1) “The Good Doctor’ season-opener, 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC.. A well-crafted show starts its final season … trimmed from 13 episodes to 10. There’s a lot to cover in the world of Shaun (Freddie Highmore), the brilliant and autistic surgeon. He and Lea are raising their baby (shown here) while he faces a tough case — two babies needing a heart transplant. Also this season, a younger autistic doctor will arrive.
2) “Will Trent” and “The Rookie” season-openers, 8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. In one burst, three dramas launch their 10-episode seasons. They wrap up life-and-death stories each hour, while continuing personal stories. That starts with Will Trent trying to figure out why his team is targeted. Then (leading into “Good Doctor”) John Nolan tackles the last work shift before his wedding.
3) “George Jones: Still Playin’ Possum,” 9 p.m. Friday, PBS. Jones dominated country music for decades, with 160 siingles on the charts, 13 of them reaching No. 1. Now – a decade after his death at 81 – stars wll perform his music. The line-up includes Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna, Trace Adkins, Tanya Tucker, Lorrie Morgan. Travis Tritt, Justin Moore and Jelly Roll.
4) “America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League” finale, 8-10 p.m. today, NBC. The show now has its top ten – three apiece on the Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel teams, two apiece with Heidi Klum and Mel B. There’s a singer, a choir and a drumline, plus two aerialists, two dance acts, an acrobat duo, a rollerblade duo and a shadow act. Last Monday, all 10 performed and viewers voted; now one wins $250,000.
5) “The Irrational” season-finale, 10 p.m. today, NBC. Duriing the strikes, this was one of the few shows that rescued us from reruns and reality shows. Now Alec and his ex-wife may be close to finding the church bomber who scarred him. His aides and his sister also get involved. The next night, NBC is tentatively scheduled to wrap the “Quantum Leap” season, from 9-11 p.m.
6) “Constellation” opener, Wednesday, Apple TV+. For the second straight Wednesday, Apple debuts the first three episodes of an ambitious series. Last week, “The New Look” had French fashion stars during World War II; now this show leaps from catastrophe in space to horror at home. Fantasy fans may also like the animated “Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy,” Friday on Amazon Prime.
7) “Ghosts,” 8:30 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Last week, we learned it was Flower – sweet soul, empty brain – who zoomed off to the next world. Now Thor, who had fallen for her, tries to adjust. Also, we learn that one ghost enters dreams, to influence people. It’s a fairly good episode that follows an excellent “Young Sheldon,” with Sheldon’s grandma expanding her illegal casino.
8) “Genius: MLK/X” conclusion, 9 and 10:08 p.m. Thursday, National Geographic Channel, rerunning at 11:11. Both lives offer towering triumphs and sudden tragedies. That peaks in the first hour, wiih the passage of the Civil Rights Act … and with the only time that Martin Luther King and Malcolm X met. It bottoms in the final hour, with both icons being killed (three years apart) at 39,
9) “Saturday Night Live.” 11:29 p.m.Saturday, NBC. Four years ago, “SNL” announced Bowen Yang, Shane Gillis and Chloe Fineman as new cast members. Yang quickly became the show’s star, but Giillis was promptly ousted, after complaints that he had used Asian slurs on a podcast. He apologized … and now hosts. It’s the first new episode in three weeks, with 21 Savage as music guest.
10) “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunniing at 10:21 and 11:42. Two people have towered above others on “Dead” – Rick, the former deputy sheriff, and Michonne, a fierce warrior. They met, married and were often split. As this begins, he’s a conscripted soldier, making extreme (and gory) attempts to escape and find her. Stick with this episode to its final moments.