Reporting for duty
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (7 p.m., KSTP, Ch. 5), the most anticipated show of the new season not starring Michael J. Fox, has an ol'-fashioned good vs. evil vibe, plus some great one-liners that wouldn't be out of place on a grade-A sitcom. The agents do face one major opponent: "NCIS" (7 p.m., WCCO, Ch. 4), which also returns this week. The Mark Harmon show may not be as cool, but it's the most popular drama on TV with no signs of abating.
Family reunion
"Modern Family" (7 p.m., USA) doesn't start its fifth season until Wednesday, but you can catch past episodes five nights a week on USA. The schedule is all over the map, but it's safe to say you can catch at least one installment on any given night and a whole three hours on Tuesdays.
Geek squad
It's a fairly safe bet that the "S.H.I.E.LD." fans will include the cast of "Fangasm" (9 p.m., Syfy), a six-part docu-series about seven fanboys and fangirls who, when they're not interning for Stan Lee, think there's nothing more important in the world than debating the merits of "Star Wars" vs. "Star Trek."
Neal Justin
