What’s On: ‘Preacher’ finale, ‘Top of the Lake’ continues, Carol Burnett classics

The Carol Burnett Show

Preacher (9/8c, AMC): In a 75-minute season finale titled “The End of the Road”—but is it?—Jesse (Dominic Cooper) understandably wrestles with being christened the new messiah by the hilariously dour Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), who’s even booked his reluctant protégé on Jimmy Kimmel for the occasion. “We’re on our way to redemption,” Starr drones. “This is your calling.” But is it? Alternating between shockingly wacky irreverence and soul-churning action, the memorably go-for-baroque Preacher also serves up game-changing moments for Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Eugene (Ian Colletti), whose escape from Hell with Hitler (Noah Taylor) isn’t exactly hitch-free.

Top of the Lake: China Girl (9/8c, SundanceTV): The second night, comprising the third and fourth hours of the sixth-hour miniseries, is at its best when sticking to the particulars of the murder case, which Robin (a terrific Elisabeth Moss) begins to crack when she tracks down the couple who hired the title victim to be their surrogate. Lake is at its worst when tracking the ludicrous relationship between Robin’s own biological daughter, Mary (Alice Englert), and the loathsome “Puss” (David Dencik), whom Mary stays loyal to even when he suggests she joins the brothel’s stable. Nothing her estranged adoptive mom (Nicole Kidman) says will budge her, not even when Puss goes beyond the pale in an encounter with Robin. Poor Robin also has to come face-to-face with her evil boss from the first series, who is suing her in a civil case.

Newton’s Law (streaming on Acorn TV): Only if you’re a sucker for the Australian accent will you be likely to fall for the smirky legal shenanigans in this slick, sleek but lightweight import. The willowy Claudia Karvan stars as Josephine Newton, who joins a ritzy law firm after a 15-year hiatus as mother. While tackling high-profile cases, she keeps a friendly eye on her quirky former associates, who set up shop in the firm’s basement. Nothing much new here, but passable if you’re seeking escapist fluff.

Carol Burnett’s Golden Anniversary (11/10c, MeTV): Marking the 50th anniversary to the day of the premiere of one of TV’s greatest comedy-variety shows, MeTV spotlights CBS’s The Carol Burnett Show with a weeklong event of syndicated Carol Burnett and Friends repeats, airing iconic episodes each weeknight through Friday. First up is one of the best: the Gone With the Wind parody, “Went With the Wind,” from 1976, with a curtain gag that brings down the house. Other highlights include an Exorcist spoof within the “As the Stomach Turns” faux soap, Carol’s Mrs. Wiggins learning the intercom from Tim Conway’s Mr. Tudball, and classic sketches featuring Eunice and “the Family” and grotesque silent-film has-been Nora Desmond. (CBS recently announced its own anniversary special, to air in December.)

Inside Monday TV: ESPN’s Monday Night Football (6:55/5:55c) kicks off its 48th year with New Orleans Saints playing the Vikings in Minnesota. … With episodes airing nightly, Monday to Friday (7:30/6:30c), Nickelodeon’s I Am Frankie stars Alex Hook as teenage android Frankie Gaines, who escapes from an evil lab and tries to pass as a typical, if very high-functioning, high-school student. … The first and only season of The CW’s Hooten & the Lady (9/8c) concludes with the “lady,” Alex (Ophelia Lovibond) ditching her marriage to follow Hooten (Michael Landes) to the Caribbean to hunt for a pirate treasure. … On TBS’ quirky sci-fi comedy People of Earth (10:30/9:30c), the group attends an alien experiencer convention to meet more of their kind.