Red Band Society (Fox, 9:00 p.m.) – Series premiere. Octavia Spencer stars in this dramedy about the staff and young patients at a Los Angeles hospital’s pediatric unit. The reviews are all over the map: promising, schmaltzy, good but schmaltzy, manipulative, etc. If you want a show that is willing to reach into your face and physically pull the tears out of you, this may be the Fall program for you.
America’s Got Talent (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) – Season finale. Tonight’s special guests, presented without further comment: Pitbull, Travis Barker, Jennifer Hudson, Lenny Kravitz, Cyndi Lauper, and Train.
The Mysteries of Laura (NBC, 10:00 p.m.) – Series premiere. Debra Messing plays a New York City detective who is tough and no-nonsense on the job but struggles in her personal life, thanks in part to rambunctious twins and a rascal husband who won’t sign the divorce papers. CAN DEBRA MESSING HAVE IT ALL?
Extant (CBS, 10:00 p.m.) – Season finale. Molly heads back to space to “redirect the Seraphim away from Earth and protect the world from the deadly spores,” but, I mean, who among us hasn’t?
Franklin & Bash (TNT, 10:00 p.m.) – Tonight our heroes defend an injured stripper and end up getting the exotic dancers in Los Angeles to unionize. This is the most Franklin & Bash thing possible, which is really saying something considering last week’s episode contained a scene in which Bash couldn’t give his closing argument because he had a boner.
The Bridge (FX, 10:00 p.m.) – One nice thing about being a writer is that you rarely uncover a large truck filled with murder victims. Being a cop seems very stressful.
Top Chef: Duels (Bravo, 10:00 p.m.) – Heeeeeeeeey the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine appears tonight.
Wahlburgers (A&E, 10:00 p.m.) – From TV Guide: “Paul takes up woodworking as a hobby to help manage his stress.” Stress that is, presumably, hamburger-related. What a world.
LATE NIGHT GUESTS: Ty Burrell and Len Goodman on Kimmel; Paul Reiser and Aimee Garcia on Ferguson; Liam Neeson and Terry Gilliam on Fallon; Tina Fey and Adam Pally on Meyers; and Marisa Tomei and Jim Jefferies on Conan.
