Year: 2023

1) “America’s Got Talent,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. After a summer of spectacle, the show has its 11 finalists. There are singers from Massachusetts and Indonesia, choirs from South Africa and North Carolina. There are two dance groups from Japan (including Avantgardey, the judges’ wild-card pick, shown here) and one from France, plus an Italian dog act, a Canadian comedian, a New Jersey magician and an acrobat duo from Tanzania. Now they perform and viewers vote; Wednesday has a recap at 8 and finale at 9. Read more…

1) “The Irrational” debut, 10 p.m., NBC. After surviving a tragedy, Alec (Jesse L. Martin, shown here) 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. Read more…

1) “Krapopolis” debut (shown here), after football (about 8 p.m. ET), Fox. Tyrannis has this theory that people can live peacefully in cities. That’s viewed skeptically by his mom (a self-obsessed shapeshifter), dad (half-human) and sister (really macho). In tonight’s second episode, Olympic-type games implode. This is a broad comedy from the “Community” and “Rick and Morty” producer. It’s inconsistent, but a fun piece of the cartoon line-up that starts next Sunday. Read more…

1) Football, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC. Two top-10 teams collide, with Notre Dame (shown here) hosting Ohio State. That’s on the second Saturday this year (and the second one ever) when five broadcast networks have primetime games. Also at 7:30 p.m.. ABC has Texas at Baylor and CBS has Iowa at Penn State. CW has Georgia Tech at Wake Forest at 6:30 p.m.; Fox has Oregon State at Washington State at 7, then Southern Cal at Arizona State at 10:30. Read more…

1) “IHeartRadio Music Festival,” 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT), Hulu; continues Saturday. This used to give the CW network a vibrant start to its fall season. Now, instead, it’s livestreamed. Ryan Seacrest hosts from Las Vegas, with a line-up that has country (Tim McGraw, Kane Brown), rap and hip hop (Public Enemy, Lil Wayne) and waves of pop and R&B – Kelly Clarkson, Lenny Kravitz (shown here in a previous show), Sheryl Crow, Miguel, TLC, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters and more. Read more…

1) “American Ninja Warrior,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. In two weeks, NBC will fill this spot with new episodes of “Transplant” (a fairly good Canadian drama) and reruns of “Dateline.” For now, it reruns the “Ninja” special (shown here) from Monday – a relay race involving people who are couples in real life. That’s preceded at 8 p.m. by a “Password” rerun that has Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor. Read more…

1) “MasterChef” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. The South team has dominated all season. Last week, it had three people in the final six … but then two were ousted. That leaves Jennifer Maune (shown here), 42, a mother of six and lifestyle blogger who’s been a cheerleader, Junior Leaguer. real-estate salesperson and more. She faces people from the Midwest (Grant Gillan, 32, a brewery sales director) and West (Kennedy U., 26, a festival vendor). Each prepares a three-course dinner. Read more…