A spin-off of a spin-off, “Marvel’s Agent Carter” (ABC, 8 p.m.) is a seven-episode “limited series” that briefly replaces “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and begins where Hayley Atwell first appeared as her character, in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” It goes on from there, a kind of period piece from a fictional 1940s with occasional action.
Part of the idea is perpetuation of the Marvel comics money machine — summer’s “Ant Man” is previewed in ads — but there is entertainment in the mean time of an unusual sort, during war time and with a woman with a British accent.
A gripping and ultimately dispiriting new “Frontline” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings) reports how the NRA thrives when there are mass shootings and how Congress shamefully folds with the smallest of pressure from the lobby group — even after the most horrendous of incidents which ceaselessly parade by.
Whatever happened to the profession of sports cartooning? It was a competitive thing at the turn of the last century and where Robert Ripley began his career. On off days when nothing was going on in the sports world, he’d draw oddities he collected under a title “Believe It Or Not.” Interest in those grew such that it became an industry: A cartoon feature, a book, a radio and TV show, and eventually museums. Ripley himself was an oddity as well as a ladies man who may have been the most traveled man of his day. The story is told on a new “American Experience” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings).
The closest thing to a hit on Fox recently is “MasterChef Junior” (Fox, 8 p.m.) which rushes out a third season weeks after the second ended. Another 19 smart and cute kids do amazing things in the kitchen, cry when they’re eliminated, bleed when they’re cut by knifes and are left to encourage one another when there are setbacks.
More smart kids of about the same age – 8 to 12 — are put in a competition for a $100,000 college fund on the new “Child Geniuses” (Lifetime, 10 p.m.), where crucial, parents are on hand to fret and goad.
The sixth and final season of “Cougar Town” (TBS, 10:30 p.m.) begins, with Jules agreeing to stop drinking wine while Laurie is pregnant.
Amid the usual reality gold rush yarns, here a documentary based in history, about the late 19th century clamor to get to Canada’s Yukon Territory, “The Klondike Gold Rush” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings).
Mindy goes to Stamford for a fellowship on “The Mindy Project” (Fox, 9:30 p.m.). She doesn’t seem like college material, but then again didn’t seem like doctor material either.
The broadly defined “Living Different” (Oxygen, 9 p.m.) takes in a lot of different lifestyles, from Hasidic rockers to tackle football players to a psychic healer and androgynous model.
A replay of last season’s satisfying one hour finale of “Parks and Recreation” (NBC, 8 p.m.) sets the stage for next week’s return, set two years into the future, 2017.
Nasim Pedrad is Winston’s new training officer on “New Girl” (Fox, 9 p.m.). Lisa Loeb guest stars on “About a Boy” (NBC, 9:30 p.m.) in which Marcus and Will mark a year of their odd relationship.
“Pretty Little Liars” (ABC Family, 8 p.m.) returns after its months-long hiatus with a memorial service for Mona, who went missing but whose body was never found. It accompanies the fourth season premiere of “Switched at Birth” (ABC Family, 9 p.m.).
Following the traditions of “Downton Abbey” in more ways than one this week, Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots” (OWN, 9 p.m.) also starts a new season.
A month of Tuesdays featuring 15 Robert Redford movies on Turner Classic Movies starts with “The Sting” (8 p.m.), “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (10:15 p.m.), “Jeremiah Johnson” (12:15 a.m.) and “War Hunt” (2:30 a.m.).
There’s a spate of 20 year old movies with “Jurassic Park” (AMC, 8 p.m.), “Backdraft” (TV Guide Network, 8 p.m.) and “Unforgiven” (Encore, 8 p.m.) and a 30-year-old one with “Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment” (CMT, 8 p.m.) from 1985.
Men’s college hoops tonight include Arkansas at Georgia (ESPN, 7 p.m.), Connecticut at South Florida (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), East Carolina at Cincinnati (ESPNU, 7 p.m.), Central Florida at Houston (ESPNews, 7 p.m.), Marquette at Georgetown (Fox Sports 1, 7 p.m.), Saint Louis at George Washington (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.), Oklahoma State at Iowa State (ESPN2, 9 p.m.), Ohio State at Minnesota (ESPN, 9 p.m.), Villanova at St. John’s (Fox Sports 1, 9 p.m.), Providence at Butler (CBS Sports, 9 p.m.), Auburn at Vanderbilt (ESPNU, 9 p.m.) and New Mexico at San Diego State (CBS Sports, 11 p.m.).
Pro basketball has Phoenix at Milwaukee (NBA, 8 p.m.). In NHL action, it’s San Jose at Minnesota (NBC Sports, 8 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Jessica Lange, Lucy Hale, Chris Powell. The View: Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Richard Linklater, Kathy Griffin. The Talk: Naomi Campbell, Lady Antebellum, Kevin Frazier. Ellen DeGeneres: Joaquin Phoenix, Lea Michele, Joshua Radin. Wendy Williams: Gilbert Godfried, Kevin Jonas, Christine Bibbo Herr. Meredith Vieira: Hoda Kotb, Dr. Jill Biden, Mario Cantone. Queen Latifah: Lisa Ling (rerun).
Late Talk
David Letterman: Ethan Hawke, Allison Williams, Parquet Courts. Jimmy Fallon: Nicole Kidman, Patton Oswalt, the War on Drugs. Jimmy Kimmel: Matt LeBlanc, Hayley Atwell, Jamie Oliver. Seth Meyers: Jessica Lange, Molly Sims, Maya Rudolph, Men in Blazers. Craig Ferguson: Alyssa Milano, Joel Stein, Ryan Hamilton, Drew Carey. Carson Daly: Thomas Sadoski, Weezer, Orenda Fink (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Joni Mitchell (rerun). Jon Stewart: Cass Sunstein. Conan O’Brien: Anna faris, Allison Janney, Joe Lo Truglio, Borns.