The Family
Thursday, 9 p.m., ABC
Series premiere. If your child disappeared for a decade, would you recognize him upon his return? That’s the predicament faced by the Warrens on “The Family,” starring Joan Allen, Rupert Graves and Andrew McCarthy. In the pilot, 18-year-old Adam Warren (Liam James) resurfaces after being kidnapped by Hank Asher, a local sex offender, played by McCarthy. Not only is McCarthy co-starring on “The Family,” he is directing several episodes. The actor, now 53, spoke to The Post about doing double duty.
Do you direct on the days you act?
I tell myself where to go and I don’t give myself a hard time.
Does the cast view you in a different light when you direct?
I was directing episodes in the beginning so they were used to me. It was a little harder to change gears as we went on. I said, “Give me 30 seconds here.”
Hank, not surprisingly, is enigmatic. How do you see him?
He’s a peculiar guy. He’s damaged goods, for sure. Maybe wrongly accused. He has sexual things in the closet.
How long was he in jail?
Ten years. He’s one of those people who doesn’t say what they’re thinking. [Inside] he’s screaming, “You hurt me so badly.”
If you could work with anybody from the old days, who would it be?
[“Pretty in Pink” co-star] Jimmy Spader. I directed him on “The Blacklist.” It was great to reconnect with Jimmy because I’ve known him so long.
What else to watch this week:
Blindspot
Monday, 10 p.m., NBC
Jane (Jaimie Alexander) reels from a series of revelations about her tattoos and wonders if she can trust Oscar (François Arnaud). Then, a tattoo leads the team to a shocking discovery in the Black Sea. Also starring Sullivan Stapleton and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
The Magicians
Monday, 9 p.m., Syfy
An uncompromising professor pushes boundaries in the personal lives of his first-year students. Meanwhile, Julia (Stella Maeve) must decide whether she’s ready to accept help and what that means for her future as a magician. Starring Jason Ralph and Summer Bishil.
Hap and Leonard
Wednesday, 10 p.m., Sundance
Series premiere. Hap Collins (James Purefoy), an east Texas white boy with a weakness for Southern women, and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams), a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper, are best friends drawn to schemes. When Hap’s seductive ex-wife Trudy (Christina Hendricks) resurfaces with a deal they can’t refuse, a simple get-rich-quick scheme snowballs into bloody mayhem.
Mavis!
Monday, 9 p.m., HBO
Gospel, soul and rhythm and blues — the irrepressible Mavis Staples mastered them all. Starting out with her siblings as the Staple Singers in the 1960s, they had a string of hit singles, including “I’ll Take You There,” which topped the charts in 1972. Mavis eventually went out on her own and had an equally impressive career. Bob Dylan once asked her father for her hand in marriage. She brought down the house at the premiere of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show and has toured with Bonnie Raitt. In this affectionate documentary, Dylan and Raitt talk about their remarkable friend and her legacy.
Grey’s Anatomy
Thursday, 8 p.m., ABC
A patient from Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) very first surgery as an intern is readmitted to Grey Sloan Memorial with a new aneurysm, and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) takes her case. Meanwhile, Maggie (Kelly McCreary) suspects that Richard (James Pickens Jr.) knows about her relationship with Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti), and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) debates dating again.
House of Cards
Friday, Netflix
After a slow-paced third season, “House of Cards” has its mojo back. The action picks up where we left off, with Claire (Robin Wright) walking out on Frank (Kevin Spacey) on the eve of the New Hampshire primary. Frank labors to keep their estrangement quiet while Claire travels home to Texas, in the hopes of launching a career as a congressional representative. Meanwhile, someone Frank thought had been silenced speaks again. It’s a great cast this year: Ellen Burstyn comes aboard as Claire’s steely mother, Elizabeth Hale, and Joel Kinnaman plays Governor Will Conway, a “snot-nosed pretty boy” in Frank’s eyes who also wants to be president. Best line? Frank to Elizabeth: “I may be white trash, but I’m in the White House!”
The People v. O.J. Simpson
Tuesday, 10 p.m., FX
As the trial begins, Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown) and Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance) face off in court. Darden has doubts about Mark Fuhrman (Steven Pasquale) as a witness. Meanwhile, the jury visits the crime scene, which Cochran has cleared of any unsavory evidence, including a nude photo of O.J.’s (Cuba Gooding Jr.) girlfriend. Privately, he tells Darden not to do the cross-examination of Fuhrman. Co-starring Sarah Paulson.