1) The Blacklist” return, 8 and 9 p.m. Friday, NBC. After three months on the shelf, this smart, twisty show has episodes that are opposites, despite some common threads. Both involve a valuable gold box; both link Red (James Spader, shown here in a previous episode) with an imposing blonde – Gillian Alexy the first hour, Joely Redgrave the second. But that first hour is a clever art-theft tale; the second throws logic aside, for a fun yarn. In the Agatha Christie style, people are in a mansion on a dark and stormy night, with no escape and much death.
2) Basketball void, CBS, Tru TV, TNT and TBS. This was supposed to be a mega-week for sports fans, with the NCAA basketball tournament. Now the tourney has been canceled and the networks are scrambling. CBS had planned to rest its key shows, but may have to pull out reruns. On Thursdays, it has comedies (“Young Sheldon,” “The Unicorn,” “Mom,” “Carol’s Second Act”) plus the drama “Tommy.” On Fridays, it has successful dramas – “MacGyver,” “Hawaii Five-0” and “Blue Bloods.”
3) “Finian’s Rainbow” (1968), 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, Turner Classic Movies. With many St. Patrick’s Day events canceled, people might spend the holiday with their TV. TCM has a full day of Irish shows, including two that John Ford filmed in his parents’ homeland – “Rising of the Moon” (1965) at 4:30 p.m. ET and John Wayne in “The Quiet Man” (1952) ar 8. But no, you don’t have to be Irish: Prior to making his “Godfather” films, Francis Coppola directed “Finian’s Rainbow,” a zesty gem of a musical.
4) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. Now that “The Bachelor” has wrapped up, “Idol” temporarily gets a second night. On Sunday, it had its final auditions; now we see the survivors packed together for Hollywood Week. Today brings a “genre challenge,” with duets on Sunday and solos next Monday. After that, “Idol” plans a Hawaiian episode March 29, leading to the semi-finals on March 30 and April 5 and 6. Then the show will finally have its top-10 and will be back to Sundays only.
5) “Roswell, New Mexico” season-opener, 9 p.m. today, CW. In most shows, death is permanent and life is simple; not here. For a decade, Liz mourned her sister Rosa, apparently a drunk driver who died in an accident that killed two others. As last season ended, we learned the deaths were caused by Noah, who kept Rosa in a pod. She was secretly resurrected by Max. In this intense hour, Isobel mourns her brother Max and husband Noah; both are aliens from another planet and are dead … at least for now.
6) “Legends of Tomorrow.” 9 p.m. Tuesday, CW. The superhero world has been kind to Brandon Routh. He’s been Superman in a movie and two TV series; he’s been Ray Palmer – who shrinks into The Atom – on this series and three others. Now Routh is leaving “Legends,” as is Courtney Ford, his wife on the show (as Nora Dahrk) and in real life. In this episode, they take a final mission. It’s a fun hour, reminding us that superheroes get to meet Shakespeare, but still must wait in line at the restroom.
7) “Miracle Workers: The Dark Ages,” 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, TBS. In the domain of King Cragnoor the Heartless, there’s Prince Chauncley the Pretty Cool … who, alas, isn’t cool at all. As played by Daniel Radcliffe, he’s a sweet chap who secretly loves Alexandra (Geraldine Viswanathan). She’s a commoner who follows her father’s vocation, shoveling feces, but wants more. For now, they are just friends, but could they ever have a real date? This is a warm and funny episode, leading to the two-week finale.
8) “Motherland: Fort Salem” debut, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Freeform. This is what they forgot to tell us in history class: Ever since the Revolutionary War, it seems, witches have been a key part of the American army. We meet three of them in basic training – the privileged daughter of an officer … an angry youth mourning her mom … and an idealist who just wants to do good. Their arguments feel contrived, but other scenes work well – especially the opening and closing ones, showing how potent the enemy is.
9) “The Plot Against America,” 9 p.m. today, HBO. Speaking of history, this is something else we never learned: Frightened by the growing war in Europe, Americans elected an isolationist – aviation hero Charles Lindbergh – over Franklin Roosevelt in 1940. He was soon appeasing Hitler, leading to new waves of anti-Semitism. At least, that’s how it happened in Philip Roth’s chilling novel. It’s a six-week mini-series, leading to another mini at 10, a sequel to the Italian-language “My Brilliant Friend.”
10) “PBS Newshour: Confronting Coronavirus,” 8 p.m. Thursday, PBS. Here’s a chance to step back and take an overview. Judy Woodruff anchors, with Amna Nawaz and William Brangham moderating, throwing viewers’ questions to a panel of experts. Also on Thursday, NBC has a strong line-up of new comedies. “Superstore” (8 p.m.), has Amy bring her baby to work … “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (8:30) returns Craig Robinson as Doug Judy … “Will & Grace” has Demi Lovato as Will’s surrogate.