Tonight kicks off the new fall broadcast TV season with many new and returning shows. Here are some suggestions to check out tonight…

Tonight CBS kicks off the new comedy Me, Myself & I, which chronicles the life of inventor Alex Riley at three different stages. In 1991, 14-year-old Alex (Jack Dylan Grazer) is forced to move across country to Los Angeles when his mother (Mandell Maughan, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$) gets engaged. Now, in addition to dealing with a new high school, he’s also got a new step-brother (Christopher Paul Richards, Billions) and step-father (Brian Unger, Masters of Sex). In 2017, 40-year-old Alex (Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live) runs a successful business, but is now a divorced single dad, living in best friend/business partner Darryl’s (Jaleel While, Family Matters) garage. And finally, in 2042, 62-year-old Alex (John Larroquette, Night Court) is getting ready for retirement and looks forward to spending more time with adult daughter Abby (Kelen Coleman, The McCarthys), and reconnecting with an old flame (Sharon Lawrence, NYPD Blue).

I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s premiere—it’s got a really nice blend of humor and heart. The series creators have done a nice job of weaving these three stories together, both plot-wise and thematically. And while there is a somewhat complete story told in the pilot, they have also left a lot of questions to explore as the series goes along. Not every character that is introduced in the earlier time periods show up in the latter ones, at least not in the pilot, so there is a lot to explore as to what happened to some of these key figures in the different stages of Alex’s life. Each of the time periods has a great cast, and it would be hard for me to pick a favorite. Those I really appreciated the fun brother/step-brother relationship that is set up in the pilot—it is very different from what I usually see in TV shows and movies. I was also thrilled to see Bobby Moynihan get a show of his own (though he will be missed on SNL), and John Larroquette returning to a sitcom.

In tonight’s premiere, “Pilot”, the life of Alex Riley is chronicled over the course of five decades, when he is 14, 40 and 65, as the single-camera comedy begins.

Also premiering tonight is ABC’s new medical drama The Good Doctor. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel) is a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome who heads from Cheyenne, Wyoming to San Jose, California to join the staff at the prestigious St. Bonaventure Hospital. The hospital’s board questions hospital president Dr. Aaron Glassman’s (Richard Schiff, The West Wing) decision to hire this unusual and possibly dangerous candidate. And so Shaun must prove himself or both of their jobs could be on the line. Other main characters include Head of Surgery Dr. Marcus Andrews (Hill Harper, CSI: NY); in-house attorney Jessica Preston (Beau Garrett (Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce), who’s also the daughter of the hospital’s founder; her fiance, attending surgeon Dr. Neil Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez, How to Get Away with Murder); hospital foundation chairman Allegra Aoki (Tamlyn Tomita, Berlin Station, Teen Wolf); surgical resident Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas, Lovesick); and ambitious surgical resident Dr. Jared Kalu (Chuku Modu, Game of Thrones).

The series, which comes from House creator David Shore, has a lot of similarities to his previous series. The main character is this brilliant, but unpredictable surgeon who doesn’t have the best bedside manner. He will tell it like it is to patients without trying to coddle them. In the case of Gregory House this was a choice, but for Shaun Murphy, he doesn’t know any better. It is great to see Freddie Highmore back on TV so quickly, and he once again gives a stellar performance. I enjoyed tonight’s premiere, which not only provides some great medical drama, but also delves a bit into Shaun’s backstory. It also establishes a unique visual way for viewers to experience the way Shaun sees things. While the premiere does contain several medical drama cliches, I’m still looking forward to seeing more of this series, and how the character and medical drama plays out.

In tonight’s premiere, “Pilot — Burnt Food”, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome joins St. Bonaventure hospital’s surgical unit, where he must navigate the new environment and relationships in order to prove that his medical gifts will save lives.

Tonight I’ll also be watching/recording The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, The Brave, and People of Earth.

For additional suggestions on what to check out tonight—such as The Brave, Young Sheldon and The Voice—check out the If We Controlled Your Remote… 9/25/17 post at TVisMyPacifier.com.