year’s ragged season – a passionate show, with Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, an anonymous force for good. Now she considers ending her work – until the cop who doubted her needs her help. That’s followed by openers of “NCIS: Los Angeles” at 9 and “SEAL Team” (which moves to Paramount+ after four weeks) at 10. Also Sunday, CNN debuts a “Diana” series at 9 p.m. ET, rerunning at midnight.