Premieres of ‘Accused’ and ‘Irrational,’ Oprah with Riley Keough, Family Visit on ‘Only Murders,’ ‘Citizen Nation’ on PBS

Accused

Emmy winner Felicity Huffman stars in the compelling Season 2 premiere of the emotionally charged legal anthology as Lorraine, a sorrowful soul who insists she can “see things sometimes” in visions that she believes can give hope (if not always answers) to parents of abducted children. Against the advice of her concerned ex (William H. Macy), Lorraine insinuates herself into the life and home of a couple whose 6-year-old son was taken a year ago. Is she giving them false hope? Is she for real, or a manipulative fraud? As is often the case in this series, you be the judge.

The Irrational

The crime drama opens its second season with behavioral science expert and FBI/police consultant Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) caught up in a personal crisis when (following last season’s cliffhanger) his girlfriend Rose (Karen David), a former MI6 agent, is kidnapped. “Why risk kidnapping one of the world’s leading experts on kidnapping?” Alec wonders, before deciding to risk his own neck by putting himself in danger to save Rose and defuse what appears to be a deadly revenge plot.

An Oprah Special: The Presleys – Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley

Like so many Elvis fans before her, Oprah Winfrey makes a pilgrimage to Graceland, this time for an intimate interview with the King’s granddaughter Riley Keough, who is publishing a memoir of her late mother Lisa Marie Presley, From Here to the Great Unknown, using material from Lisa Marie’s audio recordings before her death in 2023. The special, Keough’s first in-depth interview since her mother’s passing, features selections from these recordings as well as family photos and home movies, with Keough reflecting on her mother and living in the shadow of the Presley legacy.

Only Murders in the Building

The guest list on this starry mystery-comedy adds an outrageous new member when the trio heads for safety to Long Island, only to find Melissa McCarthy waiting as Charles’ (Steve Martin) long-estranged sister, Doreen. The only thing more disturbing than her life-sized doll collection is her instant obsession with Oliver (Martin Short), which complicates his own neurosis over his long-distance relationship with Loretta (Meryl Streep). Fans of physical comedy will relish the spectacle when Oliver’s two admirers meet.

Citizen Nation

Campaign seasons have a way of making one fear for the future of democracy, so it’s always heartening to witness the next generation taking civics seriously. In the tradition of documentaries like Boys State and Girls State, this four-part docuseries follows high-school students from several states as they participate in the “We the People” competition. With their eyes on the finals in Washington, D.C., the students tackle challenges that test their knowledge of the Constitution, politics and citizenship.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Dancing With the Stars (8/7c, ABC): Shifting gears from Soul Train to hair metal rock ’n’ roll, the 11 couples perform paso doble, cha cha, jive, foxtrot and tango routines to rock anthems, with KISS veteran Gene Simmons as guest judge. Over on NBC, The Voice (8/7c) continues the Blind Auditions round.
• Murder in a Small Town (8/7c, Fox): Castle’s Stana Katic guests as a foxy citizen who calls the police on her deadbeat brother, but when he turns up dead, sleepy-eyed police chief Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) suspects a femme fatale may be in their midst.
• Life Below Zero (9/8c, National Geographic): The rugged reality series’ 23rd season opens with the Alaskans settling in for another long, harsh and dark winter season.
• The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz (10/9c, PBS): Frontline follows its exhaustive The Choice profiles of the presidential contenders with a biographical study of their running mates.
• High Potential (10/9c, ABC): A dead body in a hotel bathtub gives Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) another chance to show off her gifts of instant deduction—while also endangering the case, and infuriating Det. Keradec (Daniel Sunjata), by mishandling evidence.
• American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez (10/9, FX): Now a rookie in the NFL with the New England Patriots, a starstruck and immature Aaron (Josh Rivera) admits, “I still don’t know to be around the team.” Coach Belichick (Norbert Leo Butz), who’s trying to figure out how best to use this young talent, has simple advice that’s not so simple to follow: “This is a man’s team. Be a man.”
• Late Night with Stephen Colbert (11:35/10:35c, CBS): For the seventh time, Vice President Kamala Harris appears on the late-night show, her first visit since becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
• Ali Wong: Single Lady (streaming on Netflix): The Emmy-winning star of Beef returns to the stand-up stage for her fourth Netflix special, filmed at L.A.’s Wiltern Theatre during this year’s Netflix Is a Joke Fest. Her set includes riffs on life after divorce.
• Killer Cakes (streaming on Hulu): Scream’s Matthew Lillard hosts a gut-busting two-part baking competition where cake experts team up with special-effects wizards to create terrifying yet scrumptious creations.
• The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (streaming on Shudder): For a round of the ghoulish drag competition titled “Killer Dolls,” Chucky creator and star Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly are guest judges.