Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET
I really, really like The Grinder. Tonight, the oil-and-vinegar brothers, played by quiet Fred Savage and showy Rob Lowe, take to the road together, where Lowe’s egotistical celebrity Dean vows to retreat into a more passive and anonymous persona. That resolve may melt, though, once they’re stopped by a traffic cop…
NBC, 9:00 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: Executive producer Dick Wolf, granddaddy of the
Law & Order NBC franchise, has built a new TV mini-dynasty with the addition of his third drama series set in Chicago. Joining
Chicago Fire and
Chicago P.D., beginning tonight, is
Chicago Med, adding a hospital setting to his firehouse and police precinct setting. Nick Gehlfuss is one of the stars, playing the hospital’s chief ER resident. For a full review, see
Ed Bark’s Uncle Barky’s Bytes.
CW, 9:00 p.m. ET
After Liv (Rose McIver) eats the brains of a dead magician, it’s not long before presto!: She’s performing magic tricks in her spare time, while trying to solve the circumstances of his death. I like the premise, as well as the episode’s title: Abra Cadaver.”
ABC, 10:00 p.m. ET
NEW DAY AND TIME: Don’t worry, Friday night TV viewers. Shark Tank will continue to be televised at its old day and time. It’s just that ABC needed to plug a hole, fast, when Wicked City, the unpleasant serial-killer drama that started the season in this time slot, tanked so completely that ABC yanked it after just three outings. Sometimes, crime doesn’t pay. And sometimes, bad shows are canceled swiftly. So thanks, Shark Tank reruns, for picking up the slack, and offering a much more pleasant viewing alternative.
PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s new Frontline, in its first segment called Isis in Afghanistan, takes an in-depth look at terrorism – but not in France. The first and primary report, by Afghan reporter Najibullah Quraishi, looks at how ISIS is recruiting a new, frighteningly young generation of jihadists in Afghanistan. The show’s second story, by reporter Mobeen Azhar, looks at the fight between Pakistani police and the Taliban militants in Karachi. Check local listings.