— Sometimes fictional, scripted takes on the paranormal seem more rational than "documentary" fare. Already dubbed the "Catholic ‘X-Files,’" CBS’s new procedural "Evil" (10 p.m., TV-14) follows a new mystery every week as a team of church investigators looks into stories of possession, miracles and other phenomena.
"Evil" has already established a romantic tension between priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter) and Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), a skeptical forensic psychologist. Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) rounds out the team as the tech guy.
In addition to its fairly levelheaded approach, "Evil" ladles out character development by the spoonful. Kristen put her career as a mountain climber on hold to raise four girls, but her absent husband still gets to trek. Her youthful mother (Christine Lahti) pops up occasionally to remind her of hubby’s shortcomings.
Well in to the second episode, David Acosta remains a bit of a handsome cypher, frequently seen furiously praying, even while jogging.
So far, there have been too few scenes involving Michael Emerson ("Lost") as Dr. Leland Townsend, Kristen’s rival psychologist, deeply steeped in the occult. Don’t call him a demon. He’s a negative force who uses the power of social media to bring out the worst in people. We all know people like that!
For all of the angels and demons found on "Evil," it’s a refuge of rationality compared to much cable programming.
Premiering tonight, "The Holzer Files" (10 p.m., Travel, TV-PG) explores the findings of prolific author Hans Holzer (1920-2009), whose books about hauntings include the research behind the "Amityville Horror" movie. Dubbed the "father of the paranormal," he hosted a series called "Ghost Hunter" long before the cable series "Ghost Hunters." It’s said that he and his work inspired "Ghostbusters."
Some decades back, when I worked in book publishing, I knew Holzer and oversaw the reprinting of some of his books. When I told him my wife and I had bought a house in a small New York town, he informed me that he had investigated a haunting there and even gave me his research on the case. Somewhere in my basement, I, too, have a "Holzer File."
During my brief tenure of working with folks like Holzer, I had various witches and warlocks on my Rolodex, reminding me of Jimmy Stewart’s character in the delightful 1958 romantic comedy "Bell, Book and Candle" (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), co-starring Kim Novak as a fetching witch, and Jack Lemmon as her jazz-playing brother.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Meredith continues to practice on "Grey’s Anatomy" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Ryan Seacrest hosts "iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 2" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks meet in NFL football action (8:00 p.m., Fox, NFL).
— New kids on the block on "The Good Place" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Maggie rues her mother’s move on "A Million Little Things" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Amnesia strikes on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— An asylum seeker needs help on "How to Get Away With Murder" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Vincent D’Onofrio ("Godfather of Harlem") plays a Marine pushed beyond endurance in director Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam epic "Full Metal Jacket" (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
SERIES NOTES
Seeking new challenges on "Young Sheldon" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Mateo needs help on "Superstore" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … Wade joins a support group on "The Unicorn" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Arthur’s blunt ways make waves on "Perfect Harmony" (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
Jill proves hard to impress on "Mom" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … The extra mile on "Carol’s Second Act" (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … High society on "Sunnyside" (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Tyler "Ninja" Blevins is booked on "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) … Expect Flula Borg and Mohanad Elshieky on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Deon Cole and Todd Glass appear on "Lights Out With David Spade" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central).
Carrie Underwood, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are booked on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Taylor Swift, Chris O’Dowd and Angel Olsen on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Magic Johnson, Robert Iger and Anderson.Paak featuring Smokey Robinson appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Billy Bob Thornton, Beth Ditto and Lauv visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Cobie Smulders and Kristin Chenoweth appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS).
