Poldark Is Leonardo, New Season of ‘Devils,’ Demi Lovato Co-hosts ‘Tonight,’ Into the Woods with ‘Shadows’

The CW imports a European costume drama about Leonardo da Vinci, starring Poldark’s Aidan Turner. The CW also premieres a new season of business melodrama Devils. Demi Lovato begins a three-night “takeover” of The Tonight Show. New Jersey’s Pine Barrens is the backdrop for a soul-searching episode of What We Do in the Shadows.

Feeling more PBS Lite than The CW, this imported European co-production depicts the swarthy Italian Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci (Poldark’s Aidan Turner) as a budding artist in late-15th/early 16th century Milan, announcing to skeptics, “I don’t draw like the others do. I draw what I see.” And what he can’t see enough of is his sexy muse, Caterina de Cremona (Matilda De Angelis), although his interest in her seems to stop at the canvas. In the series’ framework, he’s accused of her murder, prompting him to share his colorful life story to an officer of the Podesta, played none too convincingly by The Good Doctor’s Freddie Highmore. As Leonardo’s mentor, Italian film star Giancarlo Giannini brings some much-needed authenticity to the proceedings.

Another European import returns for a second season, with corporate raider Dominic Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy alum Patrick Dempsey) causing more headaches for London-based NYL investment firm CEO Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi). The story flashes back to 2016 when Massimo brings in Chinese investors just in time for Brexit, and Dominic’s new shell company is going after tech companies in which the Chinese are also interested. Let the geopolitical data war begin!

In this week’s late-night stunt, Demi Lovato returns to Studio 6B for the ninth time, plotting a three-night “takeover” in which the musician multi-tasks as special guest, co-host and musical performer. It’s no coincidence Lovato is also releasing a new album this week.

Also the title of one of the most unforgettable episodes of The Sopranos, “Pine Barrens” is the forest setting for a memorable bonding moment between vampires Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Laszlo (Matt Berry), whose one-time vamp bromance has soured in recent decades. As they embark on a hunting trip with clueless human neighbor Sean (Anthony Atamanuik) and not-quite-Baby Colin (Mark Proksch), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) settles in for a girls-only night in the manse, watching her favorite movie (a fun spoiler), unaware that Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) has invited his family over for dinner. Seems he forgot what it would mean for a clan of genetically tuned vampire killers to gather in Staten Island’s home base for bloodsuckers.

Some major reveals in the second season’s next-to-last episode, including Oliver’s (Martin Short) paternity issues. Mabel (Selena Gomez) spars quite literally with the latest suspect, Detective Krebs (Michael Rappaport), while Charles (Steve Martin) learns more about the missing painting that sheds light on his past, when a familiar face returns. Needless to say, the mystery deepens.

Inside Tuesday TV:

• Dark Side of Comedy (9/8c, Vice): The Dark Side franchise expands to the world of comedy, exploring the demons of those who made us laugh. First up: the life of Saturday Night Live’s Chris Farley, and how his pals tried to save him before his tragic end. Also on Vice: the season finale of Icons Unearthed: Star Wars (10/9c).
• 7 Little Johnstons (9/8c, TLC): They’re not so little anymore. The reality family is back with 17th birthdays looming for the youngest sibs, Alex and Emma, while Trent and Amber fret over son Jason living away from home, and daughter Liz’s decision to move in with boyfriend Brice.
• Untold (streaming on Netflix): The docuseries anthology that takes deep dives into offbeat sports-related stories returns with the first of four weekly episodes. “The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist” revisits the 2013 uproar over college football star Manti Te’o, a victim of pernicious catfishing and a media backlash.
• McDonald & Dodds (streaming on BritBox): The crime-solving odd couple played by Tala Gouveia (McDonald) and Jason Watkins (Dodds) are back for a third season comprised of three two-hour mysteries.
• Hotties (streaming on Hulu): One from column A, one from column X: A new mash-up twist on dating competitions includes rounds of cooking on blind dates, who also share ultra-spicy food to see which of the couples can stand the heat in and out of the kitchen. Comedian/host Jade Catta-Preta judges this hot mess.