This Is Us' premiere arrived Tuesday as three other network shows are borrowing heavily from the tear-jerker playbook. Yet This Is Us "used that reputation and expectation to prove why it is not only popular, but broadcast TV’s best drama, worthy of being in the same conversation as the best series on TV as a whole," says Kevin Fallon. In addition to being a pleasure to watch, he says, the NBC drama "has a strong sense of its identity, why people are tuning in, and it delivers that without pandering or patronizing. That’s a hard thing to do, and, for all the sledgehammer emotional twists the show is known for, proves it delicately." He adds: "The series manipulates emotions with the same meticulousness as a sitcom might set up jokes or an epic stage its most dramatic climaxes. That’s annoying to many people, which is fair, and why when This Is Us makes a misstep it is so monumentally hard to watch. There were moments like that in Tuesday night’s premiere, but, as a whole, it set up a season that will keep delivering the brand of drama that audiences have come to expect: sweeping romance, wrenching heartbreak, and the beauty in life’s most mundane; a show in which everyone is constantly feeling in huge, unexplainable ways, yet somehow always have the perfect speeches at the ready to articulate it."

ALSO:

• Creator Dan Fogelman promises not to string out the "her" mystery
• Sterling K. Brown teases the standalone episodes, including the Beth-centric one
• Mandy Moore discusses the who "Who is HE" mystery

Martin Riggs' fate was addressed at the top of Tuesday's Season 3 premiere, prompting some Crawford fans to tweet that they will never watch the Fox drama again.

NBC Nightly News finished No. 1 in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 news demographic for the 22nd season in a row. Yet Muir's World News Tonight beat NBC Nightly News in total viewers by its widest margin in 22 years.

Sunday's premiere will follow Homer Simpson and Ned Flanders' attempt to make a movie -- while bashing DC Comics films.

AT&T says it is finding new ways to monetize TV content. According to Variety, "AT&T intends to launch new kinds of TV ads....One concept the company is showcasing at an exhibit here would place a full-motion video commercial on a screen whenever a viewer decides to pause a show. AT&T is also working on 'shoppable commercials' that would allow viewers to buy what they see during an ad break – or even products they spot in a show itself."

The Hollywood Reporter reports 60 Minutes executive editor Bill Owens, who was named interim 60 Minutes executive producer in the wake of Jeff Fager's firing, is said to be one of the final two candidates. He's competing in an "internal bake-off" with CBS News veteran Susan Zirinsky, who currently oversees 48 Hours and was the inspiration for Holly Hunter's character in Broadcast News.

Doug Heye, a veteran political consultant and CNN contributor, was enlisted to offer proof that a conservative and a liberal could get along -- although Heye says "I didn't vote for Trump."

Joining Brown, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and Tripp Palin Johnson are Stevie Wonder's son, Mandla Morris, and Maddie Ziegler's younger sister, Mackenzie Ziegler.

Turns out American sports fashion is big in Japan.

The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star-turned-movie star-turned YouTube vlogger confronted his fear of heights to mark the Big 5-0.

Susan Lacy, who helmed the HBO documentaries Jane Fonda in Five Acts and Spielberg, will next turn her lens on the fashion icon.

Parker played Grandpa Shawn Brady on the NBC soap from 1983 until he retired in 2008 with a heroes storyline. He also had smaller roles on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.

The six-episode series created by, written by and starring Scott Ryan as a hitman facing a midlife crisis "has a knack for being able to make full episodes tense, funny, touching and tinged with melancholy — a superb skill even before you factor in the 26-minutes-and-under running time, which is mind-blowing," says Tim Goodman. "There's a world in Mr Inbetween that Ryan could and should explore further — the episodes fly by and leave you wanting more."

ALSO:

• Mr Inbetween isn't able to stand apart from the many hitman stories we've seen before
• It takes an unnervingly natural approach to a mob hitman’s sordid profession

The new CBS drama revolving around the Federal Bureau of Investigation follows the "general Dick Wolf Productions blueprint" while avoiding all the controversies surrounding the FBI in recent years, says Daniel Fienberg. "It's all just straightforward follow-the-clues, rinse and repeat, with no real twists or high drama, but a steady pace," he says, adding: "If enough viewers watch the first episode, you can bet that plans for FBI: Los Angeles and FBI: Chicago and FBI: Miami will begin almost immediately."

ALSO:

• FBI Isn't distinctive enough in a crowded field of cop shows -- especially on CBS
• FBI sets itself apart is its relentless pandering and gratuitous violence
• Missy Peregrym credits her six years on Rookie Blue with helping her with "doing the most intense procedural -- a Dick Wolf procedural"

Ryan Eggold's Dr. Max Goodwin's surgeon role on the medical drama has become cliché -- "a Bad Boy Outsider who comes to Shake Things Up, questioning the conventional wisdom and breaking all the rules in order to do the right thing," says Kathryn VanArendonk. She adds that while the show attempts to tackle problems in healthcare, "New Amsterdam couldn’t be any less interested in the complexity, magnitude, details, history, or causes of those problems, nor does it waste time with the real mechanisms for their solutions. No, this show is about big sweeping gestures. Why fire three bad cardiac surgeons when you could fire them all? Why reduce wait times when you can eliminate the whole room? This is not really a medical drama. In the dystopian landscape we currently call medical care, it is a medicine-flavored fantasy." VanArendonk says she gets why "this kind of fantasy is appealing, but I prefer when it doesn’t masquerade as a heart-warming insight. And if we must have a fantasy where one good-hearted white dude shows up and saves us all, it could at least be better written."

ALSO:

• It's hard to take Ryan Eggold's doctor character seriously because he's such a hilarious version of TV’s long beloved “doctor who doesn’t play by the rules” archetype
• New Amsterdam was inspired by a doctor's memoir, but it feels like it was creatively crowdsourced to appeal to everybody
• New Amsterdam is achingly predictable, sickly sweet and emotionally manipulative
• It's heartfelt, well-meaning and dull with tearful bedside scenes and Bon Iver montages
• New Amsterdam producers wanted to make a medical drama rooted in "hopefulness"

Scott, who makes his Lethal Weapon debut tonight, has a reputation for playing immature guys in comedic roles. But he tells ET he hopes playing a former CIA operative on the Fox action drama will showcase a different side of his acting abilities. "Anybody who's hoping that I'll be funny on the show, they won't be disappointed, but it's just a different kind (of humor)," he says. "Also there's a lot of physicality to the part and it's just totally different." Scott says he's "never played a smart guy before," adding: "I'm always nervous. Every project that I do, I always put a lot of pressure on myself and also I love the show. I've never done something where I was a fan of it before and all of a sudden, I get to be a part of it. Being a fan of the show and knowing there are a lot of fans and this is a real big change, I really want to do a good job and not let anyone down. That's pretty much been my mindset the whole time." ALSO: Lethal Weapon's Chandler Kinney says "it’s a totally different dynamic" with Scott's role.

Former Saturday Night Live writer Emily Spivey is re-teaming with the former SNL-ers for a comedy revolving around the Hart family, “a group of Southerners who are always broke as a joke, and struggling for the American dream of status and wealth. What they don’t realize is that they’re already rich, in friends, family and laughter.” Bless the Hearts, which was given a 13-episode straight-to-series order, is produced by The Last Man on Earth team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Spivey is a former writer on Last Man on Earth. She also worked with Rudolph on her short-lived NBC variety show Maya & Marty.

The mugshot showed the 81-year-old comedy and TV icon with his eyes casdt downward. Cosby was denied bail following his sentencing for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, and led out of the courthouse in handcuffs. ALSO: The former Jell-O pudding pitchman's first meal in prison will reportedly include vanilla pudding.

“HERE’S THE BIG NEWS!! Look what I’m doin!!” the HBO Camping star wrote on Instagram, captioning a photo with her, Galecki and Sara Gilbert on The Conners set.

The U.S. Supreme Court nominee's sit-down to deny sexual misconduct allegations gave Martha MacCallum's The Story its highest-ever ratings, propelling it to No. 1 on cable news Monday with nearly 3.6 million viewers.

He'll play one of two "potrepreneurs" in the stoner comedy sequel to So High, which aired on MTV in 2000 starring Method Man and Redman. So High 2 will air in 2019.

Kelly tried grilling Arnold on last week's confrontation with Burnett on this morning's edition of Megyn Kelly Today. But the interview turned into Arnold confronting Kelly, accusing her of defending U.S. Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh. “You keep defending Kavanaugh and those guys, maybe you can defend me for one second here!” he said. Kelly responded: “No, I won’t. And I’m not defending Kavanaugh, I’m asking for a fair hearing.”

Check out the 60-second National Voter Registration Day ad featuring Silicon Valley’s Kumail Nanjiani and The Deuce’s Maggie Gyllenhaal, as well as Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright and Ed Harris. ALSO: MTV's voter campaign features Jersey Shore stars.

The Tim Meadows cop comedy will become the first CBS All Access series to be available for immediate binge-watching when Season 2 drops on Thanksgiving Day.

Burns' two-hour PBS documentary, The Mayo Clinic: Faith-Hope-Science, premieres tonight as an "unabashed love letter" to the Minnesota not-for-profit medical institution.

Damilare Sonoiki, 27, pleaded guilty last week to security fraud after he was caught feeding insider trading tips to NFL player Mychal Kendricks. The guilty plea ended a meteoric rise for Sonoiki, a Nigerian immigrant who attended Harvard, then worked at Goldman Sachs, and followed that up with stints in the writers' rooms of Black-ish and, until recently, The Simpsons. The Wall Street Journal that Sonoiki didn't actually graduate from Harvard because his degree was withheld due to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including rape. Sonoiki never faced criminal charges, and in a statement he “denies that he has engaged in any sexual misconduct.”

Prosecutors had asked that the comedy icon and former The Cosby Show star be sentenced to the maximum 10 years in prison for his conviction for three counts of sexual assault for raping Andrea Constand while she was unconscious in 2004. "I'm not going to treat him any differently than anyone who comes in here," Judge Steven T. O'Neill said in announcing Cosby will serve three to 10 years in state prison. "There are people in jails all over the state who think they should have bail while they appeal." "The 81-year-old entertainer showed little reaction as the sentence was announced in a packed Norristown courtroom, casting his eyes down at the defense table," reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. The sentencing came hours after the judge ruled that Cosby will be designated a sexually violent predator, which would require him to register with local authorities after his release from prison. At one point, Cosby asked, “if I went from a city to another city, do I have to — even if it’s just overnight — I would have to advise the state police?” The prosecutor said he would need to. Before sentencing, Constand released a victim impact statement to the court, saying: “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it.” UPDATE: Cosby denied bail and placed in handcuffs immediately.

The 10-episode second part of the acclaimed 2015 docuseries will follow up on the case of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. “Building on Part 1, which documented the experience of the accused, in Part 2, we have chronicled the experience of the convicted and imprisoned, two men each serving life sentences for crimes they maintain they did not commit. We are thrilled to be able to share this new phase of the journey with viewers," filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos said in a statement.

Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley will all see their salaries bumped up to $250,000 per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The five central cast members started out earning separate pay checks, with Ventimiglia taking home $115,000 per episode, nearly triple Metz's $40,000 per episode. It's unclear if the show's other stars, including Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Sullivan, earned raises.

The former Bravo reality star was booked this morning on charges of second degree assault and battery. People reports that Ravenel's arrest is in connection with his former nanny, who alleged he tried to sexually assault her in his bedroom. The nanny came forward after hearing the story of a woman came forward accusing Ravenel of sexually assaulting her mom on a Tinder date. Although Ravenel suggested last month he was quitting Southern Charm, Bravo confirms he won't be back as a cast member in wake of his arrest.

NBC's Manifest premiered as the No. 2-rated show of Monday night, building on The Voice's viewership with 10.3 million viewers. The Big Bang Theory returned for its final season down 41% in the 18-49 demo. Magnum P.I., with 8.1 million viewers, came in third place in its timeslot, losing to 9-1-1 and The Voice.

The classification during Cosby's sentencing trial means the 81-year-old comedian will have to undergo lifetime counseling and report quarterly to authorities. He'll also have to join a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims. ALSO: Television Critics Association rescinds Cosby's Lifetime Achievement award given in 2002.

In a New York Times Op-Ed, the Top Chef host writes that she is coming forward with her story after President Trump questioned the accusation made by Christine Blasey Ford, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's accuser. "I didn’t report it," writes Lakshimi. "Not to my mother, not to my friends and certainly not to the police. At first I was in shock. That evening, I let my mother know when I was home, then went to sleep, hoping to forget that night."

Joining Dohring on the Hulu revival will be Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra and David Starzyk. ALSO: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has joined the Veronica Mars writing staff.

Trevor Noah will helm live coverage of the midterms from on Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The longtime sports journalists will call the 11 Thursday Night Football games that Amazon is streaming, beginning with Thursday's matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

“I’m going back,” Lincoln tells EW. “I’m going back to shadow a director, and my intention is to direct next year.”

The 10-episode documentary series will explore terror plots that were disrupted, featuring interviews with the agents involved. Terrorism Close Calls premieres on Oct. 26.

“It would be a very big disappointment” if AT&T has not gotten audiences to engage with HBO every day, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said at a conference on Tuesday.

To celebrate the Big 5-0, the former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will bungee jump over the Grand Canyon, with former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro hosting the event live on Smith's YouTube channel.

Ron Livingston's AT&T Audience Network comedy returns Oct. 16.

Cornwell is replacing Yusuf Gatewood on the NBC midseason drama about a clairvoyant detective.

The actor, best known for playing Jaqen H'ghar on the HBO drama, will take on the key recurring role of a mysterious foreign operative who crosses paths with Jack Ryan in South Africa.

Harper is taking her YouTube celebrity interview show to television, with the help of her TMZ bosses. “Raquel’s voice is strong and unapologetic” says TMZ head Harvey Levin, who will serve as an executive producer. “She has a world view of life and is fearless about expressing it. I’ve rarely met anyone who can move a conversation along in such an authentic, entertaining, interesting and informative way as Raquel.”

Showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron says the CBS drama had to come up with a "reality-based" storyline for the exit of Annabelle Attanasio's character. Attanasio announced in July she wasn't returning so she could direct a movie.

The streaming service has been under fire, for instance, for listing Netflix's vice president of original content Cindy Holland in the closing credits for shows like Stranger Things, Narcos and Sense8, as well as Marvel series. The same goes for Lisa Nishimura, head of Netflix's comedy and documentaries, who has a credit on Hannah Gadsby's Nanette. Producers say executives shouldn't have a credit if they're not directly working on shows.