Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Julia,” 8 p.m., CNN; rerunning at 10. Julia Child (shown here) grew up comfortably, going to prep school and Smith. She did office work during wartime, moved to Paris with her husband … and discovered French cuisine. That changed her life; then she changed cooking, publishing and public TV. Child spent a dozen years co-writing “The French Chef,” sort of invented the book tour and, at 50, created breezy, no-script TV. Here’s a delightful documentary, from the people who profiled Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Read more…

1) “National Memorial Day Concert,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. For the first time in three years, this is back to what it does brilliantly – a live event on the Capitol lawn (shown here), on the eve of Memorial Day. Some of Broadway’s greatest voices – Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga and Norm Lewis – will be there, plus country star Craig Morgan, old-time/blues master Rhiannon Gibbons and Pia Toscano, once a powerhouse “American Idol” singer. There will also be tributes, including one to the late Colin Powell. Read more…

1) “Yellowstone,” 10 a.m. to midnight, Paramount Network. This modern-day cowboy series with Kevin Costner (shown here) has become a ratings hit. You can catch up with it on Paramount+ or on TV. Today starts with the debut episode and ends early in the second season;; Sunday (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) will reach midway into the third of four season; the fifth doesn’t arrive until November. Read more…

1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” reached Broadway in 1970,drawing raves and six Tonys, including best musical. It was back in 1993 and in 2006 (winning a best-revival Tony); then a gender-flip version (starring Katrina Lenk, shown here) was set for March of 2020. Instead, Broadway shut down. At a preview, 20 months later, Sondheim drew a standing ovation; he died 11 days later, at 91. This film has way too much abstract talk, but also has glimpses of a great show, now up for nine more Tonys. Read more…

1) “Grey’s Anatomy”, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. This is the one primetime drama that seems to go on forever. Tonight’s second episode is the 400th overall; by comparison, “This Is Us” ended at 106. And Ellen Pompeo (shown here, right) has been at the core throughout, as Meredith. Now she wants to move to Minnesota for a key research job; first, she tries to help in Seattle, where the residency program is in trouble and there’s a blood shortage. Other problems pile up, including possible prison time for Owen. Read more…