It’s ‘Good Doctor’ meets ‘Good Girls’
Television ratings are often about showing us the goods. Last Monday shaped up to be a battle between the “Goods,” pitting ABC’s “The Good Doctor,” the breakout freshman show of the year, against “Good Girls” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14). While some are touting it as a success for “Good Girls,” I’m not sure that comedy will work out so well in the long run.
For starters, “Good Girls” had the advantage of heavy promotion during more than two weeks of Olympic coverage. It also had a two-hour lead-in from “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG). That musical showcase was introducing Kelly Clarkson as the newest judge. Its audience of more than 12 million total viewers was nearly twice the size of “The Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14), the lead-in for “The Good Doctor.” Despite all the advantages for “Good Girls,” “The Good Doctor” had the larger total audience. “Good Girls” had a slight advantage in the number and share of viewers ages 18 to 49.
“The Good Doctor” will not air tonight to make way for Arie’s three-hour trip home on “The Bachelor” to introduce his ersatz intendeds to the family. On tonight’s “Good Girls,” the ladies deal with their own money woes while trying to scrounge up enough dough to keep violent gang members at bay. I’m no soothsayer, but given the choice between a schmaltzy feel-good drama about a boyish surgeon and a gang of female gun-toting bank robbers, viewers will consistently go with the guy in scrubs.
QUEEN OF THE NILE
Speaking of formidable women, Smithsonian launches a two-part profile of “Cleopatra” (8 p.m.), part of a monthlong salute to “Epic Warrior Women.” Filled with reenactments and computer graphics, “Cleopatra” revisits the Egyptian queen’s story, best known from Shakespeare’s tragedy “Antony and Cleopatra,” and adds historical information more sensational than anything dreamed up by the Bard of Avon.
Narrated by Lynda Carter, future installments of “Epic Warrior Women” will profile “Amazons” (March 19); “Gladiatrix” (March 26) and “Africa’s Amazons” (April 2).
GEAR SHIFTER
Life teaches us that the best way to star on a reality show is to have already appeared on a reality show. “Fast N’ Loud” personality Aaron Kaufman returns to host “Shifting Gears With Aaron Kaufman” (10:17 p.m., Discovery, TV-14). He’s assembled a team at his Dallas-based shop, Arclight Fabrication, where he will assemble vehicles ready to be tested in the harshest conditions on Earth.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Hollywood loves a bad boy on “Lucifer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Type-A behavior on “The Resident” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› The new series “The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over” (9 p.m., ID, TV-14) focuses on efforts to identify a prolific serial killer who terrorized California in the 1970s.
› Sara confronts her dark past on “The Alienist” (9 p.m., TNT, TV-MA).
› The team stumbles upon an armed robbery on “Scorpion” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› A three-dimensional chess game unfolds in Prague on “McMafia” (10 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
› Too many cooks on “Kevin Can Wait” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› A return to Checkpoint Charlie on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
› Daddy’s little girl on “Man With a Plan” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Franco’s girl may be striking a pose on “Superior Donuts” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Elderly brains conjure up a drawing room murder mystery on “iZombie” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
› Chip confronts his smartphone addiction on “Living Biblically” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin. tvguy@gmail.com.