What to Watch November 12: ‘The Good Daughter,’ ‘The Empress’ and ‘The Traitors’ Lead Thursday TV

Thursday television is bringing family secrets, royal heartbreak and a castle full of people who couldn't tell the truth if their lives depended on it. Peacock premieres The Good Daughter, a new crime thriller starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy, while Netflix brings The Empress back for its third and final season. And over on NBC, The Traitors: New Blood continues proving that trusting strangers on a reality competition is probably one of the worst decisions anyone can make.

Broadcast television has plenty happening, too. ABC returns to the emergencies of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville, CBS has comedy and crime with Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Eternally Yours, Elsbeth and Cupertino, and Bravo delivers more reunion drama from The Real Housewives of Orange County. Between the family betrayals, murder investigations and reality television arguments, Thursday isn't exactly overflowing with healthy relationships.

TV Cave Top Pick: The Good Daughter

Streaming | Peacock | Limited Series Premiere

Peacock's The Good Daughter earns our Top Pick with a six-episode crime thriller based on Karin Slaughter's bestselling novel. Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy star as Samantha and Charlotte Quinn, two sisters whose lives were shattered by a violent attack on their family years earlier. They've taken very different paths since then, but another tragedy in their hometown forces them to confront the past they've spent decades trying to escape.

Charlotte, a defense attorney who stayed in Pikeville, Georgia, becomes a witness to a deadly shooting at her former high school. Samantha, who built a career and a life in New York, reluctantly returns home as the sisters find themselves caught in another investigation. Their father, Rusty, played by Brendan Gleeson, is also deeply connected to the family's complicated history.

The series has all the ingredients for an addictive mystery: estranged siblings, buried secrets, a small town and a family that clearly has more than a few things to work through. And with all six episodes available today, viewers won't have to spend weeks waiting to find out what really happened.

Thursday, November 12 TV Schedule

Time (ET)	Show	Network/Streaming	Tonight
12:00 AM	The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County	Hulu	Series Premiere
3:00 AM	The Good Daughter	Peacock	Top Pick — Limited Series Premiere
3:00 AM	The Empress	Netflix	Season 3 / Final Season Premiere
8:00 PM	9-1-1	ABC	New Episode
8:00 PM	Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage	CBS	New Episode
8:00 PM	The Traitors: New Blood	NBC	New Episode
8:00 PM	Hell's Kitchen	FOX	New Episode
8:00 PM	The Real Housewives of Orange County	Bravo	Reunion, Part 2
8:00 PM	Mistletoe Murders	Hallmark Channel	New Episode
8:00 PM	The First 48: Rookie Year	A&E	New Episode
8:31 PM	Eternally Yours	CBS	New Episode
9:00 PM	9-1-1: Nashville	ABC	New Episode
9:00 PM	Law & Order: SVU	NBC	New — “Obedience”
9:01 PM	Elsbeth	CBS	New — “All About Eats”
9:15 PM	Southern Charm	Bravo	Season 12 Premiere
10:00 PM	Cupertino	CBS	New — “YUNGWOOD”
10:00 PM	Law & Order	NBC	New — “Do No Harm”

All times Eastern. Streaming premieres are available on demand, and local broadcast schedules may vary.

‘The Empress’ Returns for Its Final Season

Netflix brings The Empress back for Season 3, and Elisabeth's marriage to Emperor Franz is in serious trouble. Following the devastating Sardinian War, Franz returns home struggling with the psychological toll of battle, while Elisabeth faces mounting pressure from the imperial court and growing uncertainty about her place beside him.

Things become even more complicated when Franz's infidelity threatens their already fragile relationship. Elisabeth eventually leaves Vienna, setting out on a journey that introduces her to Count Andrássy, a Hungarian revolutionary who challenges her thinking and awakens feelings she wasn't expecting. Between a struggling marriage, political unrest and a possible new romance, the final season has plenty to resolve before saying goodbye.

‘9-1-1’ and ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Bring More Emergencies

ABC begins its evening with 9-1-1 at 8 PM, airing “Who's Your Daddy?” The 118 responds to a horrifying accident involving a father, his son and a tree mulcher, while Athena and Newell investigate a puzzling homicide. Buck is also trying to figure out how best to support Theo, and Chimney faces a decision that could have devastating consequences for his family.

At 9 PM, 9-1-1: Nashville returns with more emergencies involving the 113. The series continues following Don Hart and his team while exploring the complicated relationships surrounding his family. Between the dangerous rescues and the personal drama, ABC is keeping Thursday viewers busy with two cities that apparently can't go a full week without something going terribly wrong.

‘Eternally Yours,’ ‘Elsbeth’ and ‘Cupertino’ Keep CBS Busy

CBS opens with Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, followed by Eternally Yours at 8:31 PM. Tonight's episode, “Eternal Sunshine of Phyllis's Mind,” finds Jesse considering whether it's finally time to tell Phyllis the truth about his vampire identity. Meanwhile, Max and Emma encounter their first major relationship obstacle. Keeping a supernatural secret from your spouse is already a questionable marital strategy, and Jesse has managed to make the situation even more complicated.

At 9 PM, Elsbeth returns with “All About Eats,” followed by Cupertino at 10 PM with “YUNGWOOD.” It's an entertaining Thursday combination of family comedy, murder mysteries and legal drama, with Eternally Yours providing the supernatural chaos in the middle.

‘The Traitors’ and ‘Mormon Wives’ Bring the Reality TV Drama

NBC's The Traitors: New Blood continues at 8 PM as the remaining contestants attempt to identify the people secretly working against them. Alan Cumming's castle remains a place where friendships are temporary, accusations are practically a recreational activity and trusting the wrong person can send you packing. At this point, even a friendly conversation probably deserves its own investigation.

Hulu also premieres The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, introducing a new group of influencers whose religious beliefs, friendships and personal ambitions collide. All eight episodes arrive today, giving reality fans an entirely new group of personalities to argue about online. Meanwhile, Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County continues its reunion at 8 PM, followed by the Season 12 premiere of Southern Charm at 9:15 PM.

Thursday Night Football and More

Football fans have a divisional matchup as the Washington Commanders visit the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM ET on Prime Video, offering a major alternative to the night's scripted dramas and reality competitions. FOX also has Hell's Kitchen, while NBC closes its evening with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order.

Thursday's Top Pick belongs to The Good Daughter, with its combination of family trauma, buried secrets and a mystery that threatens to tear two sisters apart all over again. But between The Empress saying goodbye, The Traitors keeping everyone suspicious and Eternally Yours delivering more vampire family drama, there's plenty worth watching tonight.