The fall season kind of begins this week.
Among the returning shows: season 19 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" on Monday, Fox's 'New Girl" and "The Mindy Project" Tuesday and "The Good Wife" on CBS Sunday.
NBC's biggest show "America's Got Talent" concludes Wednesday while MTV's "Finding Carter," shot here in Atlanta, ends its first season on Tuesday (but will return next year.)
Then there are a handful of new shows. (The real flood begins next week.)
On Wednesday, Fox brings out "Red Band Society," a teen drama set in a pediatric ward and shot in Atlanta.
On the same night, NBC trots out another Debra Messing project "The Mysteries of Laura," where she plays a detective with problem twins and an insouciant attitude. (If you want to see how much critic Alan Sepinwall hated it, well here is his review. I didn't hate it quite that much but that's because I like Debra Messing, even if her character is ridiculous.)
Then on Sunday, Tea Leoni does her best imitation of a high-level government official on "Madame Secretary" on CBS.
MONDAY
"American Ninja Warrior" 8 p.m. NBC (three-hour special) — Five Americans battle foreign competitors.
"Dancing With the Stars " 8 p.m. ABC (19th season debut) — Among the celebrities this season include Lea Thompson, Tommy Chong and early favorite Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton on "Fresh Prince").
"Masterchef " 8 p.m. Fox (fifth season finale) — The top 3 contestants (Elizabeth Cauvel, Leslie Gilliams and Courtney Lapresi) create dishes for a panel of judges from all 50 U.S. states.
"The Roosevelts " 8 p.m. GPB — Teddy Roosevelt's presidency and his post-presidential life.
"Dallas " 9 p.m. TNT — Bobby tries to save lives in the wake of a family kidnapping.
"Terror at the Mall " 9 p.m. HBO — A look at the Sept. 21, 2013, attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya by Somali militants that killed more than five dozen people.
" Atlanta Exes " 9:30 p.m. VH1 — Sheree seeks Torrei's help to find her father.
"Under the Dome " 10 p.m. CBS — A new threat from the Dome puts the residents of Chester's Mill at risk of being crushed to death.
TUESDAY
"Dancing With the Stars" 8 p.m. ABC (special night) — The first dancer is eliminated though you won't be seeing any more results nights like this until the season finale.
"The Roosevelts" 8 p.m. GPB — Teddy's progressive crusade splits the Republican Party.
"America's Got Talent" 9 p.m. NBC — The final six.
"The Jennie Garth Project" 9 p.m. HGTV (new series) — Single mom of three Jennie Garth takes on a major renovation, gutting and remodeling a 1970s ranch house in Hollywood Hills.
"The New Girl " 9 p.m. Fox (fourth season debut) — Jess attends a wedding with the guys.
"Mindy Project " 9:30 p.m. Fox (third season debut) — Mindy and Danny try to find a balance between work and romance.
"Finding Carter " 10 p.m. MTV (first season finale) — Carter uncovers dark secrets
"Kim of Queens " 10 p.m. Lifetime (second season debut) — Auditions for new talent and a wake-up call for Johns Creek resident Kim Gravels returning pros due to two fresh clients who crank up the competition.
"Sons of Anarchy " 10 p.m. FX — AMCRO solicits help from another charter to finish a job.
"Brickleberry " 10:30 p.m. Comedy (third season debut)— President Obama visits in this animated series created by two Athens men.
WEDNESDAY
"Hell's Kitchen" 8 p.m. Fox —A unique team challenge involves the chefs completing recipes printed on the backs of their jackets.
"America's Got Talent" 8 p.m. NBC (ninth season finale) — The winner is named. Emily West perhaps?
"Legends" 9 p.m. TNT— Fallout from a shoot-out finds Martin taking Kyle Dobson into custody.
"Red Band Society" 9 p.m. Fox (new series) — Life in a Los Angeles hospital's pediatric ward, where teen patients deal with life-threatening illnesses and bond over their experiences.
"The Bridge" 10 p.m. FX — Sonya faces off with Eleanor.
"Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" 9 p.m. OWN (third season fall debut) — Marcus accidentally takes dog fertility drugs.
"Extant" 10 p.m. CBS (first season finale) — Molly returns to space to redirect the Seraphim away from Earth.
" Franklin & Bash" 10 p.m. TNT — The guys advocate for an injured stripper.
" The Mysteries of Laura" 10 p.m. NBC (new series) — If you can buy Debra Messing as a detective, this show is for you.
"Top Chef: Duels" 10 p.m. Bravo — Nyessa Arrington vs. Jen Carroll.
THURSDAY
"The Roosevelts" 8 p.m. GPB — FDR introduces the New Deal.
"The Biggest Loser" 8 p.m. NBC — Who would have thunk that former tennis star Zina Garrison would be the first one ousted?
"Haven" 8 p.m. Syfy — A death strikes a hard blow to Duke.
"Project Runway" 9 p.m. Lifetime — The designers try to deliver stylish, age-appropriate looks for the American girl. Kini looks to be a frontrunner.
"Rush" 9 p.m. USA (first season finale) — Rush struggles to make life changes for Sarah, but continues to be haunted by the ghost of his past..
"Satisfaction " 10 p.m. USA (first season finale) — Neil and Grace face the fallout from their secrets while Adriana is startled by a new arrival.
FRIDAY
"The Roosevelts" 8 p.m. GPB — FDR prepares America to enter World War II. Eleanor tries to maintain New Deal reformers during wartime.
"Utopia " 8 p.m. Fox — Ratings have been soft but execs preach patience.
"Love It Or List It Too " 9 p.m. HGTV (third season finale) — Jillian comes up with an open-concept renovation for a heritage house with an old-fashioned layout.
"The Knick " 10 p.m. Cinemax — Thackery and Bertie test a new operating-room procedure.
"Z Nation " 10 p.m. Syfy — In New Jersey, the survivors run out of fuel and embark on a dangerous mission to replenish their supply.
WEEKEND
"Cedar Cove" 8 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — Jack doubts himself in the newsroom.
"Doctor Who" 9 p.m. Saturday BBCA — The Doctor attempts to break into the most dangerous bank in the Cosmos.
"Outlander" 9 p.m. Saturday Starz — Claire enters into a forced marriage with Jamie, but soon begins to experience deeper feelings for him.
"The Roosevelts" 8 p.m. Saturday GPB (finale) — The finals years for FDR and Eleanor.
"Hell on Wheels" 9 p.m. Saturday AMC — Cullen makes a decision to ensure his family's safety.
"Iyanla Fix My Life" 9 p.m. Saturday OWN — Part three about an Atlanta man with 34 kids from 17 women.
"Madame Secretary" 8:30 p.m. Sunday CBS (new series)— Tea Leoni plays a female Secretary of State.
"Boardwalk Empire" 9 p.m. Sunday HBO — Margaret finds herself in a pickle due to her dealings with the late Arnold Rothstein when his widow starts snooping around his covert affairs.
"Ray Donovan" 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Ray makes preparations in case he is arrested.
"The Good Wife" 9:30 p.m. Sunday CBS (sixth season debut)— Alicia refuses to run for State's Attorney despite Eli's attempts to persuade her to launch a campaign.
"The Lottery" 10 p.m. Sunday Lifetime — Vanessa confronts Darius about his plans and surprises him by trying to subvert them.
"Manhattan" 10 p.m. Sunday WGN — Frank and Charlie hatch a plan.
"Masters of Sex" 10 p.m. Sunday Showtime — A television crew arrives to document Masters and Johnson's work.
"The Strain" 10 p.m. Sunday FX — Zack risks his safety for Mariela.
"Mr. Pickles" 10 p.m. Sunday Adult Swim (new series) — Tommy looks for a job to impress a girl.
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