Teachers’ Pets on ‘Abbott,’ Merge Time on ‘Survivor,’ the Red Sox 2004 Comeback, Halloween on ‘Chicago Med’

Abbott Elementary

It’s a banner day for the underfunded Philadelphia elementary school when new donated computers (against district policy) arrive, and Janine (Quinta Brunson) wrangles a budget to purchase pets for the classrooms, including guinea pigs for herself and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), who argues they’re too much work. When a hunky IT rep from the school district arrives to set up the computers, the game is on to hoodwink him that they’re legit. And guess which pet hater becomes unusually attached to their little “Sweet Cheeks?”

Survivor

Now comes the long-awaited moment in each season when the tribes merge, the buffs drop, and it’s every man and woman for themselves, with individual immunity at stake in the challenge. But as usual, there’s a twist, with a hidden advantage somewhere on the island that could give someone a big lead in earning immunity.

The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox

For 86 years, the Red Sox lived under the “Curse of the Bambino,” so called because the team’s misfortunes allegedly began when they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920. A three-part docuseries marks the 20th anniversary of the historic World Series championship in which Boston finally got its revenge on New York, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to triumph in 2004. The Comeback captures the pain and excitement of the underdog team’s rise to glory, winning the title for the first time since 1918, with commentary from key players including David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar, and manager Terry Francona.

Chicago Med

Halloween comes to the ED with docs Asher (Jessy Schram) and Ripley (Luke Mitchell) decked out as Barbie and Ken, among other fun costumes, but things take a decidedly dark turn when a patient goes full Dracula, or possibly Wolf Man, and starts biting people. Elsewhere, conflict arises between Dr. Charles (Oliver Platt) and nurse Jackie (Justified’s Natalie Zea, not to be confused with Edie Falco’s old show) over a psych case. Followed by Chicago Fire (9/8c), celebrating Violet’s (Hanako Greensmith) birthday while Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) check out a trucking company responsible for a suspicious number of accidents; and Chicago P.D. (10/9c), operating its latest investigation amid a thunderous rainstorm.

Shrinking

Scrubs star Zach Braff directs an episode of the terrific dramedy that effortlessly shifts gears from laughs to lump-in-the-throat moments as troubled therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) tries to make amends with his co-worker and ex-bedmate Gaby (the amazing Jessica Williams) and his peeved best friend Brian (Michael Urie). Jimmy’s daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) raises red flags with Paul (Harrison Ford) when she admits she’s been stalking Louis (Brett Goldstein), the man responsible for her mom’s death in a drunk-driving accident. And neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) has second thoughts about her food-truck partnership with Jimmy’s client-friend Sean (Luke Tennie) after his estranged dad stops by.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Nature (8/7c, PBS): The 43rd season opens with “Silverback,” featuring filmmaker Vianet Djenguet’s encounter with a 500-pound gorilla in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, documenting efforts to protect the species from extinction.
• The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras (8/7c, MTV): The game evolves with Challengers now playing as individuals, while still representing their era.
• The Masked Singer (8/7c, Fox): It’s Barbie Night as Group B salutes the doll’s 65th anniversary in song. (Could Oppenheimer night be far behind?)
• Breath of Fire (9/8c, HBO): A four-part docuseries, based on a Vanity Fair exposé, chronicles the rise and fall of Guru Jagat (aka YouTuber Katie Griggs), who built a celebrity cult around the Kundalini yoga teachings of the late Yogi Bhajan.
• NOVA (9/8c, PBS): The Solar System series continues with a study of “Icy Worlds” including the hot superionic ice of Uranus and Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa, the subject of NASA’s recently launched Europa Clipper space probe.
• The Summit (9:30/8:30c, CBS): Following a weather delay, the climbers split into pairs to traverse a treacherous cliff, leaving one trekker behind to tackle the challenge alone.
• Ink Master (streaming on Paramount+): A new season of the tattoo competition, launching with three episodes, splits 16 contestants into two teams, the Young Guns and the OGs, vying for a $250,000 prize.