1) “The Irrational” debut, 10 p.m., NBC. After surviving a tragedy, Alec (Jesse L. Martin,shown heere) began studying the criminal mind. Now he’s a behavioral science professor, working with the police, including his ex-wife. Tonight’s opening scene is a gem and the story that follows is quite good. After that, there are no guarantees; the second hour is so-so, the third bounces back. As one of the few new, scripted shows this season, this is worth trying.
2) “The Voice” opener, 8-10 p.m., NBC. For 23 seasons, Blake Shelton was the show’s star. He had nine champions and 15 runners-up, sometimes at the same time. Now he’s gone, but his wife (Gwen Stefani) has returned. She’s joined by John Legend, Niall Horan and – in her first season – Reba McEntire. Auditions continue Tuesday, leading into the start of the “America’s Got Talent” finals.
3) Football, 7:15 p.m. ET, ABC; 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2. ABC started “Monday Night Football” in 1970, then gave it to ESPN in 2006. In the midst of strikes, however, networks need all the football they can get. Some weeks, ABC and ESPN have shared a game; tonight, they each get one. ABC has the Eagles and Bucs, both with 2-0 records; ESPN has the Rams (1-1) and Bengals (0-2, with star Joe Burrow slowed by injuries).
4) “Kitchen Nightmares” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. It’s been nine years since Gordon Ramsay last did this show, helping troubled restaurants. Now he sees two brothers feud while taking over the family business. That’s followed by the season-opener of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” Contestants range from athletes (Bode Miller, Dez Bryant, Robert Horry) to reality-show types (Jack Osbourne, Savannah Chrisley, Kelly Rizzo).
5) ALSO: At 8 p.m., CBS repeats the first episode of “NCIS” – 20 years and two days after its debut. That’s followed by the second-season-finale at 9 p.m. and a key episode from the 19th season at 10. For more crime-solving, “Mrs. Sidhu Investigates” has a movie-length tale, at www.acorn.tv. This is a good one, centering on a fantasy-fiction character who seems to stir schemes, rage and, alas, a murder.