The Cleaning Lady
The thriller’s third season is shadowed by the unexpected cancer death in January of Adan Canto at 42. He played the dashing Arman, gangster protector of title character Thony (Élodie Yung), the resourceful but beleaguered Cambodian-Filipino immigrant mom who once was a surgeon but now struggles to care for her young son, Luca. With Arman gone missing—after what appears to be pre-existing shots of Canto to set up this storyline—Thony reaches out to his wife, Nadia (Eva De Dominic), forming an uneasy partnership. This complication is also a setback for Thony’s plans to bring her sister-in-law Fiona (Martha Millan) back from her deportation to the Philippines. New to the cast: Kate del Castillo (La Reina del Sur) and Santiago Cabrera (Star Trek: Picard) as siblings Ramona and Jorge Sanchez, whose shady family business is about to become Thony’s latest cross to bear.
Alert: Missing Persons Unit
The more traditional crime procedural is Fox’s only other current drama on the network’s strike-altered lineup—911: Lone Star and most others aren’t expected back until fall. MPU is undergoing significant changes in its second season, including a new Missing Persons Unit headquarters and a new boss, Hollis Braun (Ally McBeal’s Gil Bellows), who champions MPU’s rate of success but is less of a fan of detective Jason Grant’s (Scott Caan) rogue tactics. Adding to the awkwardness: Jason is now partnered with Mike Sherman (Ryan Broussard), the fiancé of his ex-wife and superior officer, Capt. Nikki Batista (Dania Ramirez), though the addition to the team of his former war colleague and rule-breaking hacker Wayne Pascal (Alisha-Marie Ahamed) is likely to ease his pain. The new season’s first case is a big one, involving the disappearance of a city bus on which a class full of kids were taking a field trip.
Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda
Having achieved breakout status with deeply personal and topical comedy specials including the Emmy-winning Nanette and Douglas, Hannah Gadsby tries on a new hat, as impresario. Gadsby’s new comedy special, recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre, turns the spotlight on seven comedians identifying as gender queer: ALOK, Asha Ward, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Jes Tom, Krishna Istha and Mx. Dahlia Belle.
Night Court
Guest stars are the glue for some sitcoms, especially workplace ones like Night Court, whose very setting provides a platform for scene-stealers to take the stand. This week’s special guest is Brooklyn Nine Nine alum Melissa Fumero, as the fierce PTA president at the school where clerk Wyatt’s (Nyambi Nyambi) kids attend. When she comes before judge Abby (Melissa Rauch) over an illegal bake sale at Madison Square Garden, Wyatt is understandably concerned about payback if the ruling doesn’t go her way. Elsewhere, public defender Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) talks his way into an underground Navy poker game during Fleet Week.
The Good Doctor
The learning curve for autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) has been rather steep over the medical drama’s seven seasons. You’d think he might give some slack to med student Charlie (Kayla Cromer), who’s also on the spectrum,—but her incessant questioning is working his last, already fragile nerve. In a season notable for new babies on board, adoptive mom Morgan (Fiona Gubelmann) frets about who to name as infant Eden’s guardian should she be incapacitated. Is she once again keeping her frustrated love interest Dr. Park (Will Yun Lee) out of the decision?
Shōgun
The epic adventure’s most exciting episode to date stages a tricky exit from Osaka for English pilot Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who barely survived an assassination attempt, and other allies of Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). The action is fierce on both land and sea as ambushes await on multiple fronts.
INSIDE TUESDAY TV:
- The Rookie (9/8c, ABC): The honeymoon period for Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey (Jenna Dewan) doesn’t last long when their getaway turns into an active crime scene. Back on the beat, Tim (Eric Winter) partners with Celina (Lisseth Chavez) as they try to ID a John Doe.
- Port Protection Alaska (9/8c, National Geographic): The reality docuseries’ fifth season opens with citizens young and old coping with the aftereffects of a tough winter.
- A Revolution on Canvas (9/8c, HBO): A provocative documentary follows the efforts of Sara Nodjoumi (who co-directed the film with Till Schauder) to locate more than 100 paintings, once considered “treasonous” by Iran’s authoritarian regime, painted by Sara’s artist father before fleeing the war-torn country in 1980.
- Bail Jumpers (10/9c, Investigation Discovery): Ride along with bounty hunters and their newly caught fugitives in a reality series, launching with back-to-back episodes, as they talk candidly about everything from pregnancy and true-crime obsession—ID fans can relate—to alien abduction.
ON THE STREAM:
- The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping (streaming on Netflix): A three-part investigative docuseries exposes the cult-like abuses and manipulation of children sent to The Academy at Ivy Ridge, billed as a boarding school to rehabilitate troubled youth.
- Mean Girls (streaming on Paramount+): The musical version of Tina Fey’s hit comedy comes to streaming after a theatrical run in January.
- Death and Other Details (streaming on Hulu): All will be revealed as the twisty mystery-comedy wraps up its season on a floating time bomb.