Steve Carell and His Creepy ‘Patient,’ Love Triangle in the ‘Shadows,’ Savoring ‘Catfish,’ ‘Untold’ Dirty Referee Story

The Patient

As character studies go, it will be hard to beat this suspenseful two-hander that kicks into high gear when therapist Alan Strauss (a riveting Steve Carell), a recent widower struggling with his Jewish faith, is taken prisoner and chained in a basement by his client, who we come to know as Sam (a chillingly deadpan Domhnall Gleeson). The patient has taken the doctor’s entreaties to open up to extremes, revealing himself to be a serial killer who hopes these uninterrupted sessions will finally curb his darkest impulses. “I know I’m not normal, but I don’t feel crazy,” Sam insists. Dr. Alan begs to differ, and as we get further inside their heads, we suspect the doctor’s attempts to help Sam are even more designed to help him escape this terrible situation. Two half-hour episodes premiere Tuesday, with the remainder of the 10-episode season available weekly.

What We Do in the Shadows

After a cold open that is literally to die for, the uproarious vampire comedy delivers one of its funniest and funkiest episodes to date when Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) welcomes his long-distance but up-to-now mostly secret boyfriend Freddie (Al Roberts) to Staten Island for a long-anticipated visit. One hitch: He arrives early. Another hitch: Nandor (Kayvan Novak) takes an unusual interest in this charming lad. In other unnatural news, Baby Colin (Mark Proksch) is a babe no longer, which could mean bad news for Nadja’s (Natasia Demetriou) nightclub business.

Catfish: The TV Show

Hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford host a “Sweet and Sour” viewing party, a classic dog-days-of-summer activity, looking back and commenting on past episodes. Some of these stories warmed their hearts, others left a bitter aftertaste. All of them may have you wishing there were an easier way to find a mate, fake or otherwise.

Untold: Operation Flagrant Foul

The sports-documentary anthology reports on the betting scandal involving professional NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who in 2007 was implicated in a wide-ranging gambling scheme. The FBI alleged that Donaghy bet on games he officiated, making calls that affected the point spread, and the corruption spread to bookies and organized crime families.

Inside Tuesday TV:

• U.S. Open (7 pm/ET, ESPN): The tennis stars take center stage in prime time, with four-time Open champ Rafael Nadal facing Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in Arthur Ashe Stadium, while last year’s surprise winner Emma Raducanu takes on France’s Alizé Cornet from Louis Armstrong Stadium.
• Rise of the Bolsonaros (9/8c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): A two-hour documentary profiles Brazil’s controversial president Jair Bolsonaro, who keeps power within the family by relying on his sons Flávio, Carlos and Eduardo as his closest advisors.
• Devils (9/8c, The CW): Massimo’s (Alessandro Borghi) future at NYL is in jeopardy after he helps Dominic (Patrick Dempsey) sabotage a deal that the firm’s Chinese investors were counting on.
• Password (10/9c, NBC): If you’re the type that watches game shows for bloopers, there’s a classic in this episode featuring Jimmy Fallon and comedian Chelsea Handler. Also of note: a professional poker player credits his impressive Password game play to studying the legendary Betty White in action.
• The Women Left Behind (8:30/7:30c, 9:30/PT, ABC News Live and streaming on Hulu): A 30-minute news special from ABC’s chief foreign correspondent Ian Pannell borrows from a year’s worth of coverage, featuring women and girls living in Afghanistan under oppressive Taliban rule.