Civil disobedience
In "Mercy Street," PBS' first American-set series in decades, a Civil War-era hospital deals with more than just musket wounds. The fight between the Blue and the Gray nearly takes a back seat to battles on the undercard bouts: doctors vs. nurses, men vs. women, cooks vs. administrators, bearded vs. clean-shaven. The cast, which includes Gary Cole and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, struggles with stilted, heavy-handed dialogue, which would be fine if the story were being performed in the lobby of a Smithsonian museum, not the high-pressure time slot following the final episodes of "Downton Abbey." The medical scenes lack the you-are-there intensity that makes you wince through "The Knick," set some 40 years later. Still, props go out to "How I Met Your Mother" veteran Josh Radnor, who does a compelling job of portraying a morally conflicted doctor whose need for some homemade hooch suggests he might be the great-grandfather of Hawkeye Pierce. 9 p.m. Sunday, TPT, Ch. 2
Don't call them Shirley
Steve Carell may be the co-creator of "Angie Tribeca," but the police sitcom owes more to "Police Squad!" than "The Office" with its unrelenting barrage of hit-and-miss jokes — mostly misses. The most intriguing aspect of the show, aside from a Lisa Kudrow cameo, is its PR strategy. All 10 episodes will air over a straight 25-hour period with repeats airing Mondays the rest of the winter. Rashida Jones plays the title character. 8 p.m. Sunday, TBS
Tomorrow people
Can "Legends of Tomorrow" fly without any crimefighters who are truly super? Based on the first two episodes, the mission seems highly unlikely. There's a reason these crusading time travelers were relegated to the 50-cent bin at your local comic-book store. Even this less-than-spectacular team should be able to defeat a singular villain whose most intimidating attribute appears to be a European accent. 7 p.m. Thursday, WUCW, Ch. 23
Undercover of the night
Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling may draw you to the miniseries "London Spy," but the real attraction in the premiere episode is the highly charged, perfectly patient courtship of an asocial genius (Edward Holcroft) by a lonely warehouse worker (Ben Whishaw). If the eventual mystery is half as enticing as their sweet yet doomed relationship, I may be in love. 9 p.m. Thursday, BBC America
