Critic’s Pick: TV Picks: ‘Supergirl,’ ‘The Affair,’ ‘Madam Secretary’

“Supergirl” It is impossible not to enjoy the new CBS superhero saga “Supergirl.” Even those suffering from superhero fatigue can’t fail to be charmed by Melissa Benoist’s instantly likable Kara Zor-El or the slick and witty world Greg Berlanti and his team have created for her.

As we no doubt will be reminded in voiceover for some months to come, Kara originally was sent to protect her young cousin, now Superman, only she got hung up in a wormhole; when she finally arrived on Earth, he already was fighting crime, so she opted for a “normal” life.

We all know where this is heading, and head there it does, with minimal plausibility, but whatever. By the end of the pilot, Supergirl is launched, with a cape and a fine coterie of supporting characters, including a new version of Jimmy Olsen (played by Mehcad Brooks and going by James), a Miranda Priestly-like boss (Calista Flockheart) and a loving but steely sister (Chyler Leigh).

After way too much self-doubt, Kara is here to help save the world, and possibly newspapers — while the Daily Planet is going strong, Kara’s local paper is about to fold because it doesn’t have a superhero to chronicle. Both goals and “Supergirl” are well worth rooting for.

CBS, Mondays, 8 p.m.

“The Affair” The second season of Showtime’s “He Said/She Said” drama of infidelity has doubled down on the murder-mystery aspect that played at the edges of Season 1, which is both satisfying (it makes for a stronger through line and far fewer interminable scenes of anguished longing) and disappointing (has life itself become a murder mystery?).

Having picked up pretty much where Season 1 left off — with Noah (Dominic West) being hauled off and charged with the hit-and-run death of Alison’s (Ruth Wilson) feckless brother-in-law — the plot has expanded to include the viewpoints of the two cuckholds: Cole (Joshua Jackson) and Helen (Maura Tierney). This enriches the show in many ways. Jackson and Tierney are terrific, and frankly, who wasn’t getting tired of watching Noah and Alison have sex?

The viewpoints become wildly divergent at times, and it is not as clear if they are, as they were in Season 1, being offered to the officer in charge of the investigation. Not that it matters much. “The Affair” still works to reveal the many threads required to make or destroy a marriage, a family and a life.

Showtime, Sundays, 8 p.m.

“Madam Secretary” I love this show and never more than this season, which continues its brand of aspirational politics — wouldn’t it be nice if problems got solved in an episode arc, or even at all? — but with an increasingly tense tone.

Having established herself as the Best Secretary of State Ever (and the best reason to revisit silk blouses since Gillian Anderson in “The Fall”) Bess McCord (Tea Leoni) is currently not just taking hits from the Eva Peron-like widow of the recently deceased president of Russia, but she’s being “boxed out” of the Oval Office by the scheming, and way too hawkish, national security advisor (Julian Acosta). Naturally evil — he believes in military aggression! He doesn’t like Bess! — he also is playing on the president’s re-election fears that Bess is more popular than he.

This means, one hopes, that Bess will be taking her gloves off now and showing that a moral code does not preclude internal and external smackdowns. (It cannot mean that she will become vice president or president because then they would have to change the name of the show.)

“Madam Secretary” has done an admirable job of portraying the work/family balance — those pesky McCord kids are in every episode, and although they kindly take turns having “issues” (why did my three kids not get this memo?), they allow the writers to share their thoughts on things like our increasing ambivalence toward high school football. Odd, but kind of nice.

Unfortunately, it cuts down on office screen time, and Bebe Neuwirth really needs a bit more to do — because I’m fairly certain she could take care of the Russian Evita all on her own.

CBS, Sundays, 8 p.m.