The Presidential Debate, Hallmark+ Launches with ‘Chicken Sisters,’ Double Trouble on ‘Only Murders,’ Nordic Noir on Viaplay

9/8c

From the National Constitutional Center in historic Philadelphia, the contenders for the White House — recently elevated Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump — face off without an in-person audience and with mics muted when it’s not their turn to speak. This pivotal encounter is moderated by ABC’s World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis. Most broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) will simulcast the debate along with cable news channels. As always, whatever happens will provide fresh meat for late-night comedians. Jon Stewart returns to The Daily Show (11/10c) for a live recap, with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer as guest, and Late Show with Stephen Colbert (11:35/10:35c) also goes live, with CBS News political analyst John Dickerson scheduled as the featured guest.

Series Premiere

As of today, the streaming service formerly known as Hallmark Movies Now becomes Hallmark+, and the rebranding includes a major push in original programming. The marquee premiere is the charming dramedy The Chicken Sisters, based on a novel by KJ Dell’Antonia and starring Wendie Malick and Lea Thompson as owners of competing family fried-chicken restaurants, Mimi’s and Frannie’s, respectively, in the quaint town of Merinac, where the well-fed residents pick sides in a bitter rivalry. The situation takes on a Romeo & Juliet twist when Gus Moore’s (Malick) daughter Amanda (Schuyler Fisk) leaves Mimi’s to marry into the Frannie’s clan. Things get even more complicated when Amanda submits the restaurants to compete in a reality competition, Ultimate Kitchen Clash, and when TV cameras arrive, so does Amanda’s estranged sister Mae (Genevieve Angelson), who left the family to chase her big-city dreams on an HGTV-style channel. The great Margo Martindale provides the folksy narration: “People are a little nicer here,” she explains. “Well, nicer to your face.” (Future episodes premiere on Thursdays, starting September 12).

Also premiering on opening day:

• Celebrations with Lacey Chabert, in which the fan-favorite Hallmark star surprises deserving everyday heroes, each making a difference in their communities, with a special celebration in their honor. (Episodes regularly premiere on Thursdays starting September 12.)
• Love on the Danube, a movie trilogy of romantic stories set aboard a European river cruise. Love Song stars Nazneen Contractor and Wes Brown as passengers who play Cupid for their widowed parents. More movies air September 19 and 26.
• The Jane Mysteries: A Deadly Prescription is the first of three new Jane Mysteries starring Jodie Sweetin as the singer-turned-sleuth, working with detective John Cameron (Stephen Huszar) to prove a teenager’s innocence. More movies air September 19 and 26.

Things are getting hilariously crowded in the Arconia, when the trio of New York podcasters (Steve Martin as Charles, Martin Short as Oliver and Selena Gomez as Mabel) are shadowed by the Hollywood stars — Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis and Eva Longoria, respectively — who are playing them in a movie. “I guess this sends the investigation into a whole new direction,” says Levy, echoing Charles’ classic Brazzos TV detective. And so it does, as the suspects from the West Tower come into focus, with Levy and Charles heading across the courtyard to see what’s under Vince Fish’s (Richard Kind) eyepatch, and Longoria upstaging Mabel when they invade the perpetually Christmas-decorated apartment of oddball Rudy Thurber (Kumail Nanjiani). The challenge for Galifianakis is how to bond with the irrepressible Oliver, triggering a sitcom spoof that everyone but grouchy neighbor Uma (Jackie Hoffman) will delight in.

Streaming Premiere

The streamer that specializes in high-end international fare with a Nordic flavor delivers a Swedish thriller, met with acclaim when it aired on the BBC this summer, available for a six-episode binge. Julia Ragnarsson stars as Vera, a troubled grief counselor who hasn’t quite gotten over the childhood trauma of her little brother Billy’s disappearance some 20 years ago. When a mysterious young man joins her therapy group, speaking of memories that remind her of Billy, she returns to her broken family seeking answers, which are not likely to be comforting.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Deadliest Catch (8/7c, Discovery): Winter weather causes havoc for the Titan Explorer and Capt. Jake Anderson, when a 30-foot wave crushes a deckhand. Things aren’t much better on the Time Bandit when Capt. Johnathan Hillstrand loses a generator and the vessel goes dark.
• The Real Housewives of Dubai (9/8c, Bravo): Andy Cohen moderates a two-part reunion where burying the hatchet could result in bruised relationships.
• The Money Game (streaming on Prime Video): A six-part docuseries explores the impact of the NCAA ruling that allows student athletes to capitalize on NIL (name, image likeness) while maintaining amateur status. The all-access series focuses on stars of Louisiana State University’s athletic program, including basketball breakout Angel Reese and former teammate/rapper Flau’jae Johnson, Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and gymnast/social-media influencer Olivia Dunne.
• Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father (streaming on Netflix): The comedian/actor confronts the challenges of impending new fatherhood by embarking on a bonding road trip with his own father, Michael, in a comedic docuseries.
• Ahir Shah: Ends (streaming on Netflix): Winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, the British-Asian comedian performs a revealing comedy special from London’s Royal Court Theatre, reflecting on immigration, family, politics and class.