Fans of traumatic melodramas may find comfort food in “Nurses” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14). This new series hearkens back to old-school hospital dramas, putting the emphasis on a parade of patients and their ailments while keeping the soap opera at a low boil. As such, it leans more on “ER” than “Grey’s Anatomy.” On the other hand, it’s only just begun.
Like the soon-to-depart “Transplant,” this series is a Canadian import. It follows five new nurses who are thrown into the maelstrom on their very first day on the job. They’re barely in their scrubs when a van plows into a park filled with students and pedestrians. One of the photogenic nurses stares at the television report and informs us, “They never had a chance.”
“Nurses” is filled with dialogue like that.
Over the course of the hour, our newbies search in vain for the owner of two severed fingers, watch a beloved professor sink into brain death, convince a mourning mother to donate her son’s organs and conduct other high-stakes conversations. One fetching freshman nurse discovers that her patient is the culprit who used his van as a weapon. He’s a racist, an anti-Semite and an “incel” to boot. For the uninitiated, this new(ish) brand of extremist crackpottery consists of men who consider themselves “involuntary celibates.” In other words, lonely guys who blame their violence on women. The presence of this sicko on her ward gives our heroine the opportunity to make noble speeches about caring for all patients, regardless of their politics or culpability.
I seem to recall thinking that “ER” was beginning to run out of gas when they had to arrange weekly crashes and mass shootings to fill the wards. “Nurses” often seems like reheated leftovers, particularly when real nurses are on the front lines of a pandemic filling hospitals to capacity.
— Acorn imports the BBC One production “A Suitable Boy.” Set in Northern India in 1951, it offers tales of family dramas, arranged marriages and civil strife in the aftermath of Indian independence and the violent partition of Muslim Pakistan from the rest of the subcontinent. “Boy” begins at a colorful wedding where we meet families of Muslims who stayed behind in largely Hindu India.
Epic in scope and stunning to behold, “Boy” introduces a cast of dozens of characters who are rather difficult to distinguish and follow at first. It’s probably best appreciated for its total immersion in another culture, with its own extraordinary, colorful traditions, castes and hierarchies.
— Look for Donald Sutherland in the thriller “Crossing Lines” (7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Ovation, TV-14). Set in the Netherlands, the series follows an international team tracking a serial killer. “Crossing” also has a global pedigree. It’s a German-French-Italian-American production. It aired for a short season on NBC in 2013. A second season has been seen overseas and here on Amazon Prime. This marks its cable debut, whatever that means. Ovation will air back-to-back episodes on Mondays. Season 2 begins Jan. 11.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— First impressions loom large on “I Can See Your Voice” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— The San Francisco 49ers host the Buffalo Bills in NFL action (8:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN).
— On the beat on “All Rise” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) examines science and state control.
— An expensive plan on “His Dark Materials” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-14).
— In search of the right jury on “Bull” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— The “Independent Lens” (10 p.m., PBS, r, TV-14, check local listings) documentary “Charm City” looks at life in Baltimore.
CULT CHOICE
Stan (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) deceive their wives so they can attend their lodge convention in the 1933 comedy “Sons of the Desert” (9:30 p.m., TCM, TV-G). Founded in 1965, the Sons of the Desert organization has arranged screenings of Laurel and Hardy films all over the world.
SERIES NOTES
Backyard poultry in “The Neighborhood” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Improvisations on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … A question of stress on “Bob Hearts Abishola” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Illusionists audition on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Heather Graham appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Dolly Parton, Andrew Rannells and Jose Feliciano on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Nick Kroll, Jeremy O. Harris, Sam Hunt and Kaz Rodriguez visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
