“Cold Case” (8 p.m., CBS): Bobby Cannavale returns in an episode about a drug addict,

“Cold Case” (8 p.m., CBS): Bobby Cannavale returns in an episode about a drug addict, who insists she saw her son three years after he died.

“Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music” (8 p.m., TCM): Frank Sinatra gets the royal treatment on Turner Classic Movies, which is marking the 10th anniversary of the singer’s death with a month-long homage to Old Blue Eyes. The salute begins with “Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music,” a 1965 Emmy-winning concert, followed by the 1943 musical “Higher and Higher.”

“Cranford” (9 p.m., PBS): Judi Dench stars in “Cranford,” the latest costume drama from “Masterpiece.” Based on the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell and set in 1842, the film chronicles life in a rural English town on the brink of major change. Some find romance and opportunity there, while others fear a breakdown of social order. The cast also includes Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton.

“This American Life” (10 p.m., Showtime): “This American Life” captures personal stories around the country in a way no other series has ever done.

Host Ira Glass presents unfiltered day-in-a-life stories with sensitivity and dignity. These tales of average Americans are too small for the national news and not daunting enough for the Hollywood machine to care about.

But the profiles each week of ordinary people living less-than-ordinary lives are fascinating and extraordinary in their compassion and strength.

The second-season opener chronicles two compelling slices of life. The theme of this week’s profiles is escapism.

In one story, set in Philadelphia, inner-city teen-age boys find a way to impress the girls — through horseback riding. One teen says he feels like a cowboy; another laughs about how the ladies love to see a guy on a horse.

The shots of the teens riding slowly across a freeway bridge, hovering over bumper-to-bumper traffic, sum up the unconventional style that “Life” so freely and uncompromisingly presents.

The sweetest escapes sometimes have nothing to do with distance, the series concludes.

“Life’s” second story involves a 27-year-old man seeking independence from his mother. However, the twist of the story is this: His rare spinal condition leaves him virtually unable to move on his own.

He uses a tap of his finger to type on his computer. He blinks his eyes to communicate simple responses.

The man is grateful for his mother’s constant care. She sleeps on the floor next to him. She has attended to his basic needs.

As bleak as this segment starts out being, it soon takes an uplifting turn. The man who cannot move and needs constant supervision just to stay alive has managed to build a life for himself -- even finding a girlfriend and establishing his own identity.

“Life” has that way about it. The most unpredictable stories have a way of turning out far different than you might expect.