Tony & Ziva’s European Adventures, Peacock’s ‘Paper,’ New Inspector Lynley Mysteries, NFL Kickoff

“We’ve never had any problems with chemistry,” Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) boasts of her complicated relationship with fellow former NCIS agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). You think? The sparks continue to fly in a breezy, colorful spinoff that sends the not-quite-couple through Europe, from Paris to Milan to Budapest, as fugitives from Interpol after being framed for … who cares? What longtime NCIS fans (many of whom wish the show were airing on CBS) want to see is Ziva being fierce—which she is, especially when it comes to protecting their daughter Tali—and Tony being glib and charming between fistfights and car chases. (“You make paranoia poetic” is his idea of a sweet nothing). The series launches with three episodes.

Depending on your fondness for local journalism, you may not know whether to laugh or cry when, on his first day on the job as the new editor-in-chief of the near-death Toledo Truth Teller, idealistic Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) is asked which paper he works for: “News or toilet?” The deft workplace comedy, from The Office‘s Greg Daniels, shares that classic’s mock-documentary format and even the same fictional camera crew, as Ned tries to turn around the struggling Ohio newspaper’s fortunes with a skeleton staff of mostly volunteers, sharing a floor with a more profitable toilet-paper company. Like The Office, it strikes a universal chord with its endearingly amusing ensemble of would-bes and never-wases. (See the full review.)

Elizabeth George’s best-selling mysteries have inspired a second series—the first aired from 2001-2008—with Leo Suter assuming the title role of blue-blooded Detective Inspector Tommy Lynley and Sofia Barclay as his brash, working-class colleague, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Their first meeting is hardly auspicious, but the abrasive Havers knows if she doesn’t play nice this time, she could be out of a job. Their initial case involves a murder on a remote private island, where her impulse to rush to judgment clashes with Lynley’s more cautious approach. “Don’t you just ever go with your gut?” she barks. Her more pressing query, “What is a bloke like you doing in a job like this?” is what has kept people reading George’s books for decades. (Her long-awaited latest, A Slowly Dying Cause, will be released Sept. 23.)

Yes, we know it’s only Thursday, but the top-rated sports franchise once again launches the regular NFL season before the weekend, with the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC East rivalry matchup (8:15/7:15c). The Eagles’ Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts takes on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, who’s recovered from a hamstring injury midway through last season. But can his team recover from the controversial trade of star player Micah Parsons?

The spotlight falls on one of the Enterprise‘s most enjoyable characters, spunky pilot Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia), who’s been struggling all season after her violent encounter with the Gorn. Insisting she’s good to go for a solo mission—“Flying’s my happy place”—Ortegas heads into uncharted space, where her shuttle is sucked into a wormhole, stranding her on a moon she describes as a “flying tombstone.” While her crew desperately tries to make contact, Ortegas embarks on a harrowing survival adventure, making a most unusual contact along the way.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• The Sunshine Murders (8/7c, UPtv): Greece is the word for this sunny light mystery, in which Athens detective Helen Moustakas (Dora Chrysikou) is stunned when the half-sister she never knew she had, New Zealand farmer Shirley Rangi (Emily Corcoran), suddenly appears on the scene and proves herself adept at helping Helen solve crimes. Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Marina Sirtis co-stars as Helen’s feisty mom.
• City Eats: Savannah (8:30/7:30c, AspireTV): Celebrity chef G. Garvin leads a culinary tour of the historic Georgia city.
• Project Runway (10/9c, Freeform; streaming on Disney+): Giddyap for a “Runway Rodeo” as the designers put their modern spin on Western chic.
• True Crime Story: Smugshot (10/9c, SundanceTV): The offbeat true-crime docuseries turns its attention to French-Tunisian rapper and Internet celebrity Swagg Man, whose swagger isn’t enough to keep him from being found guilty of fraud.

ON THE STREAM:

• Countdown: Canelo vs. Crawford (streaming on Netflix): With narration in English by Josh Brolin and in Spanish by Diego Luna, a documentary special follows boxers Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford as they train for the middleweight bout scheduled to stream live on Sept. 13.
• Blood & Myth (streaming on Hulu): Based on the true-crime podcast by Native Alaska writer/musician James Dommek Jr., a documentary depicts Dommek’s investigation into crimes committed by fellow tribesman and actor Teddy Kyle Smith, who claimed he had been influenced by mythic creatures well known to their people.