A Dose of ‘Medicine,’ New ‘Doc’ on Duty, ‘Dancing’ Goes Viral, ‘Talent’ Finale

Best Medicine

In case you missed Sunday’s “advance premiere,” the quirky dramedy repeats the Season 2 opener in its regular time period, making a literal Splash (as in the Ron Howard–Tom Hanks movie) when a woman in a mermaid fish tail washes up to the quaint seaside village of Port Wenn. The blood-phobic Dr. Martin Best (Josh Charles), whose medical license is under review, tackles this fishy puzzle while sheriff Mark (the hilarious Josh Segarra) falls hard for the mysterious mermaid. The great Andrea Martin guest-stars as a local whose addiction to smoking doesn’t sit well with the compressed oxygen she’s been prescribed.

Doc

Medical stories are taken much more seriously in this drama, kicking off its third season with a new doctor making waves. Blair Underwood, who appeared in last season’s intense season finale, returns as Dr. Ben Grant, a brilliant surgeon who shares a secret past with Dr. Amy Larson (Molly Parker), which she can’t remember thanks to that pesky eight-year memory lapse following a traumatic car accident. Amy’s got plenty on her plate, starting her new gig as co-chief resident with Sonya (Anya Banerjee), overseeing a new class of interns while still sorting out her feelings for her current beau, Jake (Jon-Michael Ecker) and her ex and boss, Michael (Omar Metwally). If Ben starts pursuing her, imagine the complications.

Dancing With the Stars

After last week’s two-night premiere, all 14 remaining couples take to the dance floor on the same night, performing to “Viral Hits.” The lowest-ranked male and female stars, Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and Fresh Prince alum Tatyana Ali, escaped elimination last week, so maybe the paso doble and foxtrot, respectively, will suit them better. Or not. Other styles on display include the tango, cha-cha, Viennese waltz, salsa and jive.

America’s Got Talent

You know summer is truly over when the off-season’s biggest hit reaches its grand finale. The top 10 acts perform one last time for America’s vote, and there’s quite a bit of variety. The Golden Buzzer winners who skipped the last round include the Hundred Fingers magic group, the Unitree Robots act and singers Lai Noelle and Nene Royal. They’ll be joined by last week’s survivors: the Acro Canine Crew and Olivia Belus animal acts, magician Geno Pleoger, aerial pole performer Veronika Goroshkova, the Come Here dance troupe and the Royal Lasers laser dance act. The winner will be announced Wednesday in a two-hour spectacular.

Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable

Is there such a thing as a “filtered” Judge Judy? If so, we’ve never seen it. And we won’t be likely to in a 90-minute celebration of this queen of daytime TV courtrooms. From the moment Judy Sheindlin burst on the screen 30 years ago, barking a no-nonsense brand of blunt talk and authoritative judgment, a star was born and a syndicated dynasty begun. The prime-time retrospective follows her journey from Brooklyn to New York City’s Family Court, with home movies and personal archives providing intimate insight, while friends and family—including her son, Adam Levy, also a TV judge—gush their admiration. Celebrity fans including RuPaul, Amy Poehler, Samuel L. Jackson and Steven Spielberg weigh in. And that’s how you raise the proverbial bar.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

·The Voice (8/7c, NBC): The blind auditions continue for a second night. Will anyone use the “first-in” button?

· The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (9/8c, FX, streaming on Hulu): Budding songwriter Lamar (Asante Blackk) will do anything to get his new track heard by the gangster rapper Artillery (Simmie “Buddy” Sims III), no matter who he puts at risk.

· House Shock (9/8c, HGTV): Homeowners are treated to secretly conducted surprise renovations of troublesome spaces, with host Arielle Vanderberg stage-managing the reveal after a construction team led by Battle on the Beach winner Steve Lewis finishes their covert work.

· Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie (9/8c, HBO): Oscar winner Marlee Matlin is producer of a documentary profiling deaf bodybuilder Shelley Beattie, who became famous as Siren on American Gladiators.

· Dark Side of the Cage (9/8c, Vice TV): The cautionary docuseries profiles Chael Sonnen, who honed a bad-boy persona while weathering personal scandals including charges of money laundering and suspensions for doping.

· R.J. Decker (10/9c, ABC): Ducking a rocket launcher is just another day on the job for this scruffy Florida private eye (Scott Speedman).

· The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (11:35/10:35c, NBC): Conan O’Brien makes his second appearance on the late-night show he briefly hosted.

ON THE STREAM:

· Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence (streaming on BritBox): The crime-solving duo (Josh Dylan and Antonio Thomas) are star-struck when two famous actors (played by Alex Jennings and Saffron Burrows) hire them to solve a backstage mystery that soon turns deadly.

· Nimesh Patel: Buy the Dip (streaming on Netflix): The comedian performs at Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Theater, riffing on his Indian family, parenting and corruption in the nation’s capital.

· Seconds (streaming on MHz Choice): A six-part Finnish-language drama follows the investigation into a deadly train derailment and catastrophic fire.

· Party Down (streaming on Netflix): All three seasons of the cult comedy are now available on the streaming giant.