Cancel Culture in ‘Futurama,’ ‘Ninja Warrior’ Finale, ’48 Hours’ in Syndication, Monday Night Football

For 11 seasons, arrogant and incompetent Nimbus Capt. Zapp Brannigan (voiced by Billy West) has been the bane of his sidekick Lt. Kif’s (Maurice LaMarche) existence, as evidenced by the many deep sighs over the years. When Zapp finally crosses the line—who wouldn’t object to being used as a loofa?—a formal complaint leads to the idiot captain being canceled and sent into one of the wildest sensitivity training sessions on record. (Kathy Griffin provides a guest voice.) When Leela (Katey Sagal) is made temporary Nimbus captain, her diplomacy is put to the test on a mission to a planet of touchy-feely creatures and precious hot air.

Season Finale

8/7c

The National Finals have reached the last round in Las Vegas, with the remaining competitors facing Stage 3 and 4. Whoever comes out on top wins $1 million and the American Ninja Warrior title.

9/8c

With 36 seasons of true-crime investigation in the vault, the pioneering newsmagazine moves into daily national syndication. CBS News correspondents and 48 Hours contributors Jericka Duncan and Jonathan Vigliotti host the series, with updated episodes testing the appetite for true-crime programming in daytime. The series will be carried by 15 CBS-owned stations (no surprise), with coverage also on Nexstar, Sinclair, Fox, Gray Television, Cox, Tegna and Scripps stations.

Season Premiere

Are you ready for some … Why even ask? The venerable franchise returns on broadcast (ABC) and cable (ESPN), filling a hole on ABC’s patchwork fall schedule. (Sign of the times: The Golden Bachelor will air on Thursdays later this month, not in the usual Bachelor Monday slot.) For those who’d rather watch along with Peyton and Eli Manning, their banter will be available on ESPN2.

INSIDE MONDAY TV:

• Opening Statements with Julie Grant (8 am/ET, Court TV): Anchor Julie Grant starts each weekday by previewing trials on the docket with a panel of lawyers, investigators and forensic experts.
• Son of a Critch (8/7c, The CW): Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is happy to bond with his dad (Mark Critch) when he’s cast in the school’s Easter play, so he’s reluctant to tell him when he gets dropped from the cast.
• The Busing Battleground (9/8c, PBS): American Experience revisits the racially charged turbulence in the 1970s when court-ordered integration of the Boston public school system was met with outrage and violence.
• Halloween Baking Championship (9/8c, Food Network): Host John Henson gets the Halloween season off to an early start, welcoming 12 bakers to his spooky Henson & Sons Carnival, with the first challenges involving a “tarot-misu” and clown cakes worthy of
• Children Ruin Everything (9/8c, The CW): The second season of the harrowing domestic comedy opens with a new baby causing stress for Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) as she prepares to go back to work.
• Breeders (10/9c, FX): Paul (Martin Freeman) and Ally (Daisy Haggard) fly home early from their holiday when they learn that Maya (Deepica Stephen) is giving birth five weeks ahead of schedule, and their son Luke (Oscar Kennedy) is about to be a dad.
• Cutlers Court (syndicated, check local listings): Joining the roster of courtroom shows: married Kansas City trial lawyers Dana and Keith Cutler, who’ll render verdicts on relationships gone sour.