1) “The Blacklist” season-opener, 10 p.m., NBC. For nine seasons, “Red” Redington (James Spader, shown here) has been one of TV’s most distinctive characters. Rich and clever, he’s a likable crook who smites unlikable ones. As this final season starts, we see him only briefly – but see his impact as an apartment explodes. Soon, FBI agents are busy – and are meeting a key new character. This serialized tale leaves everything in limbo, but remains fascinating.
2) “Mayfair Witches” season-finale, 9 p.m., AMC and AMC+. When this season started, Rowan was just another loner neurosurgeon; now she’s in line to be the most powerful witch. Last week, she tried to rescue Tessa from witch-hunters. She killed most of them, but Tessa was killed by Keith, who fled. Severely wounded, Rowan drifts into dreams, ecstasy, rage and horror. It’s a big finish that transforms the show for next season.
3) “The Equalizer,” 8 p.m., CBS. After being gone for way too long, this show finally returned last week with a terrific episode that saw Robyn (Queen Latifah) preserve her friendship with Mel (Liza Lapira). Now, alas, she has a fresh dispute with Dante, the cop. A kidnapping forces her to confront a con man whom the police have been building a case against.
4) “The Company You Keep,” 10 p.m., ABC. In last week’s sleek opener, Charlie and Emma fell deeply in lust. She doesn’t now he’s a con man who cheated the Irish mob out of $15 million, had it stolen from him and now must pay it back, one scam at a time. He doesn’t know she’s a CIA-type agent, investigating that same mob. Tonight’s scams again come way too easily, but they’re still fun.
5) ALSO: After some stunning audiions last week, “American Idol” (8-10 p.m., ABC) is back more. “Magnum P.I.” (9 p.m., NBC) has more adventure. And a great, real-life tale is at 8 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies: “All the President’s Men” (1976) has Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the Washington Post reporters whose relentless work brought down a presidency.
— Mike Hughes, TV America