Presidential Tragedy in ‘Death by Lightning,’ Sarah Snook in ‘All Her Fault,’ Celebrating ‘Wicked,’ ‘Matlock’s Latest Challenge

Death by Lightning

A fascinating and tragic chapter in largely forgotten American history unfolds in a gripping four-part historical limited series dramatizing the regrettably short post-Civil War presidency of James A. Garfield (Michael Shannon), a gifted orator who pledged to reform and weed corruption out of government. The series juxtaposes this humble man’s unlikely and rather reluctant rise to national leadership with the pathos and downward spiral of Charles Guiteau (Succession’s Matthew Madfadyen), a delusional madman with an unfiltered sense of self-importance who begs to be noticed by people in power. Dismissed as “an opportunist and a pest,” Guiteau embarks on a narcissistic crusade to save the nation that culminates in Garfield being shot, later dying from incompetent medical treatment. The two leads are tremendous, including in their sole encounter (when the president would meet personally with office-seekers), and the excellent supporting cast includes Betty Gilpin as Garfield’s independent-minded wife Crete, Nick Offerman as his blustery vice president Chester A. Arthur, Bradley Whitford as his trusted Secretary of State James Blaine and Shea Whigham as his nemesis, the ruthless New York Senator Roscoe Conkling.

All Her Fault

Another Succession Emmy winner, Sarah Snook (also a recent Tony winner), leads the cast of an eight-part nail-biter as Marissa Irvine, an affluent working mom who’s plunged into a living nightmare when she goes to pick up her 5-year-old son Milo from a playdate, only to realize she’s been misled and her beloved boy has been kidnapped. Amid the anguish and grief, Marissa and a fellow working mom, Jenny (Dakota Fanning), seek answers while dealing with guilt from societal finger-pointing at parents who’ve become over-reliant on potentially untrustworthy nannies. Michael Peña co-stars as a detective with parental issues of his own who begins to suspect there’s more to this situation than it appears, with nearly everyone in Marissa’s orbit coming under suspicion, including her husband (Jake Lacy), sister-in-law (Abby Elliott), and business partner (Jay Ellis).

Wicked: One Wonderful Night

With the conclusion of the blockbuster film musical Wicked: For Good soon to hit movie theaters (on November 21), the Oscar-nominated stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande take the stage of L.A.’s Dolby Theatre for a tuneful celebration. The two-hour special features songs from the score, performed before a 37-piece orchestra, sneak peeks from the upcoming movie, and appearances from co-stars Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and Marissa Bode. Choreographer Christopher Scott reimagines dance numbers from the show, with director Jon M. Chu and composer Stephen Schwartz (who wrote two original songs for the film) on hand to rejoicify with their fellow Ozians.

Matlock

Matty Matlock (Kathy Bates) and her boss Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) face a new workplace dilemma when Olympia’s ex, Julian (Jason Ritter), becomes suspicious of Matty’s recent actions. (Imagine how he’d feel if he knew what she knows about his complicity in burying an incriminating pharmaceutical document.) While they scramble to cover their tracks, they end up working with Julian on a resentencing case involving a teenager who was given an adult life sentence.

9-1-1

Maybe they could have wrapped up that outer-space storyline a bit earlier, because the first-responder drama is still stuck in Halloween mode a week later. The 118 crew is spooked by calls on an eventful night that includes a giant runaway inflatable jack-o-lantern. Followed by 9-1-1: Nashville (9/8c), where Blue (Hunter McVey) tries to put aside all of the family drama while taking his firefighter exam.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (8/7c, CBS): Things get heated between Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Ruben (Jessie Prez) and their rival Fred Fagenbacher (Matthew Letscher), who’s trying to run them out of business.
• The Real Housewives of Orange County (8/7c, Bravo): Andy Cohen spills tea with the ladies in the first of a three-part Season 19 reunion, with Katie Ginella explaining her early exit.
• Ghosts (8:30/7:30c, CBS): Gideon Adlon returns as Trevor’s (Asher Grodman) daughter Abby, who gets a job at Jay’s (Utkarsh Ambudkar) restaurant at Trevor’s urging, although his meddling threatens to drive her away again. Elsewhere, Isaac’s (Brandon Scott Jones) campaign against Flower (Sheila Carrasco) to be the manor’s next ghost representative takes a turn when the hippie has a surprising reaction after colliding with stoner chef Gabe (Dustin Ybarra).
• Alex Vs. Arod (9/8c, HBO): A three-part docuseries profiles former Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez, with the first chapter focusing on his early pro MLB career as shortstop for the Seattle Mariners before joining the Texas Rangers.
• Love+War (9/8c, National Geographic): A documentary from Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin follows the risk-taking career of Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer Lynsey Addario.
• Elkhorn (9/8c, INSP): Rancher Theodore Roosevelt (Mason Beals) helps a Sioux brave retrieve his horses from a notorious horse thief.
• Elsbeth (10/9c, CBS): Sarah Steele (The Good Wife and The Good Fight) reprises her role of Marissa Gold, now a campaign manager for a mayoral candidate, who reunites with Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) while the police consultant investigates the death of an arts donor. The Good Place‘s William Jackson Harper guest-stars as the prime suspect, the founder of a poetry journal.
• Grey’s Anatomy (10/9c, ABC): While Simone (Alexis Floyd) treats a patient with a surprising personal connection to her mother, the very pregnant Jo (Camilla Luddington) tackles a challenging case in the maternity ward.

ON THE STREAM:

• Heartland (streaming on UP Faith & Family): The 19th season of the Canadian family drama opens with Amy (Amber Marshall) trying to save a pregnant mare while the rest of the ranch evacuates from an approaching wildfire.
• The Basement: A Vanishing in Apple Valley (streaming on Sundance Now): A two-part true-crime docuseries explores the 2010 disappearance in Ohio of a single mother, her two children, and a neighbor, leading to the discovery of 13-year-old Sarah Maynard in a basement where she’d been kept captive for 88 hours.
• The Vince Staples Show (streaming on Netflix): The surreal comedy returns for a second season, sending the title star on a perilous odyssey after the death of his football-star uncle.
• The Bad Guys: Breaking In (streaming on Netflix): See how it all got started for those naughty animals in an animated prequel to the hit film series.