An Army in Training on ‘Shōgun,’ A ‘Night Court’ Throwback, Netflix’s Chilling Cold War Chronicle, An Italian Fixer-Upper

10/9c

“I’m a bloody prisoner all over again—just with better living quarters,” gripes stranded English pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) as he reluctantly settles into his new role as military adviser to Lord Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) troops in an absorbing, and climactically shocking, episode of the thrilling historical epic. While Blackthorne instructs the feudal soldiers in the ways of European combat—think cannons—he’s getting his own education to such Japanese customs as regular bathing and nocturnal visits from a consort. Perils come from Mother Nature (a “baby earthquake”) and Toranaga’s rivals, including a visit from a General representing Toranaga nemesis Ishido (Takehiro Hira).

8/7c

In a nostalgic throwback, two of the more memorable recurring characters from the original Night Court reappear before the bench, with Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Annie O’Donnell returning as born losers Bob and June Wheeler. They guested in six episodes back in the day as a couple perpetually down on their luck, and this time they’re back with their grown-up daughter Carol Ann (Kate Micucci, like reboot star Melissa Rauch a Big Bang Theory veteran), with public defender Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) assigned to their case. In more stunt casting, Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney plays a psychic enlisted by Judge Abby (Rauch) to settle an old score with the spirit of her beloved father, Judge Harry (the late Harry Anderson).

Documentary Premiere

Oppenheimer’s Oscar triumph sets an appropriate stage for a chilling nine-part docuseries that begins with the Manhattan Project and the controversial dropping of atomic bombs in Japan to end WWII. This act inadvertently launched a different sort of covert war as other superpowers gained nuclear capabilities, possessing weapons humanity couldn’t afford to use again. The latest in Netflix’s Turning Point series—the first dealt with the war on terror following 9/11—tracks tensions between the U.S. and the post-WWII Soviet Union in a nuclear arms race. The rise of Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine has once again put nuclear uncertainty in the spotlight, with one analyst suggesting we’ve moved from a Cold War to “an unstable hot war that could lead to catastrophic outcomes.”

Season Premiere

9/8c

A world away from their usual Arkansas digs, Fixer to Fabulous stars Dave and Jenny Marrs embark on a European adventure in a six-part spinoff where they help longtime friends renovate a 200-year-old villa in Italy’s Chianti countryside. Using local builders and resources including handmade terracotta tiles, olive wood floors and Carrara marble, the Marrs turn a horse stable into a new kitchen among other projects. Obstacles include an unexpected snowstorm, permit delays and local building restrictions, always hoping nothing gets lost in translation.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• FBI (8/7, CBS): A full night of FBI franchise action opens with the mothership’s team investigating the execution-style murder of a federal judge. On FBI: International (9/8c), the Fly Team jets to Bulgaria to find a villain who’s exploiting underage American girls, while FBI: Most Wanted (10/9c) gets topical with the search for a serial killer targeting Indigenous women.
• Crime Nation (8/7c, The CW): The true-crime series digs into the murderous scandals of South Carolina’s Murdaugh family.
• Wildcard Kitchen (9/8c, Food Network): Good food is in the cards for a competition series that gambles on celebrity chefs raising the steaks—er, stakes. Host Eric Adjepong welcomes three fellow chefs (in the premiere, Jet Tila, Eddie Jackson and Viet Pham) for a late-night poker game where the hand they draw inspires the dishes they prepare against the clock in Food Network’s test kitchen. Mystery judges decide through blind taste tests who’s the night’s high roller.
• The Lionheart (9/8c, HBO): A sports documentary depicts the real-life family trauma after the 2011 death of two-time Indianapolis 500 champ Dan Wheldon in a crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A decade later, his sons Sebastian and Oliver uphold their dad’s racing legacy.
• Password (10/9c, NBC): Emmy-winning host Keke Palmer is back with Jimmy Fallon for new episodes of the word game, with Deal or No Deal Island’s Joe Manganiello as the celebrity guest.
• The Graham Norton Show (11/10, BBC America): The stars come out for this puckish British host, who presents the first of two highlight reels from the latest season, with guests including Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Dame Judi Dench, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cher and Timothée Chalamet.
• Boat Story (streaming on Amazon Freevee): Daisy Haggard (Breeders) and Paterson Joseph (Timeless) are strangers who get in over their head when they take possession of a shipwrecked boat with a cargo of cocaine in a six-part British thriller, available for binge-watching.