Feeling like a new man

The new Fox action series "Second Chance" could have been called "The Six Billion Dollar Man" — a pair of siblings resurrect a disgraced sheriff into the bod of a superhuman stud who wants to save his FBI agent son, as long as it doesn't get in the way of him cruising the bars. The science elements are befuddling enough to drive Stephen Hawking to a "Real Housewives" marathon. 8 p.m., KMSP, Ch. 9

Crime does pay

Just as I was ready to concede that network TV has lost its dramatic nerve, along comes the second season of "American Crime," a series so thought-provoking you'd assume it was concocted during an HBO retreat — or a college psych class. Much of the cast has returned, but in entirely different roles and a new setting: an Indiana town that begins to unravel when members of an all-state basketball team are accused of raping a male student. Creator John Ridley, who won an Oscar for his "12 Years a Slave" screenplay, uses the fictional case as a starting point for discussions of homophobia, bullying, sexual politics and educational disparities — typically taboo subjects on mainstream television. 9 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5

Lukewarm for teacher

You may want to give serious consideration to home schooling after watching the first episode of "Teachers," a comedy that suggests elementary instructors are too self-centered to do little more than point their students toward the cafeteria. The six female teachers, members of the comedy troupe the Katydids, try to lead an antibullying movement with some clever bits that worked in short form on the Web but are little more than stretching exercises in a half-hour format. 10:02 p.m., TV Land

Neal Justin