Food and forensics meet on “Crime Scene Kitchen” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14), a new hybrid reality contest hosted by Joel McHale.
Acclaimed chefs compete to see who can re-create great meals, desserts and confections. But there’s a catch. They won’t have a recipe to follow. They must concoct their meals from scant evidence, mere scraps left behind. Left with a bare counter, they must sift crumbs, smell dishes and lick plates to determine the mystery dish they must re-create.
It’s an interesting concept, but one that leaves home viewers out of the loop. While we can guess the missing letters or clues on most game shows, there’s little way we can feel, see or taste what the contestants are going through. “Crime Scene Kitchen” is a clever title, but it’s never smart to leave the audience without a whiff of a clue.
— Netflix begins streaming “High on the Hog,” a multipart culinary travelogue hosted by Stephen Satterfield and adapted from a book by food historian Jessica B. Harris. Satterfield sets out to explore the roots of African American cooking and demonstrate just how many of these traditions are literally baked into American staples, from fried chicken to mac ‘n’ cheese.
In the first episode, both host and author travel to Benin, in West Africa. They encounter chefs who prepare traditional dishes rich in the red beans, rice and okra — key ingredients in our understanding of Southern cuisine. We also meet innovative chefs putting new twists on this cuisine as well as bloggers trying to put Benin on the foodie map.
Benin was also a point of departure for slaves consigned to the New World as mere property. So it’s an emotional trip for both host and author.
Satterfield offers rather academic observations on a subject he approaches with consistent reverence. He’s earnest about his subject, but has a hard time conveying the resilience and energy that helped this culture endure. His approach can often seem a tad tentative and arid.
— Apparently, it’s never too late to leave your mom’s basement. Streaming today on Discovery+, “40 Year Old Property Virgin” follows would-be homeowners a little late to the real estate game. The first “Virgins” have been married for 15 years! But it seems they just haven’t found the right house. Perhaps dragging their parents along will help. And just because “they haven’t settled down yet” doesn’t mean they don’t know what they want. Any house they buy has to have a karaoke room!
— Wrapping up its fourth season tonight, “SEAL Team” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) will depart the CBS schedule for the streaming pastures of Paramount+. Look for the supernatural series “Evil” to follow suit.
TONIGHT’S SEASON FINALES
— Carol’s second chance on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— The Golden Mask is bestowed on “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— A stranger comes to town on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— The bombing of a police station puts the city on edge on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A crime ring evades capture on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The Houston Astros host the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB action (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
— The precocious tomboy daughter (Mary Badham) of a widowed lawyer (Gregory Peck) slowly comes to see her family’s place in a Depression-era Alabama small town in the 1962 adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG). Robert Duvall’s screen debut.
— Cooler nights bring more critters poolside on “Life at the Waterhole” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— “NOVA” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-G, check local listings) looks at the race to develop emission-free aircraft.
— Eddie puts fatherhood first on “A Million Little Things” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— “The Bold Type” (10 p.m., Freeform, TV-14) enters its fifth season.
CULT CHOICE
— Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert star in the 2002 melodrama “Far From Heaven” (10 p.m., TMC), inspired by the overripe 1950s Technicolor movies of Douglas Sirk.
SERIES NOTES
Tiffany Haddish hosts “Kids Say the Darndest Things” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “Press Your Luck” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) begins its third summer season … Flashbacks explain so much on “Kung Fu” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … “The $100,000 Pyramid” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Nick receives disturbing news on “Nancy Drew” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Steven Yeun appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Will Arnett and Brockhampton visit “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Sofia Vergara, Jack Antonoff and Bleachers on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … John Krasinski, Donny Deutsch and dodie visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … The Jonas Brothers and Leif Vollebekk drop by “The Late Late Show With James Corden (12:35 a.m., CBS).
