THURSDAY’S BEST PICKS
1 PM ( GOLF) PGA Tour Golf The municipal links of Memorial Park Golf Course is the scene for the next four days as some of the PGA’s top golfers tee it up in the Houston Open. Lanto Griffin emerged victorious here a year ago, taking the lead with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and clinching it with a six-foot par on No. 18 that gave him a 3-under 69 and a one-shot victory.
8 PM $ Young Sheldon Season 4 of this “The Big Bang Theory” spinoff opens with “Graduation,” a reference to title character Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) very early graduation from high school. The boy genius suffers a breakdown, though, when he has a crisis of confidence over whether he’s ready to begin college. Elsewhere, Dale (guest star Craig T. Nelson) tries to make amends with Meemaw (Annie Potts). Wallace Shawn also guest stars; Zoe Perry and Lance Barber also star.
8 PM _ NFL Football Payback may be on the minds of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers tonight at Levi’s Stadium, where they’ll take on Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers. The last time these teams met was in January, when journeyman running back Raheem Mostert ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns as the Niners punched their ticket to Super Bowl LIV with a 37-20 victory over the Pack in the NFC Championship game.
8 PM G Supernatural Richard Speight Jr., who has played multiple guest roles on this action thriller during its long broadcast history, directs tonight’s new episode “Despair,” which finds Sam and Dean (Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles) teaming up with Castiel and Jack (Misha Collins, Alexander Calvert) in service to the common good, now that their plan against Chuck has swung into motion.
8:30 PM $ B Positive “Mom” writerproducer colleagues Chuck Lorre and Marco Pennette co-created this provocative new comedy series starring Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”) as a therapist and recently divorced father who learns he needs a kidney transplant. He finds a willing donor in an unlikely person: Gina (Broadway’s Annaleigh Ashford), a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past. This medical connection begins a mutual journey that will change both their lives. Kether Donohue (“You’re the Worst”) and Sara Rue (“Mom”) also star; Jason Kravits, Tim Bagley and Amy Pietz guest star in the “Pilot.”
9 PM G The Outpost Tobin (Aaron Fontaine) returns to the outpost leading an army, but also harboring a secret, in the new episode “Under Yavalla’s Control.” Elsewhere, with Talon (Jessica Green) pressing for answers, a bitter fight in the Throne Room ends in death, imprisonment and a new commander of the Outpost. Izuka Hoyle, Jake Stormoen, Adam Johnson, Imogen Waterhouse and Jaye Griffiths also star.
9:01 PM $ Mom Chuck Lorre’s dark but funny comedy series about characters in recovery for substance addiction returns for its eighth season without one of its leading ladies, Anna Faris, who has departed the show for other ventures. Her colleague, Oscar and Emmy winner Allison Janney, continues in her role as Bonnie, who invites the other women in her social circle to a slumber party that includes some childhood games that reveal adult issues in “Sex Bucket and the Grammar Police,” the season premiere. Mimi Kennedy and Jaime Pressly also return. 10:01 PM ( A&E) The First 48 Presents
Critical Minutes This new(ish) docuseries looks back at some of the most memorable cases in the history of “The First 48,” with each episode presenting cases that share a common theme and hosted by former featured detectives on the original series. The opener is set in Memphis, Tenn., where the tragic murder of six people in a house on Lester Street tears a family apart. Elsewhere, the disappearance of a Navy veteran in Tulsa finally yields answers after nearly two years.
11 PM (SUND) Deutschland 89 Martin (Jonas Nay) is drugged by the West Germans and interrogated in a new episode ironically titled “Magic.” Meanwhile, the KGB endangers Martin’s new love interest, Nicole (Svenja Jung), and Max (Ari Kurecki). Elsewhere, the West Germans rope Martin into travelling with them to Frankfurt, while Lenora (Maria Schrader) approaches Fuchs (Uwe Preuss) to gain access to a weapons stash. Sylvester Groth also stars.