Quirky Crime-Solving ‘Elsbeth,’ ‘Tourist’ Travels to Ireland, Sheldon’s German Odyssey, Active Shooter on ‘Law & Order’

Series Premiere

10/9c

The must-watch of the night: Carrie Preston reprises her Emmy-winning (as guest actress) role from The Good Wife (and later The Good Fight) as the deceptively kooky but cunningly perceptive Elsbeth Tascioni, who’s left Chicago to become an “outside observer” and consultant for the NYPD in the Big Apple. Her bizarre childlike enthusiasms are undimmed as she intrudes on crime scenes, risking the ire of gruff Capt. Wagner (a perfectly cast Wendell Pierce), while evoking the spirit of Columbo, Monk and (more recently) the saltier Poker Face. In the mystery-comedy’s delightful opener, she matches wits during a murder investigation with a smug theater professor/director (True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, enjoying every moment) who can’t quite believe she’s for real. “You’re doing some very fine acting right now,” he tells Elsbeth at the height of their cat-and-mouse game. We couldn’t agree more.

Season Premiere

Rescued by Netflix after being dropped by Max, the second season of the tongue-in-bruised-cheek thriller sends amnesiac Elliot Stanley (charismatic Jamie Dornan)—if that’s who he really is—from Australia, where he awakened from a car accident with no memory, to his presumed home turf of Ireland. Girlfriend and former constable Helen (Danielle Macdonald) joins him on his search for answers to his dark past, responding to a missive from a supposed old friend. They land in the middle of a war between families, but it’s Elliot’s own forgotten misdeeds that could cost him.

8/7c

We’ve known since the heyday of The Big Bang Theory that Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) has a special fascination for trains. But when he decides to explore Germany by rail behind mom Mary’s (Zoe Perry) back, the young genius may get more than he bargains for. (Hint: Next week’s episode brings them home to Texas.) Back in the states, Meemaw (Annie Potts) and Dale (Craig T. Nelson) are going through a rocky period of adjustment now that they’re cohabitating.

8/7c

In the first episode of the post-Sam Waterston era, an active shooter incident at a hospital is particularly shocking for Detective Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) when he realizes he has a connection to the suspect. The case is also challenging for ADAs Price (Hugh Dancy) and Maroun (Odelya Halevi) once the perp pleads insanity. Followed by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c), featuring the hunt for a suspect preying on tourists in hostels, and Law & Order: Organized Crime (10/9c, where Stabler (Christopher Meloni) seeks a serial killer in a seaside town, causing concern when he skips an Internal Affairs meeting.

After the battle and tragic fall of Reach to the alien Covenant, the sci-fi action series takes a contemplative pause, with the Spartans’ Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) dealing with grief and loss in an existential crisis. “What am I?” he laments to Spartan creator Dr. Halsey (Natascha McElhone). “Don’t say human.” As the dodgy doc tries to instill a new sense of purpose into her super-soldiers, Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) and wife Laera (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) search for their son Kessler (Tylan Bailey) on the mining outpost planet Aleria, where the surviving heroes have taken refuge.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Ghosts (8:30/7:30c, CBS): Guest-star alert: Punam Patel and Andrew Leeds return as Jay’s (Utkarsh Ambudkar) sister Bela and her boyfriend Eric, who appears to have spectral side effects from their last visit. Elsewhere, Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) gives Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) unwelcome financial advice regarding his impending marriage to Nigel (John Hartman).
• So Help Me Todd (9/8c, CBS): Guest-star alert: Sandra Bernhard plays the mother-son duo’s new client: “Queen of Hearts” Belinda Tuttle, an ambulance-chasing personal-injury lawyer whose latest scheme fatally backfired. Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden) is not amused by this shyster, but we probably will be.
• Son of a Critch (9/8c, The CW): A Thanksgiving-set episode puts young Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) center stage when his dictatorial style drives cast and crew away from the school play that he’s directing, leaving him going it alone.
• Farmer Wants a Wife (9/8c, Fox): Ty Ferrell invites his fellow farmers and the remaining ladies to his Missouri ranch for a hoedown and bull-roping competition. But will they have the right moves when it comes to the solo dates?
• Big Shot: The Ozempic Revolution (10/9c, CNBC): A documentary special explores the impact of diabetes drug Ozempic on the weight-loss culture, with Melissa Lee traveling to Denmark to visit the headquarters of drug maker Novo Nordisk.

ON THE STREAM:

• Me, Hereafter (streaming on Hulu): A four-part true-crime docuseries uses dramatic reenactments and interviews to give voice to murder victims by showing events from their POV.
• Perimeter (streaming on BET+): The 1996 Atlanta Olympics provides the backdrop for a four-part family drama starring Ava Mone’t as college sophomore Paige Dawn, who falls for a bad boy while her father (Donovan Christie Jr.) runs for mayor.
• Sexy Beast (streaming on Paramount+): In the caper prequel’s season finale, one last heist could be complicated by Gal’s (James McArdle) recent antics.