1) Country build-up, Tuesday and Wednesday, ABC. Dolly Parton, Barbara Walters has said, is the perfect interviewee; she has candor, intelligence and great stories to tell. We’ll see that at 10 p.m. Tuesday, when Robin Roberts hosts a Parton documentary. The next morning, Roberts and “Good Morning America” will be in Nashville. That night, at the Country Music Association awards, Parton joins the mega-opener and also does a gospel number; there’s more ahead, including a series (shown here) based on her songs, Nov. 22 on Netflix.I
2) CMA awards, 8-11 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. Things start with the women – an opener that has Carrie Underwood (who hosts), Parton, McEntire, Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson, Tanya Tucker and more. And yes, there will be guys: Blake Shelton sings alone and with Garth Brooks; also, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton and more, plus links: Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson, Halsey with Lady Antebellum, Brooks and Dunn with the Brothers Osborne.
3) “Masterpiece: Poldark” finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. A five-year, 43-episode saga ends with high stakes. At 8 p.m. (after the “Sesame Street” 50th-anniversary special at 7), last week’s hour reruns: Ross knows his ore was stolen and traded for weapons, stockpiled for a French invasion. London officials, soaked in corruption, won’t respond, so he tries being a makeshift double agent. The plot lacks believability – no one seems to finish off anyone – but it’s an emotional end to a lush and epic story.
4) Veterans Day shows, today (Monday). The History channel has movies from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the terrific “American Sniper” (2014) at 11:28 a.m. Turner Classic Movies has films all day, with “Glory” (1989) and “Dirty Dozen” (1967) at 5:45 and 8 p.m. ET. Smithsonian starts a documentary marathon at 1 p.m. At 10 (check local listings), PBS’ “Independent Lens” packs a jolt. It focuses on interpreters who risked their lives to help American soldiers, then had painful waits before getting to immigrate here.
5) Streaming war begins, Tuesday. Suddenly, there are two new competitors to Netflix and other streaming networks. Apple+ debuted on Nov. 1, including “The Morning Show,” the big-budgeter with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Now Disney+ jumps in. It ranges from past Marvel movies to cartoons – the old Disney classics and the newer Pixar ones. It also has a new “Star Wars” series (“The Mandalorian”) and two shows about high school musicals, one scripted and one a documentary..
6) “Mom,” 9 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Thursdays overflow with sharp comedy – especially on NBC, where “Perfect Harmony” leads into the final seasons of “The Good Place” and “Will & Grace.” So we might overlook the witty “Mom,” with women who are wonderfully aware of their own faults. Now Bonnie (Allison Janney, who has six Emmys and an Oscar) and Adam reluctantly double-date with Jill and Andy. Tammy, who lacks a sensitive side, needs Christy to mediate a sensitive subject with Marjorie.
7) “Dollface” debut, Friday, Hulu. For good or bad, this is a week that streaming networks dominate. On Friday, Amazon has the final season of “The Man in the High Castle”; two days later, Netflix has the third season of “The Crown,” with Olivia Colman taking over as Elizabeth. Then there’s this quirky gem. Jules (Kat Dennings) devoted five years to her boyfriend … who casually broke up with her. Friendless and clueless, she needs a new life; the result has brilliant sight gags and flights of fancy
8) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. Harry Styles joins an elite list – people who doubled as host and music guest of the same episode. Desi Arnaz did it first, 43 years ago; Chance the Rapper did it three weeks ago. Others include Sting, Drake, Ludacris and Gaga, plus the old masters (Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul Simon), the opposite (Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus) and more. Styles, 25, who soared in One Direction, went solo in 2016 and acted in “Dunkirk” in 2017.
9) “Soul Train Awards,” 8 p.m. Sunday, BET, rerunning at 11. Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold host a night that has a “Soul Cypher” number, linking Anthony Hamilton, Carl Thomas, Erykah Badu, Keyshia Cole, Le’Andria Johnson and Robert Glasper. Also performing: Boyz II Men, Queen Naija, Luke James, K.Michelle, SiR, Wale and BJ the Chicago Kid. Chris Brown and Drake lead with eight and seven nominations; there are special awards for Yolanda Adams and for Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
10) “Ray Donovan” season-opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, Showtime. First, we catch up; previous episodes rerun from 2-8 p.m. Then Ray helps his dad (Jon Voight) surrender to police; life is peaceful … until someone finds the head of a missing policeman. That’s followed by “Shameless” at 9 and then the mid-section of “Back to Life,” a three-week delight. At 10, Miri (back from 18 years in prison for murder) has a brief respite with her neighbor; at 10:30, she and her mother are stranded, forcing a conversation.