TUESDAY

SEPTEMBER 29

2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Last week’s series premiere set the scene and tone of this newest Muppets TV show, and tonight’s runs with it, having fun all along the way. Josh Groban is the special guest star, and imagine him at the piano, and Miss Piggy atop it, in an allusion to Jeff Bridges and Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Then imagine Laurence Fishburne, Jay Leno and Lea Thompson as other guest stars – then tune in, so you can stop imagining and start enjoying.

GRANDFATHERED

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: The two new Fox comedies tonight are among the best new shows of the season – which surprised me as well. In this first one, John Stamos plays a restaurateur and lifelong bachelor who discovers, in one very memorable moment, that one of his past sexual relationships resulted in a son. A son who’s now grown, with a young daughter of his own, and with both of them looking to bond with granddad. There aren’t any surprises here, but there are laughs, and Stamos’ turn as a more vain version of himself is comparable to Matt LeBlanc’s sly star turn on Showtime’s Episodes. For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes. For capsule reviews, see our collective TVWW 2015 Fall TV Previews.

THE GRINDER

Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET

SERIES PREMIERE: The premise here demands an instant suspension of disbelief: Rob Lowe plays the star of a TV legal drama, who, after his show is canceled, returns to his small town and his younger brother’s actual law practice – where star-stricken judges allow him to sit in on cases and even cross-examine. It’s an idea that was done brilliantly, years ago, when the Bluths of Arrested Development hired Andy Griffith as a defense attorney, in his persona as Matlock. The Grinder has the added secret weapon of Fred Savage, all grown up from The Wonder Years, as the understandably frustrated and frazzled younger brother. And did I mention? Their dad is played by William Devane, who never met a scene he couldn’t steal. For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes. For capsule reviews, see our collective TVWW 2015 Fall TV Previews.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 3 is when this series, following the lead of the latest Marvel movies, begins to explore the world of The Inhumans. It’s a new complication to an already complicated story line, and another is that Skye (Chloe Bennett), after all the emotional familial stresses of last season, now embraces a new, more powerful identity. She’s going by her original birth name of Daisy now – but she’s no blushing flower.

BEST TIME EVER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

NBC, which had planned to move this series to an earlier time slot to lead off the night, has decided to keep it where it is, because last week’s second episode built significantly in audience thanks to riding the wake of The Voice. This week, Tyler Perry is the guest announcer, and announced segments include former Olympic speed-skating star Apolo Ohno in a bit called “Ticket to Slide,” and another “Sing-along Live” home karaoke segment, this week led by former Voice judge CeeLo Green.

FRONTLINE: "MY BROTHER'S BOMBER"

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

SEASON PREMIERE: Part 1 of 3. Frontline, the most venerable current documentary series on television, takes on a story that’s decades old, and devotes three episodes to it, beginning with tonight’s opener. The focus is the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, whose Germany-to-Detroit route was cut short by terrorists, with the voyage, and many lives on the plane and on the ground, ending as the plane crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland. This film is by filmmaker Ken Dornstein, whose older brother, David, was one of the victims aboard the plane. For a full review, see Alex Strachan’s TV That Matters. Check local listings.

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

New From TVWW

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

Fox, 8:30 p.m. ET

ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

PBS, 10:00 p.m. ET

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