Roz Returns to ‘Night Court,’ Rob Lowe on ‘The Floor,’ ‘Only Murders’ on ABC, Kidnap Terror on ‘Fargo’

Night Court

Not counting the Christmas week special, Season 2 of the sitcom reboot officially begins with a major event: a guest appearance by Marsha Warfield, reprising her role from the original Night Court as wisecracking former bailiff Roz. She reunites with fellow alum John Larroquette, who’s decamped to New Orleans for a new gig as judge—but for how long? Looks like they’ll both be pleading their case to judge Abby (Melissa Rauch) before it’s over. In other developments, Gurgs (Lacretta) is back from London with stories to tell, and prosecutor Olivia (India de Beaufort) hopes to start a side hustle as a sports agent.

The Floor

Hand it to Rob Lowe. Not everyone could keep a straight face when announcing, “Let’s activate the randomizer.” That’s the device that picks one of 81 contestants standing on tiles on a giant 9X9 LED floor that more resembles a human game board. Whoever’s chosen gets to pick someone from an adjoining square to go head-to-head in a timed trivia faceoff—sometimes visual, sometimes text—themed to a specific area of expertise (e.g., tools, dogs, songs about places). The winner of each round inherits the loser’s space on the board, and whoever occupies the most territory at the end of each episode wins $20,000. The grand prize ($250,000) awaits the last player standing when the season ends. The music and lighting echoes Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but as usual, this doesn’t come close to that show’s suspenseful appeal.

Only Murders in the Building

For the non-streaming crowd, this is a chance to see the acclaimed Hulu mystery-comedy starring comedy greats Steve Martin and Martin Short with Selena Gomez as neighbors in a revered Manhattan apartment building. Their obsession with true-crime podcasts hits home when a murder occurs in the Arconia, and despite their age and temperamental differences, they start a podcast of their own as they try to solve the crime. Three episodes from the first season air on Tuesdays through the month, filling the void until ABC’s strike-delayed regular Tuesday lineup (Will Trent, The Rookie, The Good Doctor) premieres in February.

Fargo

Though she’s proven herself to be as relentless and resourceful as a mama tiger protecting her cubs, Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) finds herself trapped in a cage of her unhappy past when she’s taken prisoner by her stone-cold ex, Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm). It’s a disturbing and harrowing episode, though there is some comic relief, provided by lawyer Danish Graves (Dave Foley), who arranges a bizarre surprise at Roy’s latest election debate. And you’ll likely root for deputy Indira (Richa Moorjani) when she’s finally had enough of her manchild husband (Lukas Gage)‑though your mind keeps returning to Dot in chains, never giving up the fight for freedom and her return to a husband (David Rysdahl) who’s as gentle as Roy is cruel.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Who knew that the St. Louis Gateway Arch was actually a temple for the goddess Athena, a sanctuary for heroes on a quest? The landmark provides a scenic yet treacherous backdrop for the latest fantastical adventures of demigod Percy (Walker Scobell) and his friends, whose cross-country train trip is once again interrupted by a deceptively friendly-looking foe. Suzanne Cryer (Silicon Valley) is perfectly menacing as the “mother of monsters,” who has a deadly surprise in store for Percy.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (8/7c, PBS): The 10^th season of the genealogy series opens with singers Alanis Morissette and Ciara exploring their family’s pasts.
• Celebrity Jeopardy! (8/7c, ABC): The first semifinal pits Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter against Ghosts’ Utkarsh Ambudkar and Dancing with the Stars alum Mira Sorvino.
• Extended Family (8:30/7:30c, NBC): The domestic post-divorce sitcom moves into its regular time period with Jim (Jon Cryer) more unnerved than he lets on that Trey (Donald Faison) is spending his first night with Jim’s ex Julia (Abigail Spencer) at “the nest.” The new bed is nice, but what’s with the paint job?
• Hopper: An American Love Story (9/8c, PBS): American Masters profiles artist Edward Hopper (Nighthawks) and explores his marriage to Josephine “Jo” Nivison Hopper. J.K. Simmons gives voice to Hopper’s writings and Christine Baranski reads from Jo’s diaries. Followed on PBS by A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy (10/9c), with host Hari Sreenivasan and author Dr. Richard Haass exploring ways citizens can stay informed and rise above the divisions in today’s society.
• Good Trouble (10/9c, Freeform): It’s back to the Coterie when the Fosters spinoff returns for the remainder of its fifth and final season.