‘9-1-1’ Crossover, ‘Ted’ Talks Again, Campus Crush in ‘Vladimir,’ ‘It’s Not Like That’ Finale

You knew this was coming. In the first crossover of the franchise’s Nashville era, Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) leave L.A. for Music City to take part in the national firefighter games. When they get there, in 9-1-1: Nashville (9/8c), they face some stiff competition in the father-and-son team of Don (Chris O’Donnell) and Ryan (Michael Provost) — and the latter isn’t likely to be thrilled when Don hurts his hand, causing his half-brother Blue (Hunter McVey) to step in.

The raunchy prequel to the even raunchier film franchise returns for a second season of unexpurgated laughs, with sex-obsessed John Bennett (Parenthood‘s Max Burkholder) now a high-school senior. His awkward coming of age is complicated by his codependency on the potty-mouthed teddy bear and constant companion Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), who urges him on in all the most inappropriate ways. Turns out it’s not easy to play wingman, or even wing bear, when “you’re stoned 15 hours a day.”

Reckless desire is on the syllabus in this adult dramedy set on a leafy college campus, where an emotionally stalled professor whose name we never learn (Rachel Weisz) becomes obsessed with the hot new married-with-infant colleague (Leo Woodall) who befriends her at his peril. Dissatisfied in an open marriage (to Mad Men‘s John Slattery) that has grown stale, and with her husband facing sexual-misconduct charges on campus, her neuroses are exposed whenever she turns to the camera to break the fourth wall and let us in on what she’s constantly thinking. On Fleabag, this was usually saucy and funny. Here, it gets tiresome pretty quickly.

I look forward to more people discovering this engaging family drama when it’s made available on a wider platform, and it’s expected to get a global launch on Prime Video at a future date. For now, the freshman season ends at Christmas, the first holiday since pastor Malcolm’s (Scott Foley) wife passed away, making for some tear-jerking moments in the Jeffries home. Adding to the stress: daughter Flora’s (Leven Miranda) relationship with the troubled teen Merritt (Caleb Baumann), whose family is so intertwined with Malcolm’s that their holiday dinner is going to be even more fraught than usual. And then there’s Merritt’s mom, Lori (Erinn Hayes), Malcolm’s closest friend and confidante, whose divorce from David (J.R. Martinez) has become complicated by lingering affections. The show’s title notwithstanding, we know we’re supposed to be rooting for Malcolm and Lori to connect, but is this the right time?

A slip of the lip on live TV has consequences for Mandy (Emily Osment) and all around her, threatening her job, Georgie’s (Montana Jordan) tire business, and even the family’s reputation. Guest stars include Young Sheldon‘s Zoe Perry as Georgie’s mom, Mary, and Matt Hobby as Pastor Jeff. Followed by Ghosts (8:30/7:30c), where a newly discovered bunker ghost causes havoc at an inopportune time when Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) are trying to get their Woodstone B&B on a luxury hotel list.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Law & Order (8/7c, NBC): The murder of a high-profile wellness expert has the prosecutors wondering whether the victim’s past will hurt or help their case. Followed by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c), where a baby monitor picks up a signal that reveals a young boy is in danger, and Griffin (Corey Cott) jumps into action to find him.
• Movieguide Faith & Values Awards Gala (8/7c, Great American Family): Cameron Mathison hosts the 33^rd celebration of family-friendly fare at the Avalon Hollywood.
• Matlock (9/8c, CBS): With Julian (Jason Ritter) now in the loop of deception, Matty (Kathy Bates) brings him along to snoop on the ex-wife of a Wellbrexa pharmaceutical executive.
• Animal Control (9/8c, Fox): Frank (Joel McHale) makes room for his dad (John Procaccino) when he moves in after suffering a heart attack. Followed by Going Dutch (9:30/8:30c), with the Colonel (Denis Leary) celebrating his 20^th year of service by going camping with the guys, only to have General Davidson (Joe Morton) invite himself along.
• Predator Hunters (9/8c, A&E): A true-crime series digs into the files of 30-year Detective Tony Godwin and his Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force from North Texas as they target online child predators.
• Ladies of London: The New Reign (9/8c, Bravo): After a nine-year hiatus, the reality show from across the pond returns with a two-hour premiere as British socialites and American expats live it up on camera.
• Grey’s Anatomy (10/9c, ABC): There’s tension in the operating room between Teddy (Kim Raver) and Winston (Anthony Hill), and anxiety for new parents Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Link (Chris Carmack) when they leave their twins with a nanny for the first time.
• Elsbeth (10/9c, CBS): Emmy winner Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere) guests when Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) wigs out while investigating the murder of a celebrity wigmaker.

ON THE STREAM: