Basic instincts
"Mosaic," in which a Minnesota-raised bartender gets involved in Utah-based intrigue, may be the most app-friendly TV series to date, with tons of extras available long before this week's more traditional premiere. But as a stand-alone, the Steven Soderbergh-directed pilot seems like a setup to a fairly mundane thriller — unless the notion of Sharon Stone and Pee Wee Herman sharing the screen makes you giddy.
7 p.m., HBO
Killing spree
Caleb Carr's bestseller "The Alienist" finally gets the small-screen treatment with Cary Fukunaga ("True Detective") pulling no punches in re-creating 1896 New York, which is traumatized by a serial killer targeting young boys. Part of the fun of the book, and hopefully the 10-part series, is watching how historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt are woven into the hysteria.
8 p.m., TNT
Murder, he wrote
One of fiction's most successful authors brings his storytelling sensibilities to true-crime television in "James Patterson's Murder Is Forever," starting with a case that delves into why a hit man knocked on the doors of a churchgoing family in Carrollton, Texas. A companion piece in book form will be published to coincide with each episode.
9 p.m., Investigation Discovery
Neal Justin
