WILL & GRACE -- "We Love Lucy" Episode 316 -- Pictured: (l-r) Eric McCormack as Will Truman/Ricky, Megan Mullally as Karen Walker/Lucy, Debra Messing as Grace Adler/Fred, Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland/Ethel -- (Photo by: Dave Bjerke/NBC)

Best-bets for April 9: Top comedies collide

1) “Will & Grace,” 9 p.m., NBC. Two generations of broad comedy have a cheery mash-up. “Will & Grace” – with a skilled cast and a great director (Jim Burrows) – meets “I Love Lucy.” With Will (Eric McCormack) as Ricky, the others do Lucille Ball’s classic scenes. Megan Mullally’s grape-stomping bit is so-so, but Sean Hayes’ candy-assembly-line one is terrific (with Lucie Arnaz, Ball’s daughter, as the supervisor) … and Debra Messing is a delight when tackling the Vitameatavegamin commercial. Shown here, from left: McCormack, Mullally, Messing, Hayes. Read more…

1) “Will & Grace,” 9 p.m., NBC. Two generations of broad comedy have a cheery mash-up. “Will & Grace” – with a skilled cast and a great director (Jim Burrows) – meets “I Love Lucy.” With Will (Eric McCormack) as Ricky, the others do Lucille Ball’s classic scenes. Megan Mullally’s grape-stomping bit is so-so, but Sean Hayes’ candy-assembly-line one is terrific (with Lucie Arnaz, Ball’s daughter, as the supervisor) … and Debra Messing is a delight when tackling the Vitameatavegamin commercial. Shown here, from left: McCormack, Mullally, Messing, Hayes.

2) “Mom,” 9 p.m., CBS. Even a great show can sometimes inject new life. “Mom” did that by adding Rainn Wilson as Trevor, Bonnie’s therapist. Last week’s episode (with Trevor’s life crumbling) may have been the best comedy half-hour this season. Now we get a terrific rerun in which he gives her advice about dealing with Adam. Also, Christy feels guilty about leaving an accident scene.

3) “Better Things,” 10 p.m., FX. The first half of this episode is fairly interesting, as Sam (Pamela Adlon) and clan visit the new home of her rich brother. Then the second half is extraordinary. It starts with Sam’s naive visit to a marijuana store … then spirals into some good moments with her youngest daughter Duke and some great ones with her middle daughter, Frankie.

4) “How To Get Away With Murder,” 10 p.m., ABC. With Asher dead and Annalise missing , panic and paranoia are spreading. Michaela and Connor consider taking deals in their case. Also, Gabriel won’t reveal key details of Asher’s murder.

5) “Annie Hall” (1977), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. You could call this the only comedy to win the best-picture Academy Award. (That depends on where you put “Forrest Gump,” “Rain Man” and musicals.) This was Woody Allen at his peak, eying the contrast between his introspection and the free-spirited Diane Keaton. She won for best actress; he won his only Oscar for directing and the first of his three for writing (shared with Marshall Brickman). Allen’s “Manhattan” (1979) follows at 10 p.m.

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