ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST -- "Zoey's Extraordinary Dad" Episode 112 -- Pictured: Jane Levy as Zoey Clarke -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/NBC)

Best-bets for May 3: A busy night, from A to Zoey

1) “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” season-finale, 9 p.m., NBC. This has been a splendid anomaly. The concept – Zoey (Jane Levy, shown here) hears people’s thoughts via pop songs – seems silly; piled on top are a romantic triangle, a dying dad and workplace intrigue. But for some people (including me), this is wondrous, bursting with originality, glowing colors, bright sounds and endless likability. That peaks with tonight’s final number – seven minutes, one continuous shot, perfectly crafted. “Zoey” is truly extraordinary. Read more…

1) “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” season-finale, 9 p.m., NBC. This has been a splendid anomaly. The concept – Zoey (Jane Levy, shown here) hears people’s thoughts via pop songs – seems silly; piled on top are a romantic triangle, a dying dad and workplace intrigue. But for some people (including me), this is wondrous, bursting with originality, glowing colors, bright sounds and endless likability. That peaks with tonight’s final number – seven minutes, one continuous shot, perfectly crafted. “Zoey” is truly extraordinary.

2) “Billions” season-opener and “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,” 9 and 10 p.m., Showtime. On an emotional scale, “Billions” is the opposite of “Zoey”; it’s the hard, harsh tale of two angry men – one rich, one powerful, each trying to destroy the other. We watch because of the sharp, seething dialog, rendered by gifted actors. And “Angels”? Its first hour was overwhelmed by folklore demons. As they step aside, we start to get a textured story about a Mexican-American cop in 1938 Los Angeles.

3) More dramas, 9 p.m. On the upper level is PBS’ “Masterpiece: World on Fire.” Harry – a linguist who’s evolving into a combat leader – desperately takes his men (and some shell-shocked French soldiers) to Dunkirk. Far below that is a poor season-opener for Hallmark’s “Good Witch.” One plot (involving the food truck) makes no sense, another is so-so, others hold over to future episodes.

4) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The show’s first music-from-home episode went well, with great work from the 20 singers and from the tech people. The only flaw involved the judges, who insisted on raving about everything. That left viewers with the steep job of eliminating half of these raved-about people. Tonight, 10 contestants advance; they’ll sing again and we’ll vote.

5) And more: Donald Trump and COVID-19 will be at the center of two specials: From 7-9 p.m. ET, Trump has a virtual town hall on Fox News, focusing on the recovery; at 10 p.m. ET, Jake Tapper hosts “The President and the Pandemic.” Also, at 9 p.m., HBO’s “Westworld” and CW’s “Supergirl” end their seasons. And at 8, CBS has Steven Spielberg’s rousing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981).

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