What’s On: ‘The Good Doctor,’ ‘Gifted,’ Kimmel and ‘Daily Show’ Hit the Road
A critical checklist of notable Monday TV:
The Good Doctor (10/9c, ABC): There are times when it feels like this surprise hit is trapping its unconventional title character in an otherwise very conventional medical drama, but this week’s episode finds the best balance yet in illuminating the character study of autistic savant Dr. Shaun Murphy (the affecting Freddie Highmore) through case-of-the-week storylines. An amusing exchange during surgery between Shaun and chief surgeon Dr. Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper) is a hopeful sign of where The Good Doctor should be going. And it’s also reassuring to know that behind Shaun’s choirboy demeanor resides some very human urges.
The Gifted (9/8c, Fox): Another strong episode of the Marvel fugitive thriller, as a captive Reed (Stephen Moyer) comes to regret cutting a deal with the Sentinel Services that could expose the Mutant Underground. His wife Caitlin (Amy Acker) is just as desperate, and learns the limitations of family loyalty when she looks for help in the Atlanta suburbs, only to encounter mob resistance.
Jimmy Kimmel Live (11:35/10:35, ABC): It’s old home week again for the late-night host who has gained new visibility in recent months for his emotionally impassioned stands on health care and gun control. Kimmel takes his show to Brooklyn for the third time, with Paul Shaffer sitting in with the house band and Kimmel’s idol, David Letterman, among the guests as Live tapes from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House through Friday. Other high-profile visitors include Billy Joel, Tracy Morgan, Howard Stern and Amy Schumer. Also hitting the road: Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (11/10c), taping shows from Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre through Thursday for week subtitled “Undesked Chicago 2017: Let’s Do This Before It Gets Too Damn Cold.”
Inside Monday TV: As the “battle rounds” begin on NBC’s The Voice (8/7c), the coaches once again bring on fellow famous musicians to help mentor their teams. Blake Shelton turns to Rascal Flatts, Adam Levine to Joe Jonas, Jennifer Hudson to Kelly Rowland, and Miley Cyrus consults her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Be still our achy breaky hearts. … When you wish upon an episode of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars (8/7c), it must be “Disney Night.” And sure enough, Mark Ballas will foxtrot with Lindsey Sterling to “When You Wish Upon a Star.” … Streaming highlight: Acorn TV’s Acceptable Risk, a six-part thriller (two parts drop each Monday through Oct. 30) about a widow (Elaine Cassidy) who unearths a conspiracy that stretches from Dublin to Montreal when she looks into her husband’s murder. … Winner of a Sundance Special Jury Award, the POV presentation of the documentary film “Motherland” (10/9c, check local listings at pbs.org) takes cameras inside one of the world’s busiest maternity wards, in the Philippines’ Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital.
