1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Ryan Gosling is a great guest anywhere, including the Oscars and (shown here) “SNL.” Now he’s the host, three weeks before his “Project Hail Mary” movie opens. It’s his fourth time as host and the first for Gorillaz as the music guest. A week later, Harry Styles will have his second turn in both jobs. Read more…
1) “Outlander” (shown here in a previous season) opener, 8 p.m. Starz, rerunning at 9:05 and 10:08. A huge journey — eight seasons, sprawled over 12 years, telling a 225-year time-travel tale — starts its final round. Previous episodes rerun at 6 and 6:59, with Claire guiding Denzell through surgery. Then Jamie finds a disturbing truth and returns Claire to the Ridge, for a surprise. Read more…
NBC’s post-Olympic push hits a peak Wednesday (March 4).
That’s when all three Chicago shows mold into one high-stakes, high-octane night (shown here). The result — even with some scattered flaws — is compelling.
Fresh from high ratings for the Winter Olympics, the network wanted to keep the momentum. The first week, that meant launching “The Voice” on a Monday, with a quick rerun on Wednesday. The Chicago shows would have to wait a week. Read more…
1) “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” 9 p.m., FX., rerunning at 10:30. This was the wedding the masses speculated about … performed far from their view. In a tiny island chapel, Kennedy and Bissette (shown here in a previous episode) married. In an excellent episode, we see the bride have warm moments with Ethel Kennedy and cold ones with her own mother. Read more…
There’s no equality at the dinner table, it seems.
Some people have splendid palettes, sniffing out subtle differences in flavor. Others just try to figure out how much ketchup to put on a hot dog.
Why the difference? Is it a myth? A mystery? A birthright? We asked Padma Lakshmi (shown here), who should know.
“She has one of the most refined palettes I’ve ever cooked for,” Sol Han, an acclaimed chef, says on the debut of “America’s Culinary Cup,” at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday (March 4) on CBS.
And that might be a real, scientific thing. She’s been told by a scientist at the Seattle Science Museum that there are biological differences. Read more…
1) “America’s Culinary Cup” debut (shown here), 9:30-11 p.m., CBS. After 18 seasons on “Top Chef,” Padma Lakshmi knows a lot about food. Now she aims high — sleek kitchen, million-dollar prize and acclaimed chefs. One won the top international prize, another was his coach, five others have Michelin stars. The result is slick and entertaining. Read more…
A dozen years ago, Scottish actors were buzzing about the odd project that was consuming their film industry.
“It just arrived in force and it absorbed about 85 percent of our television crew,” Richard Rankin said.
This was “Outlander” (shown here) now a familiar show — its eighth and final season starts Friday -(March 6) — but then an oddity. Its time-travel story sweeps across two centuries of adventure and romance; working in it was a logical goal for Scotsmen and others. Read more…
1) “NCIS” return, 8 p.m., CBS. Emily Wickersham was 27 when she joined “NCIS,” playing a young agent surrounded by long-timers. She stayed for eight seasons, then was gone for five. Now — as the “NCIS” shows return from a 10-week break — she’s back (shown here) and in trouble. Her character (Ellie Bishop) is a cyber-terrorism suspect. Read more…
1) “St. Denis Medical” return, 8 p.m., NBC. After a three-week Olympic break, this returns with a hilarious opening bit. Then it tells funny little stories about Dr. Ron (shown here) and his squeaky shoes, a tentative friendship and a stray mushroom candy bar. It adds up to a fun time. Read more…
1) “Marshals” debut, 8 p.m., CBS. As “Yellowstone” finished, Kayce Dutton gave his family’s mega-ranch to his wife’s tribe; he was at peace. Now his world has been upended; he needs a new life — and a former SEAL buddy, now a U.S. marshal, needs help. There are some strong action moments, including (shown here) trouble during a speech and protest. This sequel is way too thick with its macho dialog, but gives us sturdy people to care about. Read more…
Best-bets for March 7: Gosling’s back on “SNL” 
Best-bets for March 6: time-travel or global baseball 
Best-bets for March 5: wedding warmth; daddy humor 
