Best-bets for Oct. 16: a shrinking gem; a clever scam

1) “Shrinking” season-opener, Apple TV+. Jimmy (Jason Segel, shown here) has a mixed record as a therapist. One client is in prison for murder, another is struggling and the boss (Harrison Ford) is frustrated. Also, a neighbor keeps telling Jimmy’s colleague to stop sleeping with him. Like the first season, this is a rare mixture of bright comedy and deep personal pain. Read more…

1) “Shrinking” season-opener, Apple TV+. Jimmy (Jason Segel, shown here) has a mixed record as a therapist. One client is in prison for murder, another is struggling and the boss (Harrison Ford) is frustrated. Also, a neighbor keeps telling Jimmy’s colleague to stop sleeping with him. Like the first season, this is a rare mixture of bright comedy and deep personal pain.

2) “Scamanda” debut, 10:02 p.m., ABC. For seven-plus years, social media had accounts of Amanda Riley, an attractive wife and mom, struggling with cancer. Officials say she drew 349 donations, totaling $105,000 … and it was a lie. She pled guilty and was sentenced to five years. Here, starting a week later than planned, is a documentary series.

3) “Abbott Elementary,” 9:30 p.m., ABC. In last week’s season-opener, Janine and Gregory finally confirmed that they’re dating … something they’re colleagues had already guessed. Now comes a new crisis: A student has ringworm; the staff scrambles to stop its spread.

4) “Joan,” 9 p.m., CW. Here’s an hour of extremes: Joan has a high and a low in her personal life. Ashe’s in one heist that’s poorly conceived and another that’s brilliantly planned and executed. That follows “Sullivan’s Crossing,” with a rush to protect the campground, as a storm nears.

5) “Secrets of the Dead,” 10 p.m., Julius Caesar’s father-in-law built a spectacular, seaside villa, with a library strong on philosophy. Then Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying — and preserving — everything. This documentary is at its best re-creating the man and his villa; it’s weaker on the efforts to discern any of the words in the papyrus library.

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