The TV landscape has never been littered with so many comic book heroes, but my favorite of the bunch just might be “Constantine” (NBC, 10 p.m..), adapted from a DC comic but not requiring costumes and capes.
Its star Matthew Ryan helps make it work, bringing a world-weariness and stated reluctance to his job as a demon fighter, aided as usual by TV’s overall ability to show improved special effects. It is the humor and some restraint that makes this adaptation of the star from “Swamp Thing” and “Hellblazer” a hero we can cheer. It also serves as good fit with “Grimm” (NBC, 9 p.m.), which starts its fourth season, with Nick getting worse as keeping his identity secret.
The unusual pairing for a duets record proved worthy of a whole album and concert with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet joining forces to sing standards on “Great Performances” (PBS, 9:30 p.m., check local listings), taped from a Jazz at Lincon Center concert in July. While Gaga seems at a point where she could use any boost she could get, the collaboration also proves that you can’t tarnish the ever-smooth Bennett at 88 no matter what you do.
It’s quite a night for music, it turns out, with the full length documentary “Leave the World Behind: Swedish House Mafia’s Final Tour” (Showtime, 9 p.m.) about the dance music group’s swan song.
And for his second episode of “Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways” (HBO, 11 p.m.), Dave Grohl goes back to his hometown in suburban Virginia and relives his youth in the D.C. punk scene, interviewing some of his heroes from back in the day, including the talky Ian MacKaye of Fugazi.
Online, a second season tumbles forth for “Alpha House” (Netflix, streaming). It begins with a delightful Bill Murray as a senator behind bars, chatting with Jane Pauley, before it turns to John Goodman, who has just engineered a military award to someone from his district who announces he’ll be his political opponent. A number of actual politicians pop up this season. But the series still is never as funny as it should be and still doesn’t justify taking Garry Trudeau abandoning his duties as a daily “Doonesbury” cartoonist to produce this.
Scheduled guests on a new “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO, 10 p.m.) include Cornel West, Mary Matalin, Chloe Maxim, John Avlon and James Risen.
Fans flex their muscle and vote an ousted contestant back into the competition on “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW, 9 p.m.). So take that, Tyra.
“Dateline” (NBC, 8 p.m.) looks into a case of a woman who went missing just before her college graduation.
“The Amazing Race” (CBS, 8 p.m.) shifts to Morocco.
Tempers rise when “Christela” (ABC, 8:30 p.m.) is mistaken for the nanny.
It’s all even at 1-1 in the World Series as action moves to Northern California with Kansas City at San Francisco (Fox, 8 p.m.). Little Big Town sings the anthem.
The Friday night series of films set in Africa on Turner Classic Movies offers “Out of Africa” (8 p.m.), “Gorillas in the Mist” (10:45 p.m.), “The English Patient” (1 a.m. ) and “Tarzan and his Mate” (4 a.m.).
Preseason basketball includes Spurs vs. Rockets (NBA, 8 p.m.) and Trail Blazers vs. Clippers (NBA, 10:30 p.m.).
College football includes South Florida vs. Cincinnati (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), Troy vs. South Alabama (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.), BYU vs. Boise State (ESPN, 8 p.m.) and Oregon vs. California (Fox Sports 1, 10 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Howie Mandel, Gretchen Mol. The View: Edward Norton, Annie Lennox. The Talk: Neil Patrick Harris, Scott Elrod, Justin Hartley, Burgess Jenkins, Gina Tognoni, Reed Alexander, Pat Harvey. Ellen DeGeneres: Sean Hayes. Wendy Williams: Segun Oduolowu, Ali Wentworth, Sabrina Soto, Fabio Viviani. Meredith Vieira: Nick Cannon. Queen Latifah: Laurence Fishburne, cast of “Shark Tank.”
Late Talk
David Letterman: Jerry Seinfeld, Cirque du Soleil (rerun). Jimmy Fallon: Claire Danes, Mon’e Davis, Fences featuring Macklemore (rerun). Seth Meyers: Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney (rerun). Craig Ferguson: Tenacious D. Carson Daly: Melissa Fumero, the Front Bottoms (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Annie Lennox.