CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s episode is called the “Mystery Date Observation.” It’s date night for Sheldon and Amy – but not with each other. She’s dressing for the all-important third date with her new male acquaintance, while Sheldon is considering getting acquainted with a woman from an online dating service.
NFL Network, 8:00 p.m. ET
At this point of the season, Thursday night NFL games no longer are televised by CBS. But they’re still being played, and they’re still being televised… but only on NFL Network. That’s where, tonight, you can see Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan take his new team to New York to face his old team, the Jets.
Lifetime, 9:00 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: Gordon Ramsay and company have shown, with MasterChef Junior, that you can take the concept of a competitive cooking show and create a spinoff merely by allowing children to compete. So presto: starting today, Lifetime presents a new spinoff called Project Runway Junior. The age range of contestants is 13 to 17, so at least they’re all teenagers – which, I guess, counts for something. But this notation is more an observation of an growing trend than a recommendation to watch. And if we ever get to Kiddie Kardashians, run for the hills.
CBS, 9:01 p.m. ET
Although the unrelated CBS comedy Life in Pieces ruins the unbroken scheduling, it’s worth noting that Chuck Lorre, beginning tonight, has three programs airing on Thursday nights: The Big Bang Theory, this program, and 2 Broke Girls. That makes him the sitcom equivalent of Shonda Rhimes, who also has three series televised on Thursdays: ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. On tonight’s Mom, the two mostly clueless moms try to help someone else: a teen addict.
CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET
John Noble, recently of Fringe, has found another prominent job on a show adored by genre fans. This time the genre is mystery, and he’s accepted a recurring role playing Morland Holmes – Sherlock’s father. He showed up last week, and – by now, it’s no mystery – he’s sticking around for a while.