‘Jack Ryan’ vs. Rogue Russians, Emily Still in Paris, Saluting Paul Simon, Seeking Treasure in Graceland

Season Premiere

How many times does Jack Ryan (played with hangdog charisma by John Krasinski) have to save the world before his CIA bosses give him the benefit of the doubt? In the third season of the international thriller, CIA case officer Jack goes on the run from enemies foreign and domestic after a mission goes sideways. If only they’d listen to his warnings that a rogue Russian cabal has resurrected a 50-year-old nuclear program, hoping to ignite a third world war by sowing unrest through assassination and incursion. Thankfully, Jack still has CIA officer James Greer (the sturdy Wendell Pierce) and wry ex-spy mercenary Mike November (Michael Kelly) to lean on through firefights, betrayals and ticking-bomb cliffhangers.

Season Premiere

For escapist fun, the amuse bouche starring Lily Collins as a Chicago marketing maven abroad finds Emily at a romantic and career crossroads. Now that her longtime crush Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) has reunited with champagne heiress Camille (Camille Razat), is it time for Mademoiselle Emily to settle on banker Alfie (Lucien Laviscount)? Could be a moot point if she decides to leave her job with the sophisticated Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and return to Chicago to work for Madeline (Kate Walsh). Sacre bleu!

Special

9/8c

Anyone would consider it an honor to sing the praises of 16-time Grammy winner Paul Simon, whose songbook of hits is truly legendary. In a slightly shortened version of a rapturously reviewed L.A. tribute concert filmed last spring, Simon himself joins an eclectic roster including Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Dave Matthews, Jonas Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, Ledisi, Billy Porter, Take 6, Shaggy & Jimmy Cliff, Trombone Shorty, Eric Church and more. The lineup of presenters is also impressive, including Oprah Winfrey, Herbie Hancock, Elton John and Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate himself).

The diverting Young Adult spinoff of the National Treasure franchise sends Jess (Lisette Olivera) and her intrepid Scooby Gang to Elvis Presley’s fabled Graceland estate, where a clue may be buried amid the artifacts hidden in a secret inner sanctum. When nerdy Oren (Antonio Cipriano) realizes he’s the only one of the group who knows of the King’s mysterious chamber, he quips, “Am I the only one who cares about history?”

Inside Wednesday TV:

• Fuhgeddabout Christmas (8/7c, VH1): In what looks to be a seasonal Bada Bomb, no Italian ethnic cliché goes untrampled in this raucous romp about a workaholic Italian-American superstar (Wild ’n Out rapper Justina Valentine) who learns to ease up for the holidays with a little help from quasi-famous friends including Teresa Guidice, Perez Hilton, Vinny Guadagnino and Nick Cannon.
• CMT Campfire Sessions: Christmas Edition (10/9c, CMT): Let’s hope chestnuts are roasting by an open fire as country stars including Brandy Clark, Clay Walker, Jon Pardi, Lily Rose, Old Crow Medicine Show, Restless Road and Tracy Lawrence gather around the campfire to perform holiday favorites.
• The Letter: A Message for Our Earth (8/7c, PBS): Pope Francis addressed his concerns for the planet amid climate change in his 2015 pastoral letter Laudato Si (“Praise Be”). This urgent 90-minute special features activists invited to the Vatican to spotlight the issue, representing four groups: the poor, the indigenous, youth and earth science.
• The Flagmakers (streaming on Disney+): From National Geographic comes a stirring documentary short profiling the diverse crew of employees—a Serbian immigrant, an Iraqi War survivor, a native Midwesterner and a Black man from Milwaukee—who hand-produce 5 million American flags a year at Wisconsin’s Eder Flag distributor.