1) “All Creatures Great and Small,” 9 p.m., PBS. For three seasons, we thought we knew Siegfried, a stern veterinarian who makes steep demands on everyone, including himself. Now a beautifully crafted hour offers a fresh perspective. It flashes back to World War I, when he debated the fate of Army horses; then we see him in the ‘40s (shown here), trying to save one horse. The result is subtle and deeply moving,
2) “Miss Scarlet and the Duke,” 8 p.m., PBS. Here’s a sharp detour: Eliza Scarlet is still there, but all the others – including the cop dubbed “The Duke” – are gone. She’s at a hotel, ready to nab a fugitive. But this is a shaky place, with secrets, schemes and false identities. The result is sly and fun.
3) “Accused” debut, after football (about 10 p.m. ET), Fox. The good news is that this is special: It’san anthology series that has a fresh story – different characters, different tone – every episode. And the bad? This hour (Michael Chiklis as a surgeon, in a case involving his son) is a horrible choice for an opener. It’s beautifully filmed and acted, but so devastating that some viewers will abandon the show. Don’t do that; the next episode (10 p.m. Tuesday) is much better.
4) Football, 3 p.m. ET CBS and 6:30 p.m., Fox. This starts with the same teams that saw their game canceled – the Cincinnati Bengals (13-4) and Buffalo Bills. That’s followed by the Dallas Cowboys (13-5) and San Francisco 49ers (14-4). Next week, the winners face the winners of Saturday’s games; at stake will be spots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12.
5) Movies. ABC sweeps aside its regular shows and inserts “Iron Man” (2008), from 8-10:30 p.m. It has a goofy plot – including some remarkably unaware prison guards – but a great cast (including Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow) and some vibrant action scenes.