1) “Doc Martin” season-opener, any time, www.acorn.tv. From “Northern Exposure” to “Ted Lasso,” TV shines when putting someone in a new world. “Doc” deftly put a cranky, big-city doctor in a sweet, seaside town. He eventually married (they’re shown here), had two children and continued to grump. Most recently, he quit medicine and alienated his receptionist, who was still needed for his wife’s child-therapy sessions. As usual, the new season is sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic and always likable.
2) “Bob (Hearts) Abishola,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. The season started with big detours, but now may be returning to its norm. Bob had his mid-life crisis, avoided the family company, bought a big boat … and realized that wasn’t what he wanted. His sister was hired by a competing company, then tricked into sleeping with an employee and fired. Throughout it all, the show has been warm and funny; now Bob’s in a dispute between his wife and step-son.
3) “The Cleaning Lady,” 9 p.m., Fox. In the final minutes of this strong hour, key elements merge. There’s Thony, the doctor (without a license in the U.S.) turned cleaning Lady … Arman, the good-hearted mobster … and Garrett, the FBI guy. With a sudden car chase and some frantic talking, the show heads toward a new level.
4) “POV: An Act of Worship,” 10 p.m., PBS. At times, this is shapeless and scattered – a jumble of memories, some warm, some tragic. We meet students, a bride-to-be, a civil rights lawyer, a novice politician and more; we see home movies and hear stories. What emerges is a tapestry: For Muslim-Americans (as for anyone else), life varies. There are a few common themes (especially trying to blend in) and many diverse – and interesting – ones.
5) ALSO: PBS precedes “POV” by viewing another minority group’s fight against bias; at 9 p.m., it has “Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March.” Also at 9, HBO starts the second season of “The Vow,” a documentary about NXIVM, the “human development” cult that for a time included prominent actresses, businessmen and more. That’s followed at 10 by Hugh Laurie’s witty “Avenue 5.”