‘Georgie & Mandy’ Premiere, Have Patience with ‘Ghosts,’ Nathan Lane Meets ‘Elsbeth,’ Legal Shenanigans with ‘Matlock’ and ‘Lincoln Lawyer’

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage

The Young Sheldon spinoff-of-a-spinoff returns to its The Big Bang Theory roots with a studio audience — and a sly meta joke about hearing laughter while watching TV comedies — for a likable romcom about the early married life of Sheldon’s older but still coming-of-age brother Georgie (Montana Jordan, a natural) and wife Mandy (Emily Osment) with a new baby. They’re feeling the strain of living with her hypercritical mom Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones) and laid-back dad Jim (reliable laugh engine Will Sasso), in whose tire shop Georgie works. When the couple attempts to start out on their own in questionable new digs, Young Sheldon’s Mary (Zoe Perry) and Meemaw (Annie Potts) are there for the housewarming.

Ghosts

For the most part, the ghosts on this terrific sitcom aren’t all that scary (except maybe for Crash, the headless one). That all changes when the severe Puritan ghost Patience (Mary Holland, terrific) enters the picture in Season 4. Stranded alone in the dirt since 1895 thanks to Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Patience vengefully pulled him into her dark world in last season’s cliffhanger, on the heels of his dumping Redcoat mate Nigel (John Hartman) at the altar. While the other spirits rally to retrieve their friend, Isaac pledges to change his selfish ways. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Elsbeth

“You really think that someone would kill a person for not turning off their cell phone [at the opera]?” marvels NYPD Capt. Wallace (Wendell Pierce), who apparently is unacquainted with the legend of Patti LuPone. That diva (and many of us, to be honest) would likely empathize with the killer in the delightful mystery-comedy’s Season 2 opener, played by Emmy and Tony winner Nathan Lane. He’s Philip Cross, known as “the aisle seat scold” for his fussy shushing of fellow patrons. When a Wall Street jerk inherits the subscription seat in front of his, noisily disrupting his weekly opera habit, Philip’s deranged response gives the perky Elsbeth (the wonderful Carrie Preston) not only a fun new case, but an education on the passions that opera can inspire. Elsewhere, the precinct welcomes an uptight new lieutenant, while Elsbeth’s officer partner Kaya (Carra Patterson) hits a speed bump in her desire to be promoted to detective.

Matlock

There’s more to Matlock, and to Madeline “Matty” Matlock (the great Kathy Bates), than meets the eye in this clever twist on the legal procedural. The series picks up after the pilot episode with Matty working overtime to build trust at the posh Jacobson Moore law firm while pursuing her own agenda. Off duty, she concedes this high-wire act takes an emotional toll, but at 75, she still has the goods to help her boss Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) navigate a case involving a teenager falsely accused of murder. The courtroom theatrics may not be much more sophisticated than in the Andy Griffith original, but as a “senior junior associate,” Matty’s the most interesting TV lawyer in ages.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Sounding an awful lot like a movie tagline, L.A.’s brash criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) declares, “This one’s personal” in the 10-episode third season of the legal drama based on Michael Connelly’s (Bosch) books. (This season uses the fifth book, The Gods of Guilt, as source material.) Mickey is rocked by the murder of former client and friend Gloria “Glory Days” Dayton (Fiona Rene), and even more so when he’s asked to represent the prime suspect (Devon Graye). Joining the cast: Holt McCallany as Mickey’s latest adversary, ex-cop turned D.A. investigator Neil Bishop, who’s no fan of the lawyer with a Lincoln Navigator as his home office.

The Midwich Cuckoos

Filmed twice before in the 1960s and the 1990s, John Wyndham’s influential 1957 sci-fi novel becomes a chilling seven-part series, starring the very busy Keeley Hawes (Orphan Black: Echoes) as child psychologist Susannah Zellaby, who’s understandably alarmed when her idyllic British village of Midwich becomes Ground Zero for an inexplicable phenomenon. Susannah was away on the fateful day when the entire town, including her grown daughter, succumbs to a spell (possibly alien in origin) that renders everyone unconscious. When they awaken, an eerie change has taken hold of the population.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Law & Order (8/7c, NBC): New Amsterdam’s Ryan Eggold guests as Det. Riley’s (Reid Scott) shady brother, complicating a murder investigation. Followed by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c), with Kelly Giddish returning as Sgt. Rollins, who suspects a violent home invasion is connected to her unit’s search for an international gang of thieves.
• 9-1-1 (8/7c, ABC): While the 118 deals with a bizarre cheerleader incident, Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms) face yet another obstacle in getting their foster license back. Followed by Doctor Odyssey (9/8c), where Wellness Week is sidelined by a hurricane and a surge of illnesses, and Grey’s Anatomy (10/9c), with Yasuda (Midori Francis) confronted by a family health crisis.
• The Devil’s Climb (9/8c, National Geographic): Don’t look down. An adventure special follows Free Solo climber Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell, the latter making a comeback from an Achilles injury, as they attempt a treacherous climb to the top of Alaska’s Devil’s Thumb, seeking a world’s record by traversing all five peaks in a single day.
• Found (10/9c, NBC): While seeking a runaway jailhouse bride, Gaby (Shanola Hampton) takes extreme measures to rescue the kidnapped Lacey (Gabrielle Walsh) from Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar).
• The Old Man (10/9c, FX): In Season 2’s penultimate episode, Dan (Jeff Bridges) allows himself to be taken captive by oligarch Suleyman Pavlovich (Rade Serbedzija), while Harper (John Lithgow) comes face-to-face with and demands answers from his duplicitous ex, Marion (Ozark’s Janet McTeer).

 ON THE STREAM:

• The Groomsmen Trilogy (streaming on Hallmark+): Over three weeks, follow best buds Jackson (Tyler Hynes), Pete (B.J. Britt) and Danny (Jonathan Bennett) as they travel the world to stand up for each other as best men on their respective wedding days.
• Passenger (streaming on BritBox): Wumni Mosaku (Loki) stars in a spooky six-part mystery series (two episodes a week) as a former big-city detective who’s convinced something is amiss in the small English town of Chadder Vale. No reason to doubt her.
• A Great Day with J Balvin (streaming on Peacock): A six-part docuseries profiles the reggaeton star as he pursues new avenues of self-fulfillment through meditation, cooking and other pursuits with the help of famous friends including Demi Lovato, Anitta, and Saweetie.
• Louder: The Soundtrack of Change (streaming on Max): Selena Gomez and Stacey Abrams are producers of a documentary charting milestones of female music activism, with Chaka Khan, Melissa Etheridge, Linda Ronstadt, H.E.R. and more weighing in.
• The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh (streaming on Prime Video): Naveen Andrews stars in an irreverent eight-episode comedy series as the head of an immigrant family adjusting to life in America after moving from India.
• Brothers (streaming on Prime Video): Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin are mismatched twin brothers in a raucous film caper involving precious emeralds. Glenn Close is their larcenous mom, with Brendan Fraser as a prison guard on their slapstick trail.
• Wicked City (streaming on ALLBLK): The supernatural thriller about an Atlanta coven returns for a third season, in which the witches contend with a virus called “Fear Fever” and a new governing order, The Council.