Chicago Fire Hits 300, Before Ali Was The Greatest, Stick Takes a Swing, Brothers Finale

Where there’s fire, there’s also camaraderie on the first of Dick Wolf‘s “One Chicago” procedurals, which marks its milestone 300th episode with characteristic deep sentiment as the show says goodbye to Joe Minoso, who has played firefighter Joe Cruz for all 15 seasons. Still recovering from a fractured spine suffered in last season’s cliffhanger, Cruz makes some pivotal decisions about his and his family’s future, even as his squad lieutenant Severide (Taylor Kinney) faces pressure from Chief Tomlin (Doug Savant) to replace the beloved crew member. For the rest of Firehouse 51, it’s business as usual, including a water rescue and a fiery end to an armed hostage situation, which rattles candidate firefighter Hollis (K.C. McNeil).

Before he was Muhammad Ali, the world knew the legendary boxer as Louisville’s own Cassius Clay, an origin story that occupies the first season of this earnest biographical docudrama. (All eight episodes are available now.) Newcomer Jaalen Best stars as the young boxer, flush with promise and victory after earning a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, yearning to go pro while fielding advice from rich white benefactors in a segregated city that won’t even let him eat at the counter of a diner that named a burger in his honor. That tension is reflected in his home life, where his frustrated father (Omari Hardwick) rules, though his devoted mother Odessa (Dana Gourrier) often has the last word. The series follows the young superstar through his 1964 bout with Sonny Liston that earned him his first heavyweight champion title.

The question of when and whether to go pro also dogs this genial sports comedy as Season 2 opens with two episodes. Washed-up former golf legend Pryce “Stick” Cahill (the affable Owen Wilson) thinks his gifted young protégé Santi (Peter Dager) should bide his time and accept a full scholarship to Indiana University (my alma mater; there are worse fates) and hit the pro circuit when he’s more prepared. Santi isn’t buying it, and even Pryce begins to succumb to temptation when he makes a great showing at a charity pro-am and begins to dream of a comeback at 55. Pryce’s biggest cheerleader, to his surprise: Clark Ross (a very amusing Timothy Olyphant), once his greatest nemesis. How will the newbie and the old-timer fare in the high-pressure spotlight? Time will tell.

Can this bromance be saved? That’s what everyone wants to know in the season finale of the bonkers meta comedy, when Matthew McConaughey (playing an exaggerated version of himself) goes off the grid right before he launches his campaign to run for Texas governor. He’s sulking from the surprise revelation that he and best bud Woody Harrelson (also spoofing himself) share a biological father, a secret Woody was keeping to himself. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, their families (including Holland Taylor as the hilarious Ma Mac) rally to restore the bros’ faith in each other.

This inner-city sitcom is often at its best when it reminds you in no uncertain terms that these characters are in the business of education. In another strong episode, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) are shocked to realize how many teachers are passing on failing students at the district’s urging. (“This ain’t Dead Poets Society,” a fellow teacher reminds them.) Elsewhere, Gregory (Tyler James Williams) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) struggle to fire a likable teacher, Janine (Quinta Brunson) debates how to counsel an emotionally guarded student, and Ava (Janelle James) wonders how to afford the pricey outfits her step team covets as they head to regionals.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking (8/7c, Food Network): The magical baking competition opens its third season with a two-hour premiere celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
• Scrubs (8/7c, ABC): J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) deal with co-parenting while their interns try to maintain a work-life balance.
• Survivor (8/7c, CBS): The tribes drop their buffs, and the battle is on for the season’s first individual immunity necklace. Followed by The Amazing Race (9:30/8:30c), which heads to Sri Lanka, where a live double U-turn awaits.
• The Lowdown (9/8c, FX, streaming on Hulu): Kyle MacLachlan returns to the funky Oklahoma caper as Gov. Donald Washberg, who helps Lee (Ethan Hawke) out of a jam and gets caught up in the investigation of a shady work-release program for inmates overseen by a local judge (Deadwood‘s John Hawkes).
• Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (9/8c, ABC): The reliably funny Michael Urie (Shrinking), Yvonne Orji (Insecure) and Hasan Minhaj (Patriot Act) spin the wheel for charity.
• Church Wives (10/9c, BET): The sanctuary becomes a battleground in a heightened micro-drama about two women vying for a leadership position in their megachurch.
• Ghost Adventures (10/9c, Discovery Channel): In the season finale, the paranormal crew investigates a historic Nevada house relocated from Las Vegas, with its spirits apparently intact.
• Secrets of the Dead (10/9c, PBS): The history series explores the past of Chesapeake Bay’s Tangier Island in Virginia, where Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” and where rising sea levels are now threatening its survival.

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