Daily Best Bets

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” return, 9 p.m., ABC. Ellen Pompeo already has her place in TV history, playing the same character (Meredith Grey) for 19 seasons. Only a few people have topped that in primetime, including Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Kelsey Grammer (“Cheers and “Frasier”) and James Artness (“Gunsmoke”). Aas the show returns from a 15-week break, it’s her last day at the hospital (shown here) and the doctors plan a surprise. Read more…

1) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. Unlike the other two “Chicago” shows, this consistently has strong action plus sharp dialog from deeply etched characters who keep surviving ordeals. The extreme is Kim Burgess: In one season, she was assaulted and suffered a miscarriage; in the next, she was shot and left for dead. Now, in the show’s 200th episode (shown here with Marina Squerciati, who plays Kim), she and ex-fiance Adan Ruzek have an adventure, including subway tunnels and an underwater rescue. Read more…

1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” finale, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. This starts with the “gangsta rap” era and its roots: When police were acquitted for the 1991 beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles exploded. Politicians raged at anti-cop songs; they overlooked, at first, the rampant misogyny. The first hour ends with the rise of Queen Latifah (shown here in a more-recent concert) and others in response. The second sees rap soar, fighting new power, from Clinton to Trump. Read more…

1) “American Experience: The Ruthless History of Monopoly,” 9 p.m., PBS. When Ralph Anspach created Anti-Monopoly in the 1970s, the Parker Brothers company tried to smite it. Clearly, the company said, this violated a patent it had held since Monopoly (shown here in its current form) was invented in the 1930s. Anspach didn’t budge. He traced the game to a Lizzie Maggie patent in 1904 and then to Atlantic City women in the 1920s. Here’s a fun portrait of an intense, six-year battle. Read more…

1) “American Idol” opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. The bad news is that this gets monotonous, as judges pour out cascades of praise; we almost wish for a Simon Cowell interlude. And the good news? The praise is well-deserved; the talent is amazing. Watch one little teen (shown here) sit at the piano and give a whole new vibe to a Billy Joel tune … and another give a warm vibe to her own creation. There are even guys who look like a young Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. It’s a strong start. Read more…

1) “In the Heat of the Night” (1967), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Two of our greatest actors (shown here) collide, in a well-crafted mystery. Sidney Poitier plays a big-city homicide cop, reluctantly helping a small-town Mississippi sheriff. Rod Steiger won a well-deserved Oscar in the latter role; there were also wins for best picture and the script, score and editing. It’s a potent Black History Montgh film, followed at 10 by “To Sleep With Anger” (1990). Read more…

1) “The Greatest @Home Videos,” 8 p.m., CBS. Here’s the 10th edition of a show that started as a celebration of creativity people concocted during the lockdown. This arrives during the awards season , so Cedric the Entertainer (shown here) calls it “The Cedys,” awarding videos that are funny and/or cringe-worthy. Read more…

1) “Animal Control,” 9 p.m., Fox. This is a solid formulas for big laughs – frisky ostriches, a nasty weasel and Joel McHale. An ex-cop working animal-control, McHale’s character is a darkly acerbic soul, partnered with a cheerful ex-snowboarder. (They’re shown here.) His workplace includes a sexy single, a reluctant homebody (Ravi Patel), a charmingly clumsy clerk (Vella Lovell of “Mr. Mayor”) and more. The result is a fun blend of sharp dialog and big sight gags. Read more…

1) “The Masked Singer” opener, 8 p.m., Fox. In its first eight seasons, this show has unmasked some terrific talents – Jewel, Jennifer Holliday, Wayne Brady, Chris Daughtry, etc. — and some others, from Rudy Giuliani to Dog the Bounty Hunter and Larry the Cable Guy. Now the opener (shown heree), Fox says, will introduce three more; two will be unmasked and one will be nudged ahead.
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1) “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World,” 9 p.m., PBS. After a strong start Jan. 31, this three-parter skipped a week because of the State of the Union address. Now the mid-section starts in 1980s New York, with cocaine and AIDS, but also a strong rap scene — peaking in 1990 with Spike Lee’s epic video (shown here) of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” Then the film leaps to Los Angeles, where fierce police action spurred the “gangsta rap” era. Read more…