A night of too many new and returning shows brings several familiar faces back to prime time. Is that enough to attract viewers?
Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” “Nurse Jackie”) stars in “Tommy” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14). She’s Abigail “Tommy” Thomas, a decorated NYPD officer hired to become the first female chief of police for Los Angeles, and one of the first in the nation. Slightly corrupt mayor Buddy Gray (Thomas Sadoski) hopes the symbolic appointment will quiet several scandals plaguing the department.
He doesn’t know Tommy! Right away, she becomes embroiled in controversy between the department and ICE. Which is exactly what happened on the pilot episode of Fox’s “Deputy” (9 p.m., TV-14).
The pilot has much to explain. Tommy had been married and has an estranged adult daughter with a daughter of her own. Spoiler alert: They become a lot less estranged by the end of the episode. Tommy is also gay, something she doesn’t necessarily want to talk about. Until she has to. Which is frequently.
Falco breathes as much humanity and realism into her cardboard-cutout character as she can. But it may not be enough.
— Television grew up with baby boomers. And vice versa. Now boomers are the butt of sitcom jokes about being clueless, needy and irresponsible. Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and Steven Weber (“Wings”) star on “Indebted” (9:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), as profligate parents forced to move in with their son and his feisty young wife.
A punch-line-driven affair propelled by gales of canned laughter, “Indebted” is best enjoyed as a showcase for Drescher, who excels at dotty malapropisms. When feeling less than welcome, she offers to move out and live in an “AirBLT.” Such jokes are too few and far between to redeem “Indebted.”
— Rosario Dawson stars in “Briarpatch” (10 p.m., USA, TV-MA), a mystery in the noir vein so quirky it often feels like a spoof. She’s a senator’s fixer who returns to her thoroughly corrupt Texas hometown where her sister, a police officer and landlord, has just been killed in a car bombing.
Throw in a mysterious insurance policy and a recent saboteur who let all of the animals out of the zoo, and you have a dark series that wears its quirky nature on its sleeve. It’s hard to care about whodunnit when there’s a tiger on the loose.
ALSO DEBUTING TONIGHT
— A “Riverdale” spin-off, “Katy Keene” (8 p.m., TV-14) follows four photogenic 20-somethings trying to make it in Manhattan. Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”) returns to the CW.
— Peter Sarsgaard, Kyle Gallner, and David Strathairn star in the true-crime drama “Interrogation,” streaming on CBS All Access.
— Sundance Now streams the Danish marital drama “Couple Trouble.”
RETURNING TONIGHT
— On two helpings of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (NBC, TV-14): Holt adjusts (8 p.m.), and meets the new boss (8:30 p.m.).
— Bill Pullman returns as Detective Ambrose as “The Sinner” (9 p.m., USA, TV-MA) returns for a third season.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— No welcome for the new captain on “Station 19” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Jen needs advice on “Last Man Standing” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Alternative education on “Outmatched” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— The great thaw on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Violence in the boxing ring on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Gary faces his past on “A Million Little Things” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
CULT CHOICE
— A mother protects her daughter from a social media obsessive in the 2020 shocker “InstaPsycho” (8 p.m., LMN, TV-14).
SERIES NOTES
A money making scheme on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Career opportunities on “The Unicorn” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Christy pursues a chance encounter on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Clueless relatives on “Will & Grace” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … The twins have a funny uncle on “Legacies” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … A secret hobby on “Carol’s Second Act” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is booked on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … Mark Ellis, Annie Lederman and Justin Martindale appear on “Lights Out With David Spade” (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central) … Pete Buttigieg and Patton Oswalt are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes RuPaul and Meghan Trainor on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Billy Crystal, the Tenderloins and Kelsea Ballerini appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Elijah Wood, Ben Schwartz, Paul Yoon and Ilan Rubin visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
