An Engagement (‘Good Doctor’), A Wedding (‘Abishola’), A Blackout (‘9-1-1’), ‘Joe’ and Sept. 11
The Good Doctor’s fifth season opens with an engagement party for Shaun and Lea. More happy tidings on Bob Hearts Abishola as the title characters tie the knot in a traditional Nigerian ceremony. A blackout plunges L.A. into darkness on 9-1-1. With a milestone 9/11 anniversary looming, all three Joes on Ordinary Joe have a tough time reckoning with loss.
The Good Doctor
Season Premiere
Everyone’s happy for Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) and his fiancée Lea (Paige Spara) now that they’re back from Guatemala—but oddly, it’s Paige, not her autistic beau, who’s having nightmares over everything going perfectly as they plan an engagement party for the hospital staff. While Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper) and Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) take very different approaches to their own busted relationships, Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) is beaming over the arrival of Mateo (Osvaldo Benavides), the surgeon she got to know very intimately while on the South American mission. With all of that going on, there are still people to heal—including Tony winner Rachel Bay Jones (Dear Evan Hansen) as a quirky patient who keeps popping up where she’s not expected.
Bob Hearts Abishola
Season Premiere
The heart swells as this charming couple makes it official after Bob (Billy Gardell) and his Detroit family are formally introduced to Abishola’s (Folake Olowofoyeku) relatives in Nigeria—including her imperious mother (Saidah Arrika Ekulona), who clashes repeatedly with Auntie Olu (Shola Adewasi). “It’s nice not being the embarrassing family for once,” quips Bob’s mom, Dottie (Christine Ebersole). The costumes, music and dancing make for one of TV’s more memorable weddings.
9-1-1
Season Premiere
It’s another night of crisis—only noticeably darker—as the crew contends with a citywide blackout that coincides with a heat wave. Amid the chaos, Athena (Angela Bassett) is particularly concerned about her family’s safety, especially now that her attacker (Noah Bean) has used the blackout as cover to escape from the courthouse.
Ordinary Joe
One thing’s a constant in the three disparate timelines of Joe Kimbreau (James Wolk): He respects the service and sacrifice of his father, an NYPD officer who died in the 9/11 attacks and whose badge occupies distinct places on honor in Joe’s very different worlds. In the ambitious series’ moving second episode, each Joe has to reckon with why he’s so reluctant to attend the 20th anniversary memorial ceremony at Ground Zero.
American Experience
Documentary Premiere
Over two nights (concluding Tuesday), American Experience profiles William Randolph Hearst, a media mogul of the early 20th century. Many might confuse Hearst with his fictional alter ego: Charles Foster Kane, the anti-hero of Orson Welles’ iconic Citizen Kane, the 1941 film that outraged Hearst to such a degree that he banned mention of it in all of his newspapers. Based on David Nasaw’s biography The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst, the four-hour documentary traces his colorful, lavish life while revealing his lasting impact on sensational journalism.
Inside Monday TV:
- Jeopardy! (syndicated, check local listings): As if to remind us (as the late Alex Trebek often did) that it’s not about the host, it’s about the players, Matt Amodio carries on, having crossed the $1 million threshold on Friday. Heading into his 29th game, he’s behind only James Holzhauer (32 games, $2.4 million) and Ken Jennings (74 games, $2.5 million) in longevity and cash earned in regular pay. How long can he keep it going?
- Nick Cannon (syndicated, check local listings): The Masked Singer host takes his shot in the crowded field of daytime talk, with Kevin Hart as his first guest.
- Midsomer Murders (streaming on Acorn TV): The long-running British mystery is back for the second half of its 22nd season, with detectives Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and Winter (Nick Hendrix) called to the scene of a murder-mystery weekend where a real killer has upped the ante.
- The Big Leap (9/8c, Fox): Someone had to do it, so bravo to Gabby (Simone Recasner) for standing up to reality-show producer Nick (Scott Foley) about his manipulative methods as auditions begin for the lead roles of the White Swan, Black Swan and Prince.
- NCIS (9/8c, CBS): Gary Cole (The Good Fight) joins the cast as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker, who’ll either be friend or foe to the team as they continue to hunt for the serial killer Gibbs (Mark Harmon) has been tracking.
- Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey’s After Dark (10/9c, Food Network): Being locked inside Pennsylvania’s Hersheypark after closing time sounds like a dream to our inner chocoholic. But for three pastry chefs, it’s a challenge to brave the rides and take on culinary tasks like finding a new take on a Creepy Crawly Carnival.
