The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

The best programs on TV this week

Money and Medicine

“One of the myths of American medicine,” says a policy expert in this timely report, is that we have to “ration in order to reduce costs.” In a time of continuing debate over health care, this film, shot at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and Intermountain Medical Center in Utah, offers a balanced look at the economic impact of difficult treatment decisions made by both doctors and patients. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Mindy Project

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Stepping away from The Office, actor-writerMindy Kaling graduates to co-creator and star of her own sitcom, playing an OB/GYN who’s far more successful at work than in her romantic life. The show takes many risks: It has no laugh track, a not-always-likable heroine, and many sharp edges. It also has wit and the potential to enchant the audience that’s championed HBO’s Girls. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 9:30 p.m., Fox

Last Resort

Attacked by their own country after questioning mysterious orders, the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine seize control of an isolated island and declare themselves against all flags. Blending brawny military drama with paranoid thriller, this new series, starring Andre Braugher, keeps the twists coming thick and fast in its premiere episode. Thursday, Sept. 27, at 8 p.m., ABC

Elementary

Two years ago, Britain’s brilliant Sherlock transplanted Sherlock Holmes to contemporary London. This new American series puts the great detective in present-day New York and makes him a recovering drug addict saddled with a sober companion named Joan Watson. While cleverness is Sherlock’s trademark, Elementary hits more emotional buttons. Jonny Lee Miller makes a credible Holmes, and Lucy Liu plays off him as a Watson who’s a strong-willed ex-doctor ravaged by guilt over a medical error. Thursday, Sept. 27, at 10 p.m., CBS

666 Park Avenue

An innocent young couple moves into a vintage Manhattan apartment building, where the wife soon stumbles onto sinister supernatural secrets. That’s the plot of Rosemary’s Baby, but it’s also the premise of this new series, which, derivative though it is, delivers some chills and entertainment. Terry O’Quinn (John Locke on Lost) and Vanessa Williams play the building’s diabolical overseers. Sunday, Sept. 30, at 10 p.m., ABC

Other highlights

Frontline: Dropout Nation

In Houston, Frontline tracks a program that aims to keep at-risk students from dropping out of high school. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Vegas

Dennis Quaid, as a sheriff, and Michael Chiklis, as a gangster, square off in this new fact-based drama about 1960s Las Vegas. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 10 p.m., CBS

Made in Jersey

Janet Montgomery is appealing in this new series as a rough-around-the-edges attorney who makes good in a prestigious New York law firm. Kyle MacLachlan plays her boss and Tony winner Donna Murphy her mother. Friday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m., CBS

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