1) “We Want the Funk,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. “Music was our freedom,” Questlove says in this vibrant documentary. And most free of all was the funk sound. Rippling with great clips, this spans generations. It focuses heavily on James Brown, but also has music masters (from George Clinton, shown here, to Kirk Franklin) still around to vividly tell their story.
2) “Alert: Missing Persons Unit,” 9 p.m., Fox. This show changed hugely last week, when it killed Nikki. She was the team boss … the wife of one detective (Mike) … and the ex-wife of another (Jason). Now those guys tackle a deeply involving case. Along the way, their colleague (Kemi) has transformed from flake to a crucial part of the show.
3) “Finding Your Roots,” 8 p.m., PBS. Here are two fascinating stories. Laurence Fishburne learns who was his biologic father. And Henry Louis Gates – usually the guy giving information – moves to the other side of the table for the first time. He knew the name of his great-great-grandmother, but not of the white man who fathered her children.
4) “Will Trent,” 8 p.m., Tuesday, ABC. After probing the Olaf Collective, Will reports disturbing news. Soon, the Atlanta police close in on the cult’s leader, in a dangerous confrontation. That’s followed by “The Rookie,” with officers scrambling to learn who is putting up anti-police billboards.
5) “The Handmaid’s Tale” season-opener, Hulu. In its first five seasons, this has drawn four Emmy nominations for best drama and four for best actress (Elisabeth Moss), each winning once. Now the final season begins: Over 10 episodes (three of them today), the women battle their oppressors.
— Mike Hughes, TV America