Amazon Prime Video, 3:00 a.m. ET
Amazon’s tradition of revealing its pilot presentations, and allowing viewers to watch and vote and for buzz to build, has been going on for years now – and last time around, offered us an early look at Frank Spotnitz’s The Man in the High Castle, a bold new series better than any broadcast network TV drama this fall. High Castle arrives, the entire Season 1, later this month on Amazon. Today, meanwhile, the streaming service presents its newest crop. Included in the mix: Comedian Tig Notaro playing a TV version of herself in One Mississippi (pictured), a series about her straddling the worlds of comedy and cancer, co-written with Diablo Cody and with Louis C.K. as one of the executive producers. Also included: Z: The Beginning of Everything, starring Christina Ricci as Zelda Sayre, who would be much more identifiable, and iconic, once she married an author, and became the not unflappable flapper Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald. These pilots and more are available, beginning today, on the Amazon streaming website.
CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
NEW NIGHT: Last year, when CBS first launched its Thursday Night Football franchise, The Big Bang Theory started the season on Monday nights, then moved to anchor Thursday once the CBS run of mid-week games reverted solely to NFL Network. That happens again this year, with tonight’s episode – an episode that, like CBS in general this week, is obsessed with Star Trek. Guest stars include recurring player Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Lifetime, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: Part 2 of 2. If you’ve been watching this series, tonight’s the night Project Runway selects a new winner. That’s true even if you haven’t been watching – but if you have, you’re probably more invested in the outcome.
CBS, 9:01 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: This series, with more dark flavorings than most Chuck Lorre sitcoms, has a simple title that refers to two different mothers: Christy (Anna Faris), coping with all sorts of issues as a single mother, and Christy’s wild mother Bonnie (Allison Janney), not exactly the perfect role model. Tonight, in the Season 3 premiere, we get introduced to another titular mom: Bonnie’s mother Shirley, who has her own baggage, issues and flaws – and who’s played by guest star Ellen Burstyn.
CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: There’s a lot going on in this year’s Season 4 premiere of Elementary: Holmes is accused of a crime while trying to solve a different one, and while dealing with an unexpected visitor: his estranged father.