Month: October 2019

1) “Catherine the Great” opener, 10 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 11. Helen Mirren has been three queens – Charlotte and both Elizabeths; now it’s her turn to be a Russian empress. Catherine – previously played by Marlene Dietrich and Catherine Zeta-Jones – was 32 when her husband became the Russian emperor in 1762 … and 33 when she ousted him via a coup. She ruled for 34 years, amid modernizing and conquest. This four-part mini-series was filmed in palaces in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Read more…

1) “The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox. It’s the 30th annual “Treehouse of Horrors” and, in a nifty bonus, it’s “Simpsons” episode No. 666. That’s considered Satan’s number and this has lots of devilish fun. Homer trades a second son for an evil female spawn; he also keeps getting a new body for himself … and promptly ruining it. Milhouse hits a “Stranger Things” portal. And Selma (shown here has an affair with a fish creature. Parts of this are too harsh for some viewers; much of it is hilarious. Read more…

1) “Patsy & Loretta,” 8-10:03 p.m., Lifetime. Two near-opposites merged beautifully. Patsy Cline was big, brash and confident; since childhood she was intent on stardom; Loretta Lynn was backwoods and shy, with four kids and a belated career. Both had great talent, warm hearts and heavy-drinking husbands; in the two years before her death in a plane crash, Cline guided her friend. This sprawling story is told with a fairly good script, skilled direction and gifted stars, Megan Hilty (shown here) and Jessie Mueller. Read more…

1) “Great Performances: Grammy Salute to Music Legends,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. “I had no idea (songs) would last this long,” Valerie Simpson (shown here) says. Or that singers would last. Simpson, 74, is in great voice; so are other honorees – Dionne Warwick, 78; and Sam Moore, 83. Songwriters Lou Adler, 85, and Johnny Mandel, 93, show up. But PBS isn’t afraid to get heavy (Rival Sons with a great Black Sabbath tribute) or funky (George Clinton). There are great bits from Garth Brooks, Jessie Mueller and more. Read more…

1) “Perfect Harmony,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. These people are determined to win the next choir contest. They’ll practice relentlessly; nothing will get in the way … except, of course, deer season (shown here). In this Kentucky town, everything stops for hunting. Arthur, the crabby choirmaster, reluctantly joins the hunt. Tempers fray, friends fight; it’s another funny episode of the best new show on broadcast TV. Read more…

1) “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. It’s time for a crossover, flipping the order of the first two shows. Firefighters and paramedics rush to a Bears game, where there’s a bacteria outbreak (shown here); then a fire causes Sevaride to suspect there’s something bigger. “Med” follows the outbreak, putting an apartment complex under quarantine; Will faces a bioterrorism suspect. That sets up “P.D.” and a massive manhunt; Voight fears it’s just a wild goose chase. Read more…