New International Intrigue for The Diplomat, 9-1-1 & Greys Anatomy Return, Horror at Crystal Lake

The stakes are higher than ever — and so is the entertainment value — in the fourth season of the gripping political thriller, starring Actor Award winner Keri Russell as the harried diplomat Kate Wyler, ambassador to the U.K. and spouse of the calculating U.S. Vice President Hal (a droll Rufus Sewell). A geopolitical crisis generated by their reckless boss, President Grace Penn (Emmy winner Allison Janney), moves the world closer to the brink of war while a battle of the sexes plays out on multiple fronts. I’m not always a fan of Netflix‘s binge model, but when a show is this much rip-roaring fun, I get it. All eight episodes drop at once, and I bet you can’t watch just one.

The wait is over for fans of ABC’s popular rescue and medical procedurals. The 9-1-1 mothership launches its 10th season in fiery style, with the latest catastrophe taxing the first responders of L.A.’s 118 firehouse: an erupting volcano spewing molten lava onto the city streets. Not to be outdone, 9-1-1: Nashville (9/8c) opens its season by inflicting murder hornets on the unsuspecting Music City. The evening ends with the Season 23 premiere of Grey’s Anatomy (10/9c), where the Grey Sloan staff treats patients injured after a collision at the Sea-Tac airport, a crisis that disrupts the unveiling of the hospital’s new VIP floor.

Linda Cardellini, a favorite since bursting on the scene in Freaks and Geeks back before the turn of the century, shifts gears decidedly downward from her deservedly Emmy-winning work on last season’s DTF St. Louis to this WTF prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise. Even when her face is obscured by gore, Cardellini elevates the character of Pamela Voorhees — the deeply damaged mother of the soon-to-be-infamous Jason — with as much soul as she can bring to the melodrama of a grieving mother who watched her special-needs son (Callum Vinson) drown — or did he? — at the iconic summer camp. Pam gets her own tortured psycho backstory, which erupts violently whenever anyone corners her or gets on her bad side. Recommended only to Friday fanatics, and even they will struggle to get to the juicy — by which we mean bloody — parts of this sluggish exercise in IP exploitation.

The latest change of the guard on the long-running crime drama brings an emotional farewell to Reid Scott’s Det. Vincent Riley, who appears to be coming under fire in NBC‘s teaser for his swan-song episode. Ryan Eggold (New Amsterdam) is expected to return as Riley’s brother Matt, last seen in a coma after being stabbed for snitching while helping Vince solve a case. Coming aboard to join Det. Theo Walker (David Ajala) on the crime-solving front: James Badge Dale (24) as streetwise Det. Rob Calvino.

“They’re out to get me.” That’s how this wildly entertaining legal dramedy introduces one of several cast additions in its second episode: Nik Dodani (Atypical) as Vik Malhotra, a coder who’s being scapegoated by his employers for a malfunctioning drone that killed a spectator during a light show.He turns to Michael (Mike Colter) and Olivia (Rachel Keller) for help at their burgeoning David-vs-Tech Goliath firm. The new partners are in desperate need of funding, so Olivia takes a swing at wooing Natalia Boutella (the hilarious Busy Philipps), ex-wife of the third-richest man in America and no fan of arrogant tech titans. The episode also introduces stage star Rob McClure as Bo, a most unusual whistleblower with first-hand knowledge of the potential danger of unregulated AI.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• The Traitors (8/7c, NBC): The funeral for the Traitors’ latest victim leads to a contentious roundtable.
• Hell’s Kitchen (8/7c, Fox): A beer pong challenge is the pretext for testing the chefs’ ability to pair alcohol with protein. Followed by a new episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test (9/8c).
• Eternally Yours (8:30/7:30c, CBS): In the supernatural comedy’s second episode, the coven looks at Max (Jaren Lewison) as a “baby vampire,” and can you blame the poor guy for waking up undead and being in denial? The comedic crisis escalates when Max sneaks out of the house to go back to work to make a presentation. Preceded by a new episode of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (8/7c).
• American Horror Story: 13 (9/8c, FX, streaming on Hulu): The witches learn of an ancient evil in back-to-back episodes.
• Elsbeth (9/8c, CBS): The guest-star cast is off the charts as Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) investigates the death of a young playwright, with appearances by Succession‘s Nicholas Braun, The Waltons alum Richard Thomas, The Wire‘s John Doman, Broadway’s Isaac Powell, and Betsy Aidem and Knicks superstar OG Anunoby.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c, NBC): When a boy disappears while attending a carnival, the search becomes linked to an older abduction.
• Coven Academy (9/8c, Freeform): The witchy fantasy wraps its first season with three episodes.
• War (9/8c, HBO): A prenup creates hurdles for the lawyers representing movie star Carla (Sienna Miller), and to break it, they plot to exploit her estranged husband Morgan’s (Dominic West) relationship with his stepson.
• Archive X: Unexplained Phenomena (10/9c, Sundance TV): The series digs into archives revealing the government’s secret research into precognition.

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