Viewers who like their thrillers well-produced, ultra-violent, fast-moving and rooted in Cold War history are in luck.
Based on the “Bourne” films, the new series “Treadstone” (10 p.m., USA, TV-MA) explores terrifyingly believable contemporary terror intrigue as well as a backstory set deep behind the Berlin Wall in 1970.
Things kick off nearly 50 years back as captured CIA agent J. Randolph Bentley (Jeremy Irvine) suffers the slings and arrows of being used as a guinea pig for an evil East German scientist and his attempts to create a Manchurian candidate who will kill on command when “awakened” with an audible cue. In this case, the French children’s song “Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?).” They’re sleeper agents. Get it?
Flash-forward to the present day and a defecting North Korean general who wants to talk to a disgraced journalist reduced to driving a London cab because she lost all credibility with a fantastic story about loose Soviet-era nukes still pointed at the U.S. of A. Maybe she wasn’t so far-fetched after all. And she doesn’t have long to get to her North Korean source. He seems to know that an army of savage killers is about to be aroused from slumber.
The pilot and, it seems, much of the first season will bounce back and forth between the present and 1970s Berlin. In both eras, the accent is on brief moments of espionage-related dialogue punctuated by frantic bouts of kicking and gouging, punching and neck-snapping.
Those sleeper agents are cranky when they wake up!
“Treadstone” follows the second-season premiere of “The Purge” (9 p.m., USA, TV-MA).
— Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and Marc Lacey moderate the “CNN Democratic Presidential Debate” (8 p.m.) between a scrum of presidential hopefuls.
Some of the issues discussed tonight might reverberate on the PBS series “Retro Report” (9 p.m., check local listings), an examination of current events and controversies seen through the prism of recent history.
Among subjects discussed are the contentious relationship between presidents and the press. During his first term, President Nixon used Vice President Spiro Agnew to repeatedly attack the press and encouraged the creation of a Republican-friendly network.
Another segment examines the roots of fears over vaccines.
TV-themed DVDs available today include single holiday-themed episodes of “Midsomer Murders,” “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” and “The Brokenwood Mysteries.” Perfect gifts for those who like their stockings stuffed with murder.
HALLOWEEN-THEMED HORROR HIGHLIGHTS
— Compare the already forgotten 2013 remake of “Carrie” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-14) with the 1976 original (10:15 p.m., AMC, TV-MA). It’s scary how unoriginal Hollywood has become!
— Gary Oldman offers a memorable take in Francis Ford Copola’s 1992 adaptation of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-14).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Battles continue on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Kevin confronts his past on “This Is Us” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A domestic terror group flies under the radar on “FBI” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Oliver returns to get the measure of the Monitor on the eighth-season premiere of “Arrow” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— Private prison grifters strike on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A case of lead poisoning may indicate an epidemic on “New Amsterdam” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Jo fears that Piper may be too hot to handle on “Emergence” (10 p.m., ABC).
CULT CHOICE
— The “South Park” team of Trey Parker and Matt Stone skewer Jerry Bruckheimer movies, the war on terror, pious Hollywood liberals and lonely North Korean despots in their 2004 comedy “Team America: World Police” (8 p.m., Cinemax, TV-MA), a deliriously profane homage to Supermarionation, the stringed puppet world of “Thunderbirds,” “Supercar” and “Fireball XL 5.”
SERIES NOTES
Sordid doings on sacred ground on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … A patient revives Lazaruslike on “The Resident” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … A tempting job offer on “The Conners” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Barry resigns himself to his fate on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Mike steps in it on “Bless This Mess” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
A Lyon family reunion ends badly on “Empire” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Rainbow finds her roots on “mixedish” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Warming the bench on “blackish” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Seann William Scott and Jena Friedman appear on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Demi Moore, Justin Hartley and Mark Ronson featuring Yebba on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Sean Hayes, Kate Bosworth and Charlotte Day Wilson appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
