Madam Secretary
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, one of this drama’s executive producers, has multiple jobs as the series starts its second season with The Show Must Go On. He directed the story and also guest stars as the Supreme Court’s chief justice, who factors into Elizabeth’s (Tea Leoni) duties when the president’s plane vanishes. Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan) becomes a recurring cast member as Henry’s (Tim Daly) new intelligence-agency handler. (CBS, Global)
HEARTLAND
The title of tonight’s Season 9 première is Brave New World, and that Shakespearean phrase has resonance for nearly everyone in the Bartlett and Fleming families, many of whom will experience a true sea change in their lives in the weeks to come. In the season opener, Amy and Georgie (Amber Marshall, Alisha Newton) try to rescue an injured horse from the woods amid reports that a dangerous bear is on the prowl. (CBC)
THE GOOD WIFE
Alicia (Julianna Margulies) is back where she started professionally, more or less, as Season 7 opens with Bond. She finds a rival in attorney Lucca Quinn (new cast regular Cush Jumbo). Emmy Award-winner Margo Martindale (The Americans) also joins the show in a recurring role as an adviser to Peter’s (Chris Noth) presidential campaign, which puts her very much on Eli’s (Alan Cumming) radar. Guest stars Michael J. Fox and Mo Rocca return. (CBS, Global)
CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON
Jessi Cruickshank returns to host Season 2 of this reality competition series, in which four participants go head-to-head in a series of mind-bending challenges designed to test linguistic, physical, musical, visual, social and logical smarts. Heartland star Amber Marshall is a celebrity guest for this season première. (CBC)
DOMINION
In the season finale, Sine Deo Nihil, David (Anthony Head) makes a final sacrifice to secure his survival as the 8-Ball Army breaches the Vega city walls. Gabriel (Carl Beukes) forces Michael (Tom Wisdom) back to Mallory, where a chilling surprise awaits them. (Showcase)
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD
This new spinoff series to The Walking Dead, which returns next week, has packed quite a number of thrills into its sixepisode first season, which wraps up with an episode called The Good Man. Events build to a cliffhanger as civil unrest grows and the dead take over, forcing Travis and Madison (Cliff Curtis, Kim Dickens) to devise ways to protect their families. (AMC Canada)
THE AFFAIR
Fans of this critically acclaimed yet under-watched drama will get a broader perspective in Season 2, which premières tonight, as the series starts to offer the viewpoints of the wronged spouses, Helen and Cole (Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson), as well as their unfaithful partners, Noah and Alison (Dominic West, Ruth Wilson). In the season première, Noah and Helen try to have an amicable divorce, but conflict inevitably ensues. (Movie Central)
HOMELAND
In the fifth season première, Separation Anxiety, Carrie (Claire Danes) is building a new life for herself in Berlin, almost two years after the embassy attack in Islamabad. But her peace is threatened when a request from her boss (new cast member Sebastian Koch) forces her back toward the dangerous world she thought she had left behind. (Super Channel)