HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
Yard A, when it comes to prison reform, could be a Plan B. This particular section of the Los Angeles County state prison, like the “Emerald City” population in the fictional prison of HBO’s Oz, is an experiment – an alternative to totally punitive incarceration. In Yard A, education and creativity are nurtured, and violence and gang activities are reduced substantially. Does it really work? And can it work elsewhere?
CW, 9:30 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: This new CW comedy gets points for outrageousness, if nothing else. It stars Josh Zuckerman and Nathaniel Buzolic as Nate and Jimmy, young men whose friendship is tested when Jimmy starts seeing an older woman – Nate’s recently divorced mother. Jonathan Silverman plays the ex-husband, and the key role of the generation-jumping mom is played by Krista Allen. Her previous roles, about a generation ago, include a stint on Baywatch, several Emmanuelle made-for-TV sci-fi movies, and the video-game vixen Jade Blue Afterglow on a classic episode of The X-Files.
TCM, 9:30 p.m. ET
This sequel to the wonderful Gold Diggers of 1933 brings back Dick Powell as the star, but none of the titular ladies from that previous film. Instead, Glenda Farrell plays the closest thing to a gold digger in this musical comedy – but choreographer Busby Berkeley is back, this time working his bizarre cinematic magic on such giant production numbers as “Lullaby of Broadway” and one involving dozens of grand women and grand pianos.
NBC, 10:01 p.m. ET
Ed Helms, who plays the grown-up Rusty Griswold in Vacation, the movie sequel to the original Vacation starring Chevy Chase, goes on a Colorado mountain expedition with Bear Grylls. But for Helms, it’s no vacation: He’s afraid of heights.
Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m. ET
It’s come to this: The final week for Jon Stewart’s reign on The Daily Show. And the week begins with a visit from perhaps the hottest comedian of the moment: Amy Schumer.