1) “Fire Country” debut (shown here), 9 p.m., CBS. In a year when wildfires have ripped through California, that provides a backdrop for this solid series. Bode (Max Thieriot of “SEAL Team”) is a prisoner who joins the firefighters to shorten his sentence – then is sent to the town where his troubles began. This opener requires a mountain of coincidences, but mixes strong drama with blazing action.
2) “SWAT” and “Blue Bloods” season-openers, 8 and 10 p.m., CBS. Surrounding “Fire Country” are two dependable shows. At 8 p.m., Hondo and others go to Thailand for training sessions. At 10, “Blue Bloods” has Jamie on a domestic-violence case linked to one his brother Danny handled. Their sister Erin gets an offer regarding her district attorney race … and their dad (the police commissioner) tries to take an undercover look at the city.
3) “iHeartRadio Music Festival,” 8-10 p.m., CW, concludes Saturday. Here’s a two-night, four-day journey through current music. That includes Halsey, Lionel Richie, Avril Lavigne, Sam Smith, Megan Thee Stallion, Marcus Mumford, Pat Benatar and – for folks who can’t remember which is which – Black Keys and Black Eyed Peas.There’s also country (Maren Morris, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen), rap (Pitbull, LL Cool J) and techno (Diplo)
4) “The Redeem Team,” Netflix. Basketball documentaries have soared, focusing on Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. Now it’s the late Kobe Bryant. After the U.S. team floundered, he linked with LeBron James and others to spark the 2008 Olympic team. Also arriving is a new season of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” (Apple TV+). Earlier this week, we got new seasons of “Pennyworth” (HBO Max) and “Nailed It” (Netflix), plus the delightful “RBG” (Hulu).
5) ALSO: Baseball begins its playoffs, with the wild-card games; ESPN starts a marathon at 1 p.m. ET. And this is a day to celebrate great journalism, past and present. “Alaska Daily” – partly reflecting a recent probe in Anchorage – reaches Disney+, a day after debuting on ABC. And “All the President’s Men” (1976), a great film about the Watergate probe, is at 8 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies.