Bloodline

Season two now available on Netflix

This should be interesting. Season one of this series was flawed, and ultimately unsatisfying as the 13 episodes built — and built and built, with lots of plot repetitions — to exactly what we expected. But Ben Mendelsohn made it worthwhile nonetheless. With a flawless American accent, the Australian actor killed it as black-sheep brother Danny. I was fascinated by the way Mendelsohn toyed with our sympathies. One minute, your heart could ache for the broken man-child who seemed so misunderstood, the next you could feel disgusted by his bad decision-making. Danny’s surprise return to the family home began the first season, and his death marked its end. So how are the show’s writers — including Dennis Lehane — dealing with the loss of their best asset and central story line? They’re not. The new season revolves around the aftermath of Danny’s death and the appearance of Danny’s secret son. And Mendelsohn is back as a regular for season two, but solely as a ghost and in flashbacks. Backstory here we come.

Late Night With Seth Meyers

Monday at 12:35 a.m., NBC

At this point in our political world, the late-night TV circuit is a must for any candidate. Obviously it’s not going to be a place where the candidate is going to flesh out ideas; it’s a place where he or she can try to show the public — particularly late night’s younger voters — that they’re entertainers, too. They can only hope their appearances are funny enough to get some viral momentum in the following days, an extra run of what is essentially free advertising. For a campaign, going on late night is loaded with potential positives, including reaching those who might not be watching debates or “Face the Nation.’’ The candidates know that their late-night host — on Monday, it’s a rerun of Seth Meyers with Bernie Sanders, last week it was Jimmy Kimmel with Sanders and then Donald Trump — is probably going to be polite and friendly. That is their job, to make guests comfortable. So really challenging questions are not likely.

Point Taken

Tuesday at 11 p.m., WGBH 2

The national conversation is a mess. We mostly follow media that we agree with, the selfie approach to news. When political and ethical arguments turn ugly, which is often, neither side listens. Productive dialogue between, say, members of Congress, is rare if not extinct. That’s the raison d’etre for a newish WGBH series called “Point Taken.’’ Each week, the show invites four guests to debate an issue, two against two. Is the United States doing more harm than good in the Middle East? Should we pay reparations to black Americans? Those are a few recent topics. Host Carlos Watson (pictured) directs the debates with grace, pitting the sides against each other while fostering civility between them. Toward the end of each episode, he has the panelists name the best point their opponents made, thus the title of the show. The show serves as a nice model, a gesture toward mutual respect.

The Americans

Wednesday at 10 p.m., FX

Fantastic news. My current favorite, “The Americans,’’ has an end date. The show will return for a 13-episode fifth season next year, and then a 10-episode final season in 2018. This plan will enable the writers to carefully map out the 1980s-set show’s endgame. They won’t need to keep manufacturing plot and filler so the story line can stretch on and on indefinitely. Just as Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, the Soviet agents posing as travel agents, plan their missions super carefully, so the writers will be able to plot each and every step toward the conclusion. “The Americans’’ began as a solid action-espionage-family drama in 2013. But it has improved with each season, particularly in terms of the family material, and right now it is among TV’s best.

MATTHEW GILBERT