1) “Dark Winds” opener, 9 p.m., AMC, repeating at 10:09 and 11:18. After a long and eerie flash-forward, stories pile up in a richly crafted episode: Joe and Chee (shown here) search for two teens, amid talk of a monster … An FBI agent (Jenna Elfman) probes a case he buried … And his former deputy has an emotional encounter at the border.
2) “American Idol” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Carrie Underwood was the fourth “Idol” winner and (alongside Kelly Clarkson) the most successful. She’s sold 85 million records and had 16 No. 1 country singles, some of them in the top-10 overall. A day before turning 42, she becomes a judge, replacing Katy Perry. Now the auditions begin.
3) “The Americas,” 7 and 8 p.m., NBC. First is a rerun; then this terrific series leaps to the frozen north. We see spectacular chases – wolves vs. moose, lynx vs. snowshoe rabbit. There’s the epic scale of an avalanche – a million tons, at 100-mph – and of a salmon run. And there’s the whimsy of sharp-tailed grouse in courting dance.
4) “The Righteous Gemstones” season-opener, 10:01 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:43. The final season begins with a flashback to the roots of this mega-church family, with Bradley Cooper as guest star.
5) Dramas. Finally free of major competition (Oscars, Grammys, etc.), shows line up. CBS has “Tracker,” “Watson” and “The Equalizer,” from 10 to 11; NBC has “Suits: LA” at 9 and “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” at 10. Then there’s Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” at 8 and HBO’s “White Lotus” at 9.
— Mike Hughes, TV America