MONDAY TV: Best show on TV ‘Fargo’ returns

TONIGHT’S MUST-SEE: “Fargo” opener, 10 p.m., FX.

Here's a splendid non-surprise: The first “Fargo” miniseries was the best show of the 2013-14 season; this second one is the best of 2015. Like the original, it has wit, charm, violence and a knack for the odd and offbeat.

That starts with a scene that's both drolly funny and thoroughly unrelated to anything else. Then we're in 1979, when Molly (the sheriff in the first mini) was 6 and her dad was a state trooper. He's working a multiple murder that will uncover much more — a local crime matriarch, big-city toughs and a clueless small-town couple, wonderfully played by Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. It keeps getting better.

TONIGHT’S MUST-SEE II: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” debut, 8 p.m., CW. Rebecca is a high-flying New York lawyer, with lots of money and little joy. Suddenly, she ditches it all to move to West Covina, home of the guy she dated during one blissful teen summer. That may sound so-so, but wait until you see what writer-producer-star Rachel Bloom does with it.

Bloom makes the fictional Rebecca a richly divided soul, simultaneously big-city smart and junior-high ditsy. She adds big musical production numbers, even belting an anthem astride a giant pretzel. And she fills the cast with other musical-theater talent, making this a show that should keep dazzling us.

TONIGHT’S ALTERNATIVE: “Jane the Virgin” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. The first “Jane” season was a delight. Its plot — a clinic error accidentally impregnates a virgin with the last sperm of a handsome hotel heir — was wildly unlikely, in the style of a “telenovela” (a primetime soap on Spanish-language TV). “Jane” was aware of that, though, and its narrator kept pointing it out.

Now Jane’s baby is here — and then is missing. The early minutes tonight are hilarious; the others are fairly good. Put this alongside “Fargo” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and Mondays have suddenly become the centerpoint for TV that is bright, witty and — most of all — really different.

Other choices include:

“Captain Phillips” (2013), 7-10 p.m., FX. It’s a fine Tom Hanks night, with this true-life drama plus the comedy “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993) at 9 p.m. on Pop. It’s also a night for great movies — “Godfather” (1972) and its sequel (1974) at 5 and 9 p.m. on Sundance, “Rain Man” (1988) at 9 p.m. on Starz.

“The Voice” (NBC) and “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC), both 8-10 p.m. Both shows reach turning points: “Voice” starts its battle rounds; “Stars” switches partners. Last week, Bindi Irwin and frequent-winner Derek Hough had the top scores; now he’s with Alexa PenaVega and she has Val Chmerkovskiy.

“Gotham,” 8 p.m., Fox. Michael Chiklis arrives in a big, booming way. He’s the new boss of head of a corrupt bunch of police detectives. That comes as Galavan and Penguin scheme to be crime boss.

“The Big Bang Theory,” 8 p.m., CBS. For Sheldon, the big jolt wasn’t that Leonard married Penny — it’s that Leonard actually plans to leave the apartment and move in with her. Now Sheldon ponders life.

“Life in Pieces,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. After two good episodes, this comedy had a great one last week. Now Jordan Peele is back as Colleen’s ex-boyfriend, who still lives. Also, Joan (Dianne Weist) questions her daugter-in-law’s parenting; Tim is advised not to beat his father-in-law (James Brolin) in golf.

“Scorpion,” 9 p.m., CBS. Walter, Cabe and Happy are in a submarine when an explosion sends it to the bottom. The water is rising; the oxygen level is falling.

“Blindspot,” 10 p.m., NBC. The clues in Jane’s tattoos keep sending people to strange places. Now that’s the Centers for Disease Control, with the possibility of a global catastrophe.