Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss Are ‘Imperfect Women,’ ‘Abbott’ Switcheroo, Zac Brown Visits ‘Survivor,’ Britain’s ‘Lady’ in Waiting

Imperfect Women

A strong cast led by Scandal‘s Kerry Washington and The Handmaid Tale‘s Elisabeth Moss distinguishes an otherwise by-the-numbers mystery series set among Pasadena’s upper and middle crust. Based on a novel by Araminta Hall, the eight-part drama opens with the murder of Nancy (House of Cards‘ Kate Mara), a wealthy philanthropist with a working-class background whose violent death exposes secrets in her and her friends’ worlds. Washington and Moss are Nancy’s besties, the privileged Eleanor and the middle-class hausfrau Mary, with For All Mankind‘s Joel Kinnaman as Nancy’s impassive spouse, Corey Stoll as Mary’s loyal husband, and Hamilton alum Leslie Odom Jr. as Eleanor’s brother, who’s skeptical of his sister’s close ties with the widower. (Going to a ballet opening together while in mourning isn’t the best look, it’s true.) Launches with two episodes.

Abbott Elementary

Some days are busier, and funnier, than others in this fictional Philadelphia elementary school. The subplot that stands out this week involves Gregory (Tyler James Williams) rankling his veteran fellow teacher Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) when he implies that he’s “starting from scratch” with his 1st-grade students after they pass through Barbara’s kindergarten. When Barbara takes offense, Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) suggests they “Freaky Friday” it and switch classrooms, which leads to a comical awakening. Elsewhere, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) is victimized by negative messaging in his run for a school district liaison position, so he turns to the unprincipled Ava (Janelle James) as his campaign manager before the big debate. And Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) is uncharacteristically nervous about attending the annual Janitors’ Ball, where he hopes to impress the alluring mall custodian Miss Carroll (Khandi Alexander) with the help of Janine (Quinta Brunson) and her Fashion Club.

Survivor

The landmark 50th season of the pioneering reality competition was designed to honor the show’s fan base, which includes celebrity super fan Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band fame). The country star drops in on the island as part of an immunity and reward challenge, where the winning tribe gets to spend the afternoon in his company. Earlier, the all-star castaways entertain themselves with a “Survivor 50 Talent Show.”

The Lady

One of the more outrageous members of Britain’s royal family, former Duchess of York Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, has a knack for attracting people of dubious character. She and her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (then Prince Andrew), remain in the headlines because of their notorious past association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but this four-part docudrama is occupied with a different scandal. When Sarah (played as a royal mess by Game of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer) was still a royal, she hired the young and socially ambitious working-class woman Jane Andrews (Mia McKenna-Bruce) as her dresser and confidante, a bond that didn’t outlast Sarah’s fall from grace. When the unstable Jane’s life spirals further, her relationship with businessman Thomas Cressman (Ed Speelers) ends in murder and a prison sentence. The sordid tale drops its episodes weekly.

Shrinking

The wistful comedy once again has us rooting for widowed therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) and his divorced neighbor Sofi (fellow How I Met Your Mother alum Cobie Smulders) as they try again for a real first date, though as usual not without complications. Our hearts also go out to Jimmy’s co-worker Gabi (Jessica Williams), whose usual glow is dimmed after losing a patient — and her confidence.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Scrubs (8/7c, ABC): Turk (Donald Faison) guides his best bro J.D. (Zach Braff) on his journey into post-divorce dating, while J.D.’s ex, Elliot (Sarah Chalke), finds resourceful ways to seek an organ for a favorite elderly patient.
• Chicago Med (8/7c, NBC): A tricky case has Archer (Steven Weber) facing his own mortality. Followed by Chicago Fire (9/8c), where Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente) respond to a car crash, and Chicago P.D. (10/9c), with Ruzek (Patrick John Fleuger) becoming suspicious when a DEA agent asks him about his informant.
• The Masked Singer (8/7c, Fox): Two masked performers will no longer live long and prosper on the singing competition when they’re unmasked on Star Trek. A double elimination follows on Fear Factor: House of Fears (9/8c).
• Southern Charm (8/7c, Bravo): In the first of a two-part Season 11 reunion, the cast dishes about their various relationships and grievances.
• The Greatest Average American (9/8c, ABC): How many footballs can host Nate Bargatze toss from his armchair? That’s one of the guessing games facing this week’s contestants.
• America’s Culinary Cup (9:30/8:30c, CBS): Sustainability is this week’s culinary “Commandment,” with chefs harvesting farm-fresh produce to create dishes with such sustainable ingredients as ants and mussels. The bottom two use only scraps and leftovers to cook in the final faceoff.
• Bad Foot Clinic (10/9c, TLC): Podiatrist Dr. Marion Yau and husband Dr. Kenny treat patients with extreme foot conditions in a new series that may make you want to keep your shoes on.

ON THE STREAM:

• Cross (streaming on Prime Video): In the crime thriller’s Season 2 finale, Cross (Aldis Hodge) tries to locate and stop Rebecca/Luz (Jeanine Mason) before she claims her last victim. Exposing shady billionaire Lance Durand (Matthew Lillard) would be a nice bonus.
• Invincible (streaming on Prime Video): The adult animated superhero series returns for its fourth season.
• Super Bowl Champions: The 2025 Seattle Seahawks (streaming on The Roku Channel): The Walking Dead‘s Jeffrey Dean Morgan narrates a documentary charting the team’s successful 2025 season, culminating in the Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots.