A return to prime time for Biel, Lowe
Has it really been 20 years since Jessica Biel played Mary Camden on the WB’s family melodrama “7th Heaven”? On “The Sinner” (10 p.m., USA, TV-14), she stars as a young mother who kills a man in a violent manner in broad daylight and in plain sight of strangers.
While there is no doubt as to what she did, the motives behind her uncharacteristic rampage puzzle the lead investigator (Bill Pullman) and should inspire viewers to stick around for the “why” of this eight-episode limited series whodunit, a question that leads our suspect to question her very sanity and identity.
FEMALE PERSPECTIVE
Mad and even homicidal housewives are among the broad characters portrayed on the ensemble series “Baroness von Sketch Show” (10 p.m., IFC, TV-14). The four female stars of this sketch group — including Meredith MacNeill and Second City alumni Carolyn Taylor, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen — write and produce all their own material.
The 13-episode Canadian series offers rapid-fire scenes emphasizing the banal and even vicious chatter between women in offices, on public transport, in hospitals and on girls night outings. We see a boss use her desire to “mentor” in order to lord over a new employee; two “friends” seem disappointed when a fire at a friend’s house didn’t involve more tragedy. A nurse cannot focus on the relative of a hospital patient because of her constantly ringing cellphone, and four women bury the body of a bad boyfriend, “Goodfellas”-style, a short sketch that slyly illustrates how people of different genders approach the same grim task.
SUPERNATURAL SEARCH
Rob Lowe also returns to prime time with “The Lowe Files” (10 p.m., A&E, TV-PG). “The West Wing” star lends his celebrity to yet another series searching for the supernatural in such places as abandoned schools, hospitals and institutions.
As you can expect from Rob Lowe, the show focuses on the breezy. While the star does interview “experts” in the field and employs the dubious gadgetry of the ghost-hunting industry, “The Lowe Files” maintains a light, campfire-story vibe. In the premiere episode, he and his sons visit Preston Castle, a condemned former boys reformatory in Ione, California, built in the 19th century.
GORE’S LIFE’S WORK
Al Gore hosts “An Inconvenient Special” (7:30 p.m., MTV), a town-hall conversation about climate change with an accent on the concerns of young people about the world they will inherit.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, repeat, TV-PG) reviews its best auditions.
› On two helpings of “Salvation” (CBS, TV-14), a secret shared (9 p.m.), a murder unsolved (10 p.m.).
› Franklin dithers on “Snowfall” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
› Arthur helps a sheriff on “Blood Drive” (10 p.m., Syfy, TV-MA).
› A new suspect emerges on “Broadchurch” (10 p.m., BBC America, TV-14).
› Locked inside on “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› A team challenge on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› On two episodes of “The Goldbergs” (ABC, repeat, TV-PG), paintball (8 p.m.), cold comfort (10:30 p.m.).
› Laurel Lance returns on “Arrow” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-14).
› Perfection on “Speechless” (8:30 p.m., ABC, repeat, TV-PG).
› On two episodes of “The Carmichael Show” (NBC, TV-PG), higher education (9 p.m.), making America great again (9:30 p.m., repeat).
› A culinary showdown on “The F Word With Gordon Ramsay” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.