ABC shuffles the comedy deck, and Jason Ritter (Probably) Saves The World

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Tuesday, October 3. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

The Middle/Fresh Off The Boat/Black-ish/The Mayor/Kevin (Probably) Saves The World (ABC, 8-10 p.m.): Tonight, ABC launches the most promising new comedy of the fall season with a boatload of support: The Mayor stands at the end of a run that includes a cherished favorite starting its farewell tour and the network’s two sturdiest returning comedies. The rapper-turned-elected official played by Brandon Micheal Hall is tasked with retaining The Alphabet’s family-comedy stronghold and revitalizing his hometown; immediately following The Mayor’s premiere, Jason Ritter has a similarly major onus placed on him. In Kevin (Probably) Saves The World, Ritter plays a down-on-his-luck guy who comes into contact with a meteorite and learns he’s one of 36 souls keeping life on Earth in balance—and he has to locate the other 35. It’s a lot to process, but creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are experienced hands here (most recently Agent Carter, most relevantly Reaper), and it’s familiar territory for Ritter, too. You can find first impressions of The Mayor here; Ashley Ray-Harris is on the Black-ish premiere beat.

Regular coverage

The Mindy Project (Hulu)
This Is Us (NBC, 9 p.m.)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 9:30 p.m.)
American Horror Story (FX, 10 p.m.)
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC, 10 p.m.)

Wild card

MLB Special: ALWC: Twins at Yankees (ESPN, 8 p.m.): Major League Baseball’s postseason kicks off in the Bronx, with one game determining who’ll move on to the American League Division Series on Thursday. The winner earns the privilege, so to speak, of facing off with Cleveland, defending their AL pennant and relatively fresh from from a 22-game winning streak. So good luck, future American League Wild Card champs!