The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, on NBC

Poor New York football fans. Recent years have been tough and there is plenty of blame to go around. At least in this show, Jets fans can focus their anger on one man. That would be All-Pro running back Reggie Dinkins, who was banned for gambling right before the Super Bowl, which the Jets went on to lose—badly. Dickins still wants the color commentary gigs and his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, so he hired semi-disgraced documentarian Arthur Tobin to rehabilitate his image. It might just work, but not in the way he hopes, because the embarrassing moments Tobin captures, of both Dinkins and himself, could go along way towards humanizing them in creators Robert Carlock & Sam Means’ The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, which starts its regular run tomorrow on NBC.

This is not an American remake of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, despite the weirdly similar titles. This Reggie is essentially the Pete Rose of football. He says he only bet on himself, but his media apology tour was a disaster. Initially, his ex-wife manager Monica Reese-Dinkins was against hiring Tobin, but she starts to warm to the filmmaker and his methods in the second episode, “Nittany Means Big.” The title refers to a disastrous prank Reese-Dinkins covered up for her then fiancé during their college years. It is an example of the show’s football references, which should be sufficiently specific for fans, but not too deep in the weeds for more casual viewers.

The pilot, which previously premiered after an NFL playoff game is very much a getting-to-know-you episode, introducing Dinkins, his ex, their son Carmelo, and his influencer fiancée, Brina, as well as his wacky “neighbor,” Rusty Boyd, Dinkins’ best friend (the former back-up kicker), who lives in his basement. We also learn about Tobin’s disgrace, when a video of his meltdown trying to helm a Marvel movie starts going viral again.

Frankly, the next three episodes are somewhat sharper and funnier than the premise-setting pilot. The title of episode three, “Put it on Your Cabbage,” refers to an amusing subplot, wherein Dinkins loses his final endorsement. It also allows co-leads Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe to build some chemistry as their characters both endure public humiliation, at a New Jersey restaurant and a documentary film festival. (Those scenes were filmed on location outside the Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center.)

“Save the Cat,” written by Grace Edwards, features a funny guest appearance by Corbin Bernsen as Dinkins’ bitter former coach Duck Donovan, who will hopefully become a recurring character. Bobby Moynihan also mines plenty of humor from his schlubby Boyd tutoring the reluctant Reese-Dinkins on dating app strategy.

Chicago P.D.: Born Screaming

The police portion of Dick Wolf’s One Chicago serves as a telling Rorschach test. 97% of the world identifies with hard-charging but undeniably dedicated Sgt. Hank Voight, while most of the nation’s big city mayors and DA’s probably root for Internal Affairs Commander Mark Devlin to end Voight’s career. As revealed right before the mid-season break, Devlin even resorted to blackmailing Voight with the threat of unjustly tarnishing his heroic late father’s name. That remains a problem, but Voight has more pressing issues, like the unit member stuck in a serial killer’s house, under iffy circumstances, in “Born Screaming,” the mid-season premiere of Chicago P.D., which airs tonight on NBC.

Voight’s Intelligence Unit always knew Raymond Bell was bad news, but they could never get anything to stick. Since new member Eva Imani has even less patience for procedure than Voight (which is saying something), she came charging in when Bell’s granddaughter (and ward) Julie called for help (she hardly seems intended as a tribute to the cult-favorite artist). Now Imani is in a bit of a tight spot.

Of course, Devlin is there to gum at the works every step of the way. It’s not like lives are at stake, except for maybe a few innocent civilians. Indeed, this episode takes a grisly turn, in keeping with some of the most lurid serial killer movies.

Stumble, on NBC

Despite her recent scandal, Courtenay Potter is the kind of cheer coach Ted Lasso could appreciate, because she really cares about her team. Unfortunately, to break the record for cheer competition victories, Potter must build a new team from scratch, but fortunately, she always maintains a can-do attitude in co-creator-showrunners Jeff & Liz Astrof’s Stumble, which premieres tomorrow night on NBC.

Potter had it all at Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College, until she was caught on camera celebrating a little too much with her team. Her big, dopey loving husband Boone remains the football coach at SDSJC, but the best coaching position she can find is with ambiguously pronounceable Heådltston Junior College, where she also must half-heartedly teach typing.

Somehow, Potter recruits a team of misfits, including a narcoleptic, a delinquent with natural parkour skills, a former team-member who never graduated when Potter coached him sixteen years ago, and Krystal, the star cheerleader for Sammy Davis Sr., who transfers because she thinks the documentary will be all about her.

Yes, this is yet another mockumentary sitcom, but it probably shouldn’t be, because the things that really work do not lend themselves to the format. Based on the first two episodes provided for review, Stumble excels when it depicts the warmth and humor of the Potters’ marriage and her tough but compassionate approach with her team.

Frankly, this show would work better if it didn’t feel a need to constantly go for big yucks. Arguably, it ought to go more for gentler laughs, sort of like the vibe of the old Family Affair show. For now, Kristin Chenoweth lays on the shtick so thickly as Tammy Istiny, Potter’s former assistant coach turned catty rival, viewers could get toxic shock from the cringe. Several of the new cheer team members could stand for a little toning down as well.

St. Denis Medical: Season Two, on NBC

This hospital should certainly count as a workplace comedy setting, because head nurse Alex Mazurkian definitely works as hard as anyone. Yet, the toughest part of her job is keeping her sanity. That’s a universal truth we can all relate to. It also helps that the comedy is still actually funny in the second season of co-creators Eric Ledgin & Justin Spitzer’s St. Denis Medical, which premieres tonight with back-to-back episodes on NBC.

Mazurkian finally got to enjoy a well-deserved break, so now she wants to keep those vacation vibes going in “Aloha, Everyone.” Curmudgeonly Dr. Ron Leonard knows that will never last, but good luck to her. That will be especially true when the Steve Carell-esque hospital administrator Dr. Joyce Henderson starts drafting the nursing staff to finish decorating their new birthing center for a major donor.

Frankly, this is a relatively laidback episode compared to some of the highlights from season one, but it still has far more bite than the toothless The Paper. There is no question St. Denis Medical is the true successor to The Office. Regardless, it serves as a nice showcase for recurring cast-member David Theune as Keith Finger, the deadpan sad sack orderly. It also offers Kahyun Kim an opportunity to act a little nutty as the ordinarily too-cool-for-you Nurse Serena Jung.

Regardless, “Mama Bear Activated” is a prime example of the show’s edgy wit, especially when Dr. Henderson calls a meeting to discuss a recent wave of physical attacks on staff members. On a serious note, medical professionals really are five times more likely to be victims of violent assaults. That is a legit problem, but Henderson is not solving it with her self-defense seminar—in lieu of greater spending on security systems, of course. Seriously, this compares favorably with some of Carrel’s best Office scenes. Arguably, there is no funnier depiction of an obnoxious boss currently on television than Wendi McClendon-Covey’s portrayal of Henderson. That is meant as the highest praise. Yet, what really makes her funny is her after-the-fact realizations of her infractions against current heightened (wokish) sensitivities.

Brilliant Minds: The Doctor’s Graveyard, on NBC

Obviously, the psych ward is a great setting for special Halloween-themed episode. Of course, the usual scolds need to lecture us, whining that our genre fun stigmatizes mental illness. Fortunately, showrunner Michael Grassi’s Brilliant Minds embraces the scary season anyway in “The Doctor’s Graveyard,” which airs tonight on NBC.

According to the credits, Grassi’s series is “inspired” by Dr. Oliver Sacks’ writings, but you would hardly know it from this episode—and we’re not complaining. It starts with Dr. Kinney having a panic attack in an asylum-themed haunted house. Soon, Dr. Nichols falls under the curse of room 313 (where patients keep dying), while Dr. Wolf starts having ghostly visions of a patient he wasn’t able to save. Best of all, Dr. Pierce from the psych department is supposed to evaluate the evil looking clown in a holding room, but she is having none of that.

All in all, writers Sara Saedi and Will Ewing deliver a lot of satisfying Halloweeny stuff, without any Scooby-Do-style explanations, which are always a letdown. Despite his limited screentime, Andy Boorman is devilishly creepy as the clown. Frankly, his storyline should have ben bulked up more, because Wolf’s relatively “normal” case is just okay.

Chicago P.D.: Consequences

Crime is up in Chicago and its all because of politics. That’s not Trump talking. It is an admission from a senior Internal Affairs officer, who refuses to reactivate Sgt. Hank Voight’s Intelligence Unit, even though they have been completely cleared of any wrongdoing. Instead, he keeps Voight assigned to beat work, grossly underutilizing his talents. Yet, Voight finds a way to work a big case anyway as he bides his time in “Consequences,” the thirteenth season premiere of Chicago P.D., which airs tonight on NBC.

Voight always had a knack for stepping on toes, but it almost got the best of him last season. Technically, his unit is now out of legal jeopardy, but two of his officers remain on leave and the rest are working beats, just like him. Voight is grumpier than ever, if not more so. Yet, he has a genuine knack for relating to the honest, working-class residents on his beat, like Aunt Aggie. Not surprisingly, he reverts to his usual beast-cop mode when she is hit by multiple stray gun shots.

Of course, Voight intends to track down the shooter, despite Internal Affairs’ shackles. That means forging an alliance with undercover ATF Agent Eva Imani. She instantly dislikes Voight because she is a reckless, corner-cutting lone wolf with authority issues, but he kind of likes her—for exactly the same reasons. In fact, Voight might have a spot for her, if he can get his unit up and running again.

Law & Order: SVU just released an episode unambiguously portraying ICE agents as villains, so Dick Wolf and his team are clearly not MAGA-inclined. That is why the “Consequences” episode lands with such irony. The whole premise of sidelining the Chicago P.D.’s most effective anti-crime unit purely for reasons could have been written by Pam Bondi. Yet, it is a sure sign of good storytelling when the plot points and characters turn in complicated ways. If showrunner Gwen Sigan and the writers’ room produce episodes that cut in ways they didn’t necessarily intend, that is probably a good thing. It clearly suggests more attention was devoted to story development than political takeaways, as they should.

Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, on NBC

It is a healthy sign that the entertainment industry can finally pay tribute to Joan Rivers. It only took ten years (and change) after her death. It is obvious why it took so long. Personally, Rivers was a paragon of tolerance, but for her comedy was serious, take-no-prisoners business. Shrewdly, Rivers’ admirers celebrate her “thematic boldness” as well as her genuine stature as a feminist trailblazer in Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, executive produced by her daughter Melissa, which airs tonight on NBC.

Sadly, Rivers passed away in 2014, but she lived to see the release of Rucki Stern & Annie Sundberg’s Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which helped put her career resiliency into proper perspective. Of course, nobody in this special mentions her victory on Celebrity Apprentice, but the 2010 documentary made it clear her Trump-related triumph helped reinvigorate her career, once again. However, Joel McHale does a funny bit about all the awful news of the last ten years Rivers was fortunate to miss. He also takes several shots at E!, where he met Rivers, which is suitably subversive, considering the network will rebroadcast this very special on June 5^th.

In fact, most of the presenter/tributer/roasters are rather funny, because they adopt Rivers’ fearless spirit. Nikki Glaser and Rachel Brosnahan pretty much go straight for the crotch (with ample precedent). In addition, Brosnahan notably gives Rivers credit as the model for Miss Maisel. Fittingly, Tiffany Haddish (who discovered her Jewish roots in adulthood) gives Rivers credit for serving as her Jewish role model. Of course, it also makes you wonder how the forceful Rivers would have responded to the current alarming surge of antisemitism, especially on college campuses.

Suits LA, on NBC

They are entertainment lawyers, rather than agents, but they have the same cutthroat tendencies. In fact, Ted Black was originally based on a real-life super-agent, but he suddenly earned JD, so his new series could become part of the Suits “universe.” Black was once a crusading Federal prosecutor, but after his troubles (to be disclosed over several episodes of flashbacks), he moved to the West Coast and started representing Hollywood celebrities. He willingly plays the hardest hardball to seal their deals, but he refuses on principle to use his powers in criminal court on behalf of accused felons. Unfortunately, desperate circumstances force him to bend his own rules in creator-writer Aaron Korsh’s Suits LA, which premieres this Sunday on NBC.

For fans of the original show, Gabriel Macht reportedly will reprise his role of Harvey Specter on a guest-starring basis, but that will evidently come sometime after the first three episodes provided for review. For now, Black is in the spotlight, in an uncomfortable way.

The pilot, “Seven Days a Week and Twice on Sundays” opens on the eve of what Black assumes will be a lucrative triumph. He and his partner Stuart Lane have negotiated a merger with the firm led by his former lover, Samantha Railsback, to become the biggest legal practice in LA. However, he wakes from his celebratory hangover to find a crisis erupting.

Black scrambles to save his firm with the help of his senior associates, Erica Rollins and Rick Dodsen. Awkwardly, he knows they both now expect to be promoted to head of the entertainment division, so whoever he disappoints will probably jump ship.

Much to his chagrin, Black also must argue criminal cases again, but this time for the defense. He has no choice, when Lester Thompson, one of his biggest remaining clients, is arrested on a murder charge. Fortunately, Kevin, his old investigator from his New York days, is willing to work the case, but his skepticism regarding the squirrely producer’s innocence annoys Black.

However, Kevin’s level-headed perspective helps Black keep slightly ahead of several potentially damaging disclosures in the next two episodes, “Old Man Hanrahan,” and “He Knew.” This subplot plays a bit like the case that unfolded during the first season of The Lincoln Lawyer, while the chaos enveloping the firm has throwback L.A. Law vibes, which is a promising combination.

Stephen Amell has the right swagger for Black (even though Arrowverse fans will still see him as Oliver Queen). He and Josh McDermitt (as Lane) contrast and compliment each other nicely. Frankly, the best scenes of the series so far are either their friendly flashbacks or their tense present-day encounters.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society, on NBC

Apparently, in this tony Detroit suburb, the high school reunions are funnier than the garden parties. Many viewers previously only knew the small, well-to-do community as the setting of Grosse Pointe Blank, but plenty of Fords have lived there—as in the Fords. They can afford swanky gardens, but someone has to get their hands dirty. Usually, that just involves soil, but there will also be bloodstains in co-creator-showrunners Jenna Bans & Bill Krebs’ who-was-it-done-to, Grosse Point Garden Society, which premieres this Sunday on NBC.

Prepare yourself for a constant stream of flashbacks and flashforwards. Four members of the garden club share a guilty secret. For whatever reason, they buried a body in one of their flowerbeds. They all have their share of enemies who had it in for them, so it could be any number of people.

Obviously, Alice is the nice one. That is why Brett carries a torch for her, even though she is married to Doug. Nevertheless, someone shot her beloved dog at point blank range. She suspects the wealthy parents of the student whom she gave a “D” for plagiarism.

Not surprisingly, Brett and Doug do not get on so well, but he really despises his ex-wife’s wealthy new husband, who is definitely wants to replace him as his son’s father. Unfortunately, Brett finds it hard to compete with him on his salary from the nursery.

Catherine has fidelity issues. First, she was unfaithful to her husband, but her lover, also her boss, was unfaithful to her, with an awful lot of women. One of those secret lovers was Birdie, but it probably meant even less to her than it did to him.

The new Grosse Pointe resident has made a name for herself as a scandalous author and influencer, but her hard-partying ways immediately get her in trouble. That is why she comes to the garden society—to complete her community service. She would also like to do right by Ford, the son she never met after giving him up for adoption. However, he is surprisingly surly and his adoptive father Joel is the town’s top cop. Weirdly, she and Joel get along far better than his wife would prefer.

So, who is the body the four club-members planted? That is the show’s central who-killed-J.R. question. Based on the first four episodes provided for review, it looks like Bans and Krebs regularly end each episode in a way that points to one suspect as the victim, only to walk it back at the start of the next installment. In this case, the coyness instills a feeling of being played in viewers.

This one-step-forward-one-step-back strategy also robs the early episodes of momentum. The movement is all lateral and the constant time-shifts require more attention than a lot of viewers are willing to give prime-time dinner-hour television.

However, AnnaSophia Robb, Aja Naomi King, and Melissa Fumero all play off each other quite nicely, as the nice one, the passive one looking to assertive herself, and the boozy Ab-Fab one, respectively. The way they learn to draw on each other’ strengths is shaping up to be the best aspect of the show.

The Hunting Party, on NBC

How frequently does the Joker break out of Arkham? How many times did Stallone wriggle out of super-prisons in the Escape Plan movies? In that case, three times. The point is putting all the worst eggs in a fancy basket never seems to work, but they did so anyway in this new series. Hidden under the plains of Wyoming, “The Pit” secretly housed some of the nation’s worst serial killers, including several that were supposedly executed. They were the guinea pigs for some weird government research, because they wouldn’t be missed, until there was a massive escape. Semi-disgraced FBI Special Agent Rebecca “Bex” Henderson and her team scramble to capture the fugitives, while cautiously investigating the shadowy conspiracy that apparently facilitated their escape in creator JJ Bailey’s The Hunting Party, which starts its regular first season run this Monday on NBC.

The Pit was totally off the books and undisclosed to the public. Then a supposedly freak, but actually deliberately planned explosion rocked the facility. Given the destruction, it is not clear how many inmates escaped. It will probably depend on how long the series runs. One of the worst was Richard Harris, who happened to be the first case Henderson worked. Given her insight, Attorney General Elziabeth Mallory reactivates Henderson to track down Harris, teaming her up with Ryan Hassani, a CIA officer, whose agency has absolutely no domestic jurisdiction, and Shane Florence, a former correctional officer at the Pit, who manages to invite himself along.

Richard Harris? Seriously, JJ Bailey? I’m not a profiler, but I would suggest looking for Harris in MacArthur Park. After all, there have been reported sightings of cakes mysteriously left out in the rain.

Despite the presumably accidental disrespect to King Arthur and Dumbledore, the first four episodes already show some decent chemistry between the three lead “hunters” and Oliver Odell, a former FBI agent who served as the warden of the Pit and clearly seems to know more about the escape than he wants to admit. However, the trust-and-suspicion dynamics Henderson has with him and her natural agency rival Hassani, elevate the energy of the fairly routine fugitive chase stories.

Harris and the second episode psycho, Clayton Jessup, are quite familiar in their motives and methods. However, “Lowe,” from the like-titled third episode, has the unusual distinction of being a human-hating environmental extremist, whose M.O. involved feeding victims to a wolfpack. Perhaps episode four’s Dr. Ezekiel Malak is the creepiest, especially considering his new extreme method of killing, which is definitely a fresh and horrifying wrinkle.

Melissa Roxburgh is a strong lead. She has credibility in both the deductive and action-oriented scenes and develops nice chemistry with her co-stars. Nick Wechler is appropriately shifty as Odell, generating potentially spoilery tension with Roxburgh.

Night Court: The Judge’s Boyfriend’s Dad

This is New York, so the idea of recruiting prosecutors out of prison is not so far-fetched for Alvin Bragg. They say our courts have a revolving door. That has been especially true for the Night Court franchise. Everyone remembers Markie Post from the original series, but they went through two prior public defenders before she took over the role. Losing a prosecutor should be nothing out of the ordinary for the reboot-continuation series. However, curmudgeonly public defender Dan Fielding will be a little freaked out by his new rival. As a possible consolation, he might discover a new son he never knew he had in “The Judge’s Boyfriend’s Dad, Part 1 & 2,” the two-part season premiere of showrunner Dan Rubin’s Night Court, airing tomorrow and next Tuesday on NBC.

A lot has changed since the first season. In addition to the new prosecutor, Judge Abby Stone also has a new clerk and a new boyfriend. In most respects, they are all trade-ups. India de Beaufort got a lot of laughs as Olivia, the self-absorbed, uber-aggressive ADA. However, her replacement is Wendie Malick, who played Fielding’s former stalker-tormentor Julianne Walters. Yes, she was sent to prison in a previous episode. Welcome to New York City.

Nyambi Nyambi also mines more humor from the clerk’s position than his predecessor. Plus, recuring Gary Anthony Williams often feels like a throwback to the old school Night Court (which is a good thing), as Flobert, a former judge who often subs in the various Night Court positions (which have had several vacancies) and just generally like to hang out and kvetch. He is going to have plenty of gossip, because Judge Abby suspects her boyfriend Jake might be Fielding’s secret illegitimate son, for reasons she explains in the eccentric opening prologue to “Part 1.”

True to form, the naïve do-gooding Stone agonizes over how to broach her supposition with both men. On the other hand, Flobert and Gurgs the bailiff offer plenty of suggestions for invasive DNA tests, which Stone will eventually go along with, for her own personal reasons.

Of course, the best scenes of this two-parter focus on Walters’ cat-and-mouse sparring with Fielding. She has the edge this series needs, since it has gone out of its way to tame Fielding. Walters also outmaneuvers Gurgs as well, when they clash over smoking on the fire-escape, which is solidly relatable workplace material.

Hyper-sensitivity will be the death of the sitcom genre, but the new shows like St. Denis Medical and Animal Control are not giving up without a fight. Frankly, it is still unclear whether Rubin and his fellow writers intend to join the battle or surrender, but at least their writing for Malick shows some signs of life.

St. Denis Medical, on NBC

Some things are easier to appreciate with distant. For instance, medical dramas are entertaining on television, but miserable in real life. Similarly, it is easier to appreciate the workplace humor of hospitals, if you are not confined to one. In fact, there are a lot of laughs to be found in this mid-sized Oregon hospital, but you really, really would not want to be a patient in co-creators Eric Ledgin (also showrunner) & Justin Spitzer’s St. Denis Medical, which premieres Tuesday on NBC.

Think of St. Denis as if it were Dunder-Mifflin Medical. Our vantage point comes from the camera recording a documentary about the hospital, which presumably will become Frederick Wiseman-length, if the show runs for multiple seasons. Alex the supervising RN is a kind soul, perhaps to a fault. She is so conscientious, she has trouble tearing herself away from the ER madness. In fact, the opening episode, “Welcome to St. Denis” entirely focuses on her struggle to leave well after her shift ends, so she can watch her daughter perform in her high school musical.

Of course, Dr. Ron, the admitting ER doctor bets against her. He is not mean, per se. He is just extremely cynical. He is also quite selfishly set in his ways, as we can fully see in episode five, “A Peanut and Caramel-Filled Miracle,” in which he goes to outrageous lengths to enjoy his regular afternoon treat, a NutRageous candy bar.

What is stopping him? That would be arrogant trauma surgeon Dr. Bruce, who bought up all NutRageous bars from the vending machines, gift shop, and surrounding convenience stores, just to mess with his colleague. You could say Dr. Bruce is a bit petty and enormously vain. He goes to outrageous lengths to avoid giving blood in episode seven, “50 CC’s of Kindness.” (Apparently, episode six still needs more time baking in the oven.) On the other hand, the two rival gang members from a nearby prison spill plenty of each other’s blood. The fact that Ledgin and Spitzer consider prison shivving a valid subject for comedy is definitely a promising sign.

The best of the six episodes provided to critics would be episode four, “Salamat You Too,” in which Nurse Alex tries to assert her authority over a “mean girl” clique of Filipino nurses, but ends with the supervising nurse in some very hot DEI water. Frankly, this episode is an instant classic, ranking with the best of The Office. When they come for Seinfeld’s “Puerto Rican Day Parade,” they will include this one on the same blacklist too, so watch it while you can (on November 26^th).

Allison Tolman nicely anchors the series as Nurse Alex, making her easy to identify with. She is funny in a more lowkey way, without competing with her more outrageous co-stars. If these characters were real-life caregivers, her Nurse Alex is probably the only one you would want to see at your bedside.

Frankly, David Alan Grier deserves Emmy consideration for his work as the pompous Dr. Ron. He is shameless and ruthlessly sarcastic, but Grier’s portrayal will remind viewers of people they might know from their own workplace, in much the way Dan Larroquette did on the original Night Court.

The third episode, “Weird Stuff You Can’t Explain,” is another strong showcase for Grier’s comedic chops. This time around, Dr. Ron takes a lot of flak for defiantly calling down a hex on St. Denis, just to prove the ridiculousness of supernatural beliefs. Of course, once he does, the emergency room seems to be plagued by a genuine curse. This episode is also a good example of recurring cast-member Dave Theune’s very funny contributions as the world’s most deadpan and morose orderly.

Chicago P.D.: Ten Ninety-Nine

Chicago is a great city for a workaholic cop like Sgt. Hank Voight. He always can count on a steady stream of heinous crimes that merit the attention of his intelligence unit. Since surviving a serial killer’s abduction at the end of season eleven, he feels compelled to make the most of his “bonus time” by fighting crime to the fullest possible extent of his human capabilities. Of course, that means the rest of the team must keep up with him in “Ten Ninety-Nine,” the twelfth season premiere of Chicago P.D. (of the One Chicago programming block), airing tonight on NBC.

The first four and of half minutes of tonight’s episode features no real dialogue and only a bit of muffled incidental chatter. We do not need any talking to understand how driven Voight is, as we watch him circling in and out of his office, only pausing long enough to change his shirt. He is like a man possessed.

Since this is Chicago, there is no shortage of crimes, but many of the ones crossing his desk involve a deadly new “bad batch.” He also might have an informant, nicknamed “Rabbit,” who witnessed a gruesome multiple homicide at a trap house, which might be related. Having survived death, Voight might have the right insight to reach him.

Presumably fans were sad to lose a regular cast-member at the end of last season, but “Ten Ninety-Nine” delivers a heaping helping of what makes this show work, steely Jason Beghe as hard-charging Hank Voight. This is episode is a great showcase for his charismatic hardnosed persona.

Brilliant Minds, on NBC

This season’s newest TV doctor, Dr. Oliver Wolf, is transparently modeled on Dr. Oliver Wolf Sacks, the late motorcycling-riding gay neurologist of Jewish descent. So far, the series has explored all those aspects of his personality, except his Jewish heritage. It is hard to figure why they overlooked that one, right? Regardless, creator-writer Michael Grassi wisely focuses on the doctor’s patient-centered approach and his issues with authority in Brilliant Minds, which premieres this Monday on NBC.

Once again, Dr. Wolf will lose his job, because he did the right thing. In pilot episode prologue, that means taking a dementia patient to his granddaughter’s wedding, hoping if he seats his patient behind a piano, his memory will briefly reawaken. It sort of works, but he gets fired anyway.

Wolf wants to revel in his depression, but his old college friend, psych department chair Dr. Carol Pierce guilt trips him into joining her on-staff at Bronx General. His first case there tantalizingly offers similarities with Invasion of the Body-Snatchers, but, disappointingly, Dr. Wolfs identifies an earthly neurological explanation regarding Hannah Peters’ strange belief her children are not really her children.

Somehow, Wolf and Pierce get along, but he immediately clashes with Dr. Josh Nichols, a veteran during the “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” era, who is not privy to Wolf’s “face-blindness,” another similarity he shares with the real-life Sacks. Since he is reluctant to discuss his condition, Dr. Wolf’s new skulls-full-of-mush neurology interns, Drs. Kinney, Nash, Dang, and Markus just assume he is aloof and anti-social. Coincidentally, Dr. Markus has his own rare neurological challenge, which will be revealed in a few episodes.

The series credits Sacks’ The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars as sources of “inspiration,” but only the second episode, “The Disembodied Woman,” about a woman losing her proprioception, or sense of body control and positioning, is faithfully drawn from one of Hat’s case-study essays. Although the third episode, “The Lost Biker,” shares some thematic similarities with Sacks’ “The Lost Mariner,” the circumstances of each patient’s new memory-forming issues are considerably different.

“The Blackout Bride” presents some of Dr. Wolf’s most extreme methods, when he takes MDMA to understand his patient’s perception of events, but rather awkwardly, it turns out to be laced with PCP. Notably, this episode also introduces an apparently unresponsive patient, impressively portrayed by Alex Ozerov-Meyer, whom Wolf struggles to reach over an as yet unresolved multiple-episode story-arc.

Arguably, “The Haunted Marine” might be the best of the first six episodes, thanks its compassionate handling of military themes and Joshua Echebiri’s sensitive but refreshingly restrained performance as neurologically-troubled veteran, Steve Hill. However, the teen characters and immature melodrama of “The Girl who Cried Pregnant” make it the comparatively weakest.

The kind of medical detective work and deductive diagnoses depicted in the series remain tried and true grist for medical drama. To a great degree, viewers can think of Brilliant Minds as a House M.D., but without the pill-popping, excellent musical taste, and withering sarcasm.

Law & Order: No Good Dead (#500)

Thank goodness the collective Law & Order franchise has so many episodes. Otherwise, the Sundance Channel and MyTV might have to start producing their own programming. Of course, the franchise has far more than 500 altogether. This is just the mother ship’s half-millennial milestone. It also happens to be its most realistic, ripped-from-the-headlines case in quite a while. Only five days after his release from a paltry 5-year prison sentence, a violent sex-offender stands accused of murder in “No Good Deed,” the 500^th episode of Law & Order, which premieres tonight on NBC.

Jack McCoy is gone, but certainly not forgotten. Nicholas Baxter, the new District Atorney, faces a hotly contested “re-election” campaign, so he is eager to convict Shawn Payne for the brutal murder and desecration of his social worker, Angela Hart. Although Dets. Riley and Shaw gave a look to her hot-tempered boyfriend, they quickly zeroed-in on Payne.

Given the brutality of the case and the intense media attention, Baxter wants a decisive conviction. Frankly, he is a little baffled why his inherited passive aggressive Executive ADA Nolan Price agreed to such a lenient plea-bargain. Of course, as far as Price is concerned, it was a miracle they prosecuted him at all (he must have served under Bragg too). He also claims he wanted to spare his surviving victim the further trauma of a trial. Yet, there is no denying the new murder victim.

Frankly, #500 is exactly the kind of episode the mature franchise needs more of. Take it from a New York city resident (for over two decades), “No Good Deed” definitely reflects the current state of the City. It vividly illustrates the dangers of plea-bargaining and early parole. Plus, Sam McMurray oozes sleaze as politically ambitious, leftwing Judge Steve Nelson, while Michael Hyatt inspires contempt as manipulative defense attorney Vanessa Carter. They will remind you why you always hated lawyers and politicians.

Quantum Leap: The Outsider

On this leap, Dr. Ben Song encounters a true rarity: a journalist who is actually humbled by her past failings. Weirdly, instead of trying to replicate this phenomenon, he attempts to rebuild her confidence in “The Outsider,” this week’s episode of Quantum Leap, which premieres tomorrow on NBC.

Song quickly learns he has leaped into the body of the new cameraman and producer working with Connie Davis (energetically portrayed by Nadine Ellis), who was once a hotshot New York reporter, but now she is chasing giant pumpkin stories for a Denver affiliate. Song’s host has a hot-tip regarding a toxic pesticide story, but the company is trying to scare him off. He figures he needs Davis to take on the story before he can leap, but she is decidedly gun-shy.

Did you know 50% of Denver was farmland? Apparently so, according to “The Outsider.”  Having grown up there around the time of this leap, I would more likely believe that was true for the state of Colorado, but, heck, when you are leaping through time, you don’t have time for those details. You need to keep things big picture.

Song’s leap is a decent, only-modestly-self-serving Woodward & Bernstein-style expose in the general Lou Grant TV-tradition. It should be, considering how often it invokes the Watergate journalists’ names. This episode does not feature a lot time travel-specific elements, beyond the usual business of the leap itself, but there is some serious business going on back at Quantum Leap headquarters.

Unfortunately, Tom Westfall is in a very uncomfortable position. Song’s ex and on-again-holographic guide Addison Augustine just broke off their engagement. Now, he must terminate a member of the Quantum Leap team to placate a shady tech titan. As usual, Ian Wright will be protected, since the character is always immune from criticism, but seriously, the computer whiz’s conduct during Westfall’s interview is stunningly unprofessional and just plain annoying.

Quantum Leap: The Family Treasure

It is the 1950s, so it is a little late for Indiana Jones-style adventures, as the franchise itself proved. However, Dr. Ben Song finds himself in the middle of an unlikely treasure hunt. He is determined to find a way to warn Hannah Carson to have her husband’s fatal heart defect diagnosed in time, but he probably will not have the opportunity in “The Family Treasure,” this week’s episode of Quantum Leap, which premieres tomorrow on NBC.

Evidently, Song leaped into the least annoying of three sisters. Sarah is the martyr-ishly responsible one, married to a soul-crushing husband, while Dean/Adina is the one who will eventually teach viewers an “important lesson” in nonbinary acceptance. Together, they must work together to find their wastrel father’s treasure hidden somewhere in Mexico.

Most of the episode focuses on the reasonably entertaining treasure hunt. The clues are clever and the somewhat cheap-looking sets are kind of fun, in a throwback kind of way. However, the “serious drama” quickly grows tiresome. Throughout the entire episode, Song’s holographic guide and former fiancée Addison Augustine keeps wringing her hands over how to tell him about her impending marriage to Tom Westfall, the Quantum Leap’s project’s DOD guy. Plus, we all know a big teaching moment is coming.

At least “The Family Treasure” still gives viewers an adventure. In contrast, the previous comparable social issue-themed episode, “Let Them Play” was all lecture and no story. This time around, the nonbinary sermon is still heavy-handed, but it is relatively self-contained, so most viewers can just tune it out or fast-forward.

The Irrational: Scorched Earth

Many hospitals simply are not equipped with full state-of-the art burn units. That is one of the important take-aways from the documentary, To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story, wherein the horror icon frankly discusses his recover from severe burn injuries. Dr. Alec Mercer, the behavioral psychologist, can relate. He has returned to the unit that treated him to counsel a new burn patient. While talking to her, he concludes she was a victim of arson in “Scorched Earth,” the mid-season return of The Irrational, which premieres tonight on NBC.

Unfortunately, Mercer understands fire only too well. Even though the teen blames herself for partying in an abandoned house (with candles—always a bad idea kids), he knows the flame spread is all wrong. Once he prods the out-of-his-depth deputy fire investigator to take another look, arson is confirmed. Obviously, that prompts the question: who is the guilty culprit?

Mercer, his unpaid teaching assistants, and ex-girlfriend FBI Agent Marissa Clark duly work their way through the procedural stuff. By now, investigating with Clark is not so awkward because Mercer has a new love-interest (traveling abroad for this episode). Most viewers will start rolling their eyes when they hear a local church was interested in the torched property, but The Irrational seems to have a knack for using annoying cliches as red herrings.

In fact, this episode teases a potential plot twist that could be incredibly gutsy—and downright shocking for network television. Most critics will despise, but its inherent logic (in accordance with Mercer’s theories) is what makes it such potentially compelling drama.

Magnum P.I.: Series Finale, on NBC

The corruption of one of Hawaii’s governors should not surprise anybody. In this instance, he has been thoroughly compromised by a highly organized blackmail operation. However, Magnum and Higgins must first work another case before they can get to the blackmailers in the back-to-back episodes that conclude the fifth and final season of Magnum P.I. this Wednesday on NBC.

Initially, “Ashes to Ashes” starts out as a tragedy. TC Calvin’s firefighter girlfriend Mahina is quite distraught over a death she was not able to prevent. To make matters worse, the victim’s niece has fallen under suspicion, but Mahina is convinced she is innocent of Uncle Moku’s presumed death-by-arson, so TC calls in a favor from Magnum.

Thanks to some legwork accompanied by snappy romantic banter, the he and Higgins quickly determine the body was not Uncle Moku, but rather an already deceased corpse stolen from a nearby mortuary. That means the real Moku could still be alive, but he would necessarily be in grave danger.

“Ashes to Ashes” features some solid procedural stuff, but the secondary storyline, chronicling “Kumu” Tuileta’s first day volunteering with Rick Wright at a veteran’s helpline is far more memorable. As you might expect, events take a dramatic turn in the tradition of The Slender Thread. Magnum P.I. is (or rather was) one of the few television/streaming shows featuring veteran characters who are not solely defined by their PTSD. However, in this case, the PTSD storyline is handled with sensitivity and empathy. It is also a great feature spot for series regular Amy Hill as Tuileta.

At one point in “Ashes to Ashes” Magnum and Higgins cut some legal corners for the sake of justice that will have repercussions in “The Big Squeeze.” Unbeknownst to them, they were recorded by henchmen working for Sam Bedrosian, a returning villain from four episodes ago, who uses it as leverage against the detectives. He needs them to solve the murder of the man responsible for his blackmail operation. Obviously, they cannot involve the cops, but their friend Det. Gordon Katsumoto catches wind of it anyway.

Extended Family, on NBC

Apparently, real estate is so cheap in Boston even a financially struggling divorced dad can afford one and a half apartments. What is the deal with the half? He and his ex-wife still maintain the “Nest” where they were raising their children. For the sake of stability, the kids stay put and the parents rotate in and out. This contrived premise becomes even more awkward when she lands a rich new fiancé in creator-showrunner Mike O’Malley’s new sitcom, Extended Family, which premieres tonight on NBC.

As Jim Kearney and Julia Mariano explain to the camera (like they’re pretending to be characters on Modern Family), after seventeen years of marriage, they wanted to return to their original friendship, while disrupting their thankless kids’ lives as little as possible. So, after their “divorce party,” they launched this unlikely home-sharing scheme.

It might sound like the set-up for a War of the Roses-like premise, with the exes fighting over every last clause in their non-habitation agreement. Obviously, Mariano’s speedy engagement to Trey Schultz adds a further point of contention. Schultz is the owner of the Boston Celtics, much like co-executive producer Wyc Grousbeck (a real-life ownership partner). However, the fictional Schultz attended MIT. Based on the first three episodes provided to the press, he has no opinion on MIT president Sally Kornbluth’s congressional testimony suggesting calling for the genocide of the Jewish people could be acceptable on campus “depending on the context.” They might have to address it eventually, because the issue is not going away—and the blandly smug Schultz is usually positioned as the “voice of reason” in most episodes.

That is assuming the series lasts that long. Extended Family feels very early 1990’s in the worst way. The “Pilot” episode revolves around Kearney’s attempts to pass off a replacement after he accidentally kills his daughter Grace’s goldfish while she was at camp. Somehow, we are supposed to believe the together-acting Mariano spent 17 years married to him. Even two weeks would stretch credulity.

“The Consequences of Making Yourself at Home” litigate the drama that arises when Shultz starts making unauthorized upgrades to “The Nest.” At least “The Consequences of Gaming” starts with a premise many parents can relate to. After two weeks away, Mariano (Abigail Spencer looking too smart for her sitcom antics) is shocked to find their son Jimmy Jr. reveling in the bloodlust of a violent Grand Theft Auto-like video game. Unfortunately, they resolve the episode with an annoyingly abrasive turn into woke politics.