1) “Hope in the Water” opener, 9 p.m.,, PBS. Around the world, people find ways to make oceans more productive. In Puerto Rico, they turn squid into a treat. In Hawaii, the idea of a natural fish reservoir is revived. And on an island, population 4,600, two long-time divers (shown here) won a long struggle with the Scottish government to create a “no-take” zone; aquatic life revived.
2) “Abbott Elementary,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., ABC. After reserving most days for possible playoff games, ABC still had today available. So it’s rerunning the two-part “Abbott” season-opener, with Janine planning a district-wide Career Day. That’s preceded by two fairly good “Conners” reruns: Darlene crashes Trivia Night and suggests Ben find guy friends.
3) Olympics, past and present. The U.S. swimming trials continue; that’s 11 a.m. on Peacock, 7 p.m. on USA and 8 on NBC. But Friday brings track-and-field, which once dominatred. As a reminder, “Triumph” is 8-10 p.m. today on History. It tells of Jesse Owens’ four gold medals, crushing Hitler’s claims … and of obstacles Owens faced afterward.
4) “Walker,” 8 p.m., CW. A week from the series finale, Trey and James push their probe and others face personal issues. Geri wants Walker to open up to her; Abby and Bonham realize their plans require some compromise. That’s followed by a fun “Wild Cards,” starting with “porch pirates,” then growing.
5) MORE: “Dynamic Planet” – debuting at 8 p.m. in front of “Hope in the Water” – is a four-week look at science dealing with changes on all seven continents; it starts with polar ice. Also at 8: “MasterChef” on Fox and the terrific “The Color Purple” musical (2023) on HBO.