1) “All Creatures Great and Small” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. For two seasons, we’ve rooted for two sweet-natured people (shown here, center0: James is a veterinarian, working with the stern Siegfried and his cheery brother Tristan; Helen is a diligent farmer, working with her widowed dad. She almost married a rich guy, then backed out; now she and James are ready to marry … if they overcome late obstacles. The result has humor, warmth and flowing green landscapes.
2) “Miss Scarlet and the Duke” and “Vienna Blood” season-openers, 8 and 10 p.m., PBS. On paper, these are a match, solving crimes in old Europe. In truth, they shouldn’t be on the same night or the same network. “Scarlet” has the only female private-eye in 1880s London; most episodes, including this one, are bright and fun. “Blood” has a Freudian psychiatrist helping solve crimes in 1900s Vienna; it opens with a grim, dreary two-parter.
3) “Alert” debut, 8 p.m. ET (after football), Fox. When their son disappeared, Devon (Scott Caan) and Nikki (Dania Ramirez) saw their marriage crumble. He stayed in the military; she joined Philadelphia’s missing-persons unit, to help others. Now a tangled case needs his help … and alters their lives anew. “Alert” tries too hard at times, with quirky co-workers and a gnawing personal story. Still, this is a strong drama and Caan has movie-star power.
4) “Mayfair Witches” debut, 9-10:14 p.m., AMC and AMC+. Plunging big into the supernatural world of Anne Rice, AMC bought rights to all of her books. It started with “Interview With the Vampire” and now launches this eight-parter: A young neurosurgeon (Alexandra Daddario) learns she’s from a family of witches. Now she must deal with her new powers and with a sinister presence.
5) “Knives Out” (2019), 7:30 p.m., TNT. Rian Johnson is a brilliant writer and director, crafting smart mysteries that also include humor, action and richly etched characters. His sequel, “Glass Onion,” arrived recently on Netflix, but here’s the original. Daniel Craig plays a detective (the only character continuing in the sequel), surrounded by murder, greed and a wide-eyed innocent. Also, “60 Minutes” has Anderson Cooper interviewing Prince Harry; that’s about 7:30 p.m. (after football) on CBS, but 7 p.m. on the West Coast.