9-1-1
Wednesday, 9 p.m., Fox
Angela Bassett, star of the new Fox procedural “9-1-1,” earned the badge she wears as Detective Athena Grant. Bassett, 59, did four seasons on “American Horror Story,” which is another way of saying she went on a magical mystery tour engineered by television’s dark magician, Ryan Murphy, and came out unscathed — but with a lot of stories to tell. Like the day she read the script for “AHS: Freak Show” and discovered that her character, Desiree Dupree, would have three breasts.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. On “911,” which Murphy also created, Bassett’s detective deals with a wide variety of emergencies, including this week’s home invasion subplot. Meanwhile, first responders are sent to rescue people trapped upside-down in a malfunctioning roller coaster.
Bassett, who is married to Courtney B. Vance Jr., spoke to The Post from her home in LA.
How does it feel to wear a cop uniform?
The guns and belts are extremely heavy and awkward. The polyester tailored shirt is tucked in a little bit, which makes it a little more constricting. It may be a cop uniform, but it’s a Ryan Murphy show so it looks good.
One of the shocks of the first episode was the scene where Athena’s husband, Michael (Rockmond Dunbar), came out to their two children. Did you know Rockmond Dunbar?
I knew his work. I haven’t seen that sort of issue addressed, about coming out and wanting a traditional family. It’s really complicated, messy, exciting and different.
Did you know anyone in the cast before you started filming?
The only one that I met was Aisha Hinds [who plays police officer Henrietta Wilson] when I did an episode of “Underground.” I met her at the premiere of that show. I’d never met Peter [Krause, who plays firefighter Bobby Nash] or Connie [Britton, who plays emergency operator Abby Clark].
Can you remember your reaction when you read that Desiree on “American Horror Story” was going to have a third breast?
I threw the script down and walked away. I needed to process it because I’d already signed on [to do the show]. And then I laughed. And we had to make them every day. They had three guys putting these breasts on me every day. There was nothing like the day I was dancing with the three tassels. The entire crew at the end burst into applause.
And here’s what else to watch this week:
Will & Grace
Thursday, 9 p.m., NBC
Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace’s (Debra Messing) old friend Larry (Tim Bagley) decides he’s in love with Will. On Jack’s (Sean Hayes) first day as a Lyft driver, he hits his wacky neighbor Val (Molly Shannon). Karen (Megan Mullally) steps in to bail him out, but then needs Jack to bail her out.
Black-ish
Tuesday, 9 p.m., ABC
Ruby (Jenifer Lewis) talks with Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Rhonda (Raven-Symoné) about her inheritance. Meanwhile, Bow’s (Tracee Ellis Ross, below left) sister Santamonica (Rashida Jones, below right) hires Junior (Marcus Scribner) as her assistant.
Major Crimes
Tuesday, 9 p.m., TNT
Series finale. Lieutenant Tao (Michael Paul Chan) is trapped in a room with a potential bomb. Provenza (G.W. Bailey) finally identifies the real Ms. Bechtal, and the Major Crimes unit comes face-to-face for the last time with Phillip Stroh (Billy Burke).
Taken
Friday, 9 p.m., NBC
Season Premiere. Bryan Mills (Clive Standen, below center) fights for his life inside a Mexican prison and plans a dangerous escape to the US. Plans change when Mills and a migrant girl (Adriana Santos) are taken by human traffickers. Meanwhile, Christina Hart (Jennifer Beals) leverages her spycraft skills to obtain new software that could locate Mills, and enlists two unlikely allies to aid in her mission to bring Mills home.
Young Sheldon
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., CBS
A worried Mary (Zoe Perry) sends Sheldon (Iain Armitage) to Sunday school after she finds him playing Dungeons and Dragons with Billy (Wyatt McClure) and Tam (Ryan Phuong).
Inside the Actors Studio: Ted Danson
Thursday, 8 p.m., Bravo
Ted Danson (inset) has been a TV star since he played Sam Malone on NBC’s “Cheers” starting in 1982. As the medium changed, he modified his acting style, taking parts in diverse projects such as HBO’s “Bored To Death,” Season 1 of “Damages” on FX and memorably on Season 2 of “Fargo.” The nattily attired actor now stars in NBC’s “The Good Place,” as Michael, the wizard of a place that might be heaven or hell.
The Good Doctor
Monday, 10 p.m., ABC
Dr. Andrews (Hill Harper, below right) enlists Dr. Melendez (Nicholas Gonzalez) on a kidney transplant between conjoined twins (Elizabeth and Emily Winkler, above left). Meanwhile, Dr. Murphy (Freddie Highmore) takes a trip rather than listen to Dr. Glassman (Richard Schiff) about seeing a therapist.
