Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Carnival of the Animals,” 10 a.m., PBS; 2:30, 5 and 10:30 p.m., PBS Kids. Here’s a delight: Gustavo Dudamel conducted this half-hour Saint-Saens piece and produced a charming (mostly wordless) cartoon for it. (Shown here is a previous cartoon with a somewhat similar style.) PBS reruns it at 10:30 p.m. Friday, after Dudamel’s first TV concert as New York Philharmonic conductor; then PBS Kids has it three times Saturday. Read more…

1) “Marshals” and “Tracker,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. After a week off, these ratings-leaders are back. First, Cal, the team leader, has left to see a cancer specialist. That puts Andrea in charge; she’s quickly tested when Kayce leaves the jurisdiction, helping Mo (shown here) find his nephew. Then Colter tries to find the estranged daughter of Reenie’s mentor. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. John Mulaney (shown here), a favorite at “SNL,” returns. He was a writer on the show, co-creating Bill Hader’s Stefon character. Since then, he’s hosted six previous times, often offering parts of a stand-up comedy routine, instead of the usual host patter. Phoebe Bridgers has her second turn as music guest. Read more…

1) “Happy’s Place,” 8 p.m., NBC. This comedy is elevated by guest stars — again. Last week, it was Jane Lynch; this time, it’ James Denton and (really) a duck. One flirts (shown here) with Reba McEntire — just as he did in her “Reba” show; the other imprints on Steve. Despite some flaws, it’s a funny episode. Read more…

1) “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 9 p.m., NBC. Last week, “Chicago Fire” had its 300th episode; now “SVU” (same producer and same network) doubles that. It’s the 600th, trailing only “The Simpsons” (815) and “Gunsmoke” (635). For this hour, Christopher Meloni is back as Stabler; earlier (shown here with Mariska Hargitay), he did 12 seasons, left for a decade and now returns occasionally. Read more…

1) “Band of Brothers,” 11:30 a.m. to 1:49 a.m., AMC. On Veterans Day, here’s a rerun of a mini-series (shown here) about a real-life World War II unit. It’s masterfully done — as is Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” at noon and 8:05 p.m. on Showtime. Also, military-movie marathons are on Turner Classic Movies and digital channels called FMC and Movies. Read more…

1) “We Chose to Go to the Moon,” 8-10 p.m., PBS. This Carnegie Hall event views the space race through personal glimpses and epic music from an orchestra and six Broadway stars. After a slow start, it has a moving “Sounds of Silence” and a soaring “Aquarius,” later, there’s a rousing “Rocket Man” and a ballad Mark Armstrong wrote about his dad (shown here), the lunar pioneer. Read more…