Having cut loose its dead weight in last week's penultimate episode, His Dark Materials is set to cap its second season tonight with a finale that promises change everything, and likely leave us hanging for a third installment.
Also today: ESPN's Monday Night Football wraps its 50th season with an ABC simulcast, PBS examines the life of Vernon Jordan, and the Kids Baking Championship returns for Season 9. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this Monday:
SEASON FINALE: All paths converge on Cittàgazze as His Dark Materials reaches the end of its second season. Lee (Lin-Manuel Miranda) won't throw away his shot at fulfilling his quest, Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) gets an answer to her question, and Will (Amir Wilson) assumes his father’s mantle. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on HBO
NFL FOOTBALL: The landmark 50th season of Monday Night Football concludes with the Buffalo Bills taking on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Kick-off is at 8:15 PM ET/5:15 PM PT on ESPN and ABC
SHORT FILM: Timothy Ware collaborated with Arnon Manor to create Cops and Robbers, which puts animation to an original poem written and performed by Manor in response to Ahmaud Arbery's killing by two white supremacists in Georgia this past February. Streaming on Netflix
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: Directed by Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble), Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain chronicles the African American thought leader's modest origins through his rise to national renown as a pioneering attorney, businessman, civil rights leader and counselor to presidents spanning the era from LBJ to Barack Obama. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on PBS
SEASON PREMIERE: Hosts Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman welcome a dozen new young bakers to the kitchen for the ninth season of Food Network's Kids Baking Championship. The competition kicks off with two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:00 PM ET on Food Network
NEW EPISODE: Captain Rosbach leads his crew and passengers into uncharted waters as Below Deck airs its final episode of the year. 9:00 PM ET on Bravo
Mike Attebery is Senior Editor at Primetimer and the author of seven mystery thrillers. Follow him on Twitter at @mikeattebery.
TOPICS: His Dark Materials, HBO