Already renewed for a second season, the whimsical detective series “Elsbeth” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ends its first as the second-most-watched new network series, after “Tracker,” also on CBS.
The show averages some 11 million viewers per episode, a huge uptick from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” the streaming series where the character Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) originated.
A crack detective, Elsbeth is consistently underestimated by suspects deceived and charmed by her unassuming nature and unabashed Midwestern, middle-aged and unfashionable presentation.
If Elsbeth’s out-of-towner act and regrettable outfits are well beyond parody, her suspects are even further stereotyped as urbane fops, phonies and trendy poseurs. Apparently, New York has become a city where the only “real” people are cops.
In the finale, a murder on the catwalk exposes Elsbeth to the world of high fashion, a place where every outfit appears to be the Emperor’s New Clothes.
A repeat (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) follows, investigating the fate of a reality TV star found dead in her bathtub.
— “Red Nose Day: Cheers to Ten Years” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) looks back at some of the fan-favorite skits and performances from the event’s first decade. Presented by Comic Relief USA, “Red Nose Day” raises funds to combat childhood poverty.
The recycled bits include “Red Nose Day, Actually,” reconnecting writer Richard Curtis with much of the cast of the 2003 Christmas favorite “Love, Actually.” We also get second helpings of Coldplay’s “Game of Thrones: The Musical.”
“Red Nose Day” has raised more than $370 million since 2015.
— Streaming has been a boon to the celebrity-driven cultural travelog. The Canadian actress and “Pretty Little Liars” star travels the world on the four-part odyssey “Thirst With Shay Mitchell,” unfolding every Thursday on Max.
Mitchell keeps the accent on light conversation and pleasant scenery. She’s seen taking selfies from the most beautiful spots, making it difficult to distinguish between culinary expert, host and “influencer.”
— Paramount+ streams the final season of the supernatural thriller “Evil.” When this series began on CBS in 2019, it seemed a welcome departure from franchise procedurals. Perhaps it was too much of an oddity, which explains why it was moved to CBS All Access and then Paramount+.
Katja Herbers (“The Americans”; “Westworld”) stars as a professional investigator and active skeptic hired by the Vatican to look into unexplained phenomena. The result has been a more gothic take on “The X-Files” approach. Things that go bump in the night seem even scarier when uncovered by agnostics who don’t believe in them in the first place.
— A sitcom take on life in suburban Indiana, “The Ms. Pat Show” streams its fourth season on BET+.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— An infant’s rare disease uncovers a dark secret behind a fertility clinic in the 2024 shocker “Cradle of Deception” (8 p.m., LMN, TV-14).
— An underdog taps into this inner Rocky Balboa on the third season premiere of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— A signal may indicate Maddie’s whereabouts on “Law & Order: SVU” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— Two lobstermen settle their differences the old- fashioned way on the true-crime docuseries “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here” (10 p.m., Sundance, TV-14) set in Vinalhaven, Maine.
CULT CHOICE
A fallen warrior answers a village’s call for a protector in director Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 action adventure “Seven Samurai” (10:15 p.m., TCM, TV-14). Well-received in this country at a time when audiences did not flock to foreign fare, the Japanese thriller inspired the widescreen 1960 Western “The Magnificent Seven” and too many reboots and homages to list. Frequently ranked by critics and film directors as one of the best and most influential films ever made.
SERIES NOTES
“The Price Is Right at Night” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “I Can See Your Voice” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … The crew receives medals for its work on the cruise ship disaster on “9-1-1” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … “The Wall” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Alzheimer’s research just can’t wait on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Wildfires threaten Seattle on “Station 19” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Chris Hemsworth and James Dyson are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Chris Pratt, Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson and Red Clay Strays on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Joe Manganiello, Jonathan Lemire and Zarna Garg visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Marcella Arguello and Thomas Lennon on “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
