Open House at ‘Abbott Elementary,’ A Reckoning on ‘This Is

ABC’s new hit Abbott Elementary opens its doors for an eventful open house. Kate and Toby’s doomed marriage hits a fateful speed bump on This Is Us. Jeff Foxworthy brings his first stand-up special in 24 years to Netflix. Jennifer Lopez receives the Icon Award at 2022’s IHeartRadio Music Awards.

The struggling (but very funny) Philly elementary school hosts its annual Open House for parents and the community, which few typically attend, and only the idealistic Janine (series creator Quinta Brunson) has high expectations of meeting with the elusive mother of one of her students. Speaking of mom fixations, Janine sees her reluctant mentor Barbara (the sublime Sheryl Lee Ralph) as her “work mom,” so she’s rattled when Barbara’s real-life grown daughter shows up for a confrontation Janine should know better than to interrupt. And a major shoe drops when full-time sub Gregory (Tyler James Williams) learns how Ava (scene-stealer Janelle James) got the principal’s job for which he was infinitely more qualified.

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Mandy Moore directs the middle segment of a connected “Big Three” trilogy that digs deep and painfully into the troubled long-distance marriage of Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Toby (Chris Sullivan). When she decides to visit him in San Francisco for the weekend, Kate begins to realize how much he’s changed from the “old Toby” she fell in love with. Previous flash-forwards have already made it clear this is not a union that can be saved, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see them keep hitting the wall of truth that they may both just be happier apart. Next week it’s Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) time in the spotlight.

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The folksy comedian delivers his first solo stand-up special in 24 years from the Pantages Theatre stage in Minneapolis. He looks back at a simpler time before cell phones ruled our lives and we were drowning in a sea of passwords. But was it really that much better in the “good old days?”

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LL Cool J hosts the tuneful bash from L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium, with Jennifer Lopez headlining as performer and recipient of the 2022 iHeartRadio Icon Award. Others making music include the host, joined by Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Jason Aldean, Charlie Puth and Maneskin. The ceremony honors the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the app, with fans voting in categories including Best Fan Army, Best Cover Song, Best Music Video and the first-ever TikTok Songwriter of the Year and Best Comeback Album.

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It’s a time for grieving as the Most Wanted team processes the death of their leader, Jess (Julian McMahon). FBI star Alana De La Garza appears to pay her respects, but the demands of the job never end, which is why they get back to business seeking a murderer from within the incel community.

Inside Tuesday TV:

• Mr. Mayor (8:30/9c, NBC): When Mayor Neil (Ted Danson) realizes how his impulsive decision to install an “I-Team” of consultants has rocked his staff, causing childish tantrums, he becomes “Mayor Daddy” to try to appease them.
• Pelosi’s Power (9/8c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): Frontline profiles the powerful but polarizing Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, in a 90-minute documentary that traces her rise from when she was first elected to Congress as one of only 23 women in the 435-person House. She led two impeachment efforts against the former president and withstood the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, securing her place in history during a turbulent and divisive time in U.S. politics.
• Shackleton’s Endurance: The Lost Ice Ship Found (History Channel, 10/9c): A special episode of History’s Greatest Mysteries updates the channel’s 2020 report on the search for Endurance, now that the ill-fated ship from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic expedition has been discovered.
• Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (10/9c, HBO): The monthly edition of the sports newsmagazine includes a profile of the NBA’s Jalen Rose, a visit with the Cochrans of Vermont, the “first family of American skiing,” and an update on a 2018 report about the International Army Games, where the Russian Army (now embroiled in the horrific Ukraine conflict) displayed their destructive hardware.

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