Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s competition takes place at an elementary school, where Gordon Ramsay oversees the contestants going through their paces in the school cafeteria kitchen, trying to come up with healthy meals for hundreds of vegetable-averse children. It may be worth watching just to see how Ramsay adjusts his usually rough-edged barrage of insults, given the environment. Instead of calling someone a “bloody cow,” will he shift to the more acceptable “silly wabbit?”
Flix, 8:00 p.m. ET
Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol star in this intensely acted and filmed 1982 version of the William Styron novel, adapted for the screen and directed by the wonderful Alan J. Pakula. When it comes to the moment of revealing, and acting out, the meaning of the title, actress and director come together in a way that makes it impossible to imagine a more emotional, more powerful alternative.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
In this 1955 Western set in the last half of the 1890s, James Stewart plays a cowboy who tries to take advantage of the sudden Gold Rush by herding cattle from Wyoming to the rugged north. As you watch this Anthony Mann-directed movie, remind yourself that not one head of cattle was generated by a computer – then play a version of supporting-actor “Where’s Waldo?” by looking for all the familiar faces. Walter Brennan is a co-star here, so he’s a gimme – but watch, too, for Harry Morgan, Jack Elam and others.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
One of tonight’s stories on this new edition: A celebration of the 40th anniversary of the stunningly authoritative Triple Crown win of Secretariat. (Look at that photo! Take that, Eadweard Muybridge!) Another story: The dangerously aggressive redesign of the catamaran selected by the U.S. team to represent America’s Cup. Instead of a main sail, there’s a giant carbon-fiber wing, and last month the Swedish crew, practicing with a similar craft, suffered a fatality after the boat capsized. So tonight’s theme, in both stories, focuses on speed. Lots of it.
Science Channel, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: To begin Season 4, Morgan Freeman and company are changing focus, going away from the galactic questions to ask some other, equally puzzling ones. No, not “Why is there air?,” though Bill Cosby’s answer to that still makes me laugh. But big questions nonetheless, starting with tonight’s controversial little query: “When does life begin?”