Best-bets for Nov. 15: A classily quirky “Fargo”

1) “Fargo,” 10 p.m., FX. This is pure “Fargo” – strange and cryptic, yet brilliantly crafted in its own weird way. At the core is Rabbi Milligan (shown here in a previolus episode), a pawn in the 1950 Kansas City power struggle. As a kid, he was twice traded to opposing families, in a futile attempt to keep peace; then a trade gave him young Satchel.  Now they drive the backroads, eluding danger. A mostly black-and-white episode, with hints of “Wizard of Oz,” it’s the sort of episode in which nothing happens … until everything does. Read more…

1) “Fargo,” 10 p.m., FX. This is pure “Fargo” – strange and cryptic, yet brilliantly crafted in its own weird way. At the core is Rabbi Milligan (shown here in a previolus episode), a pawn in the 1950 Kansas City power struggle. As a kid, he was twice traded to opposing families, in a futile attempt to keep peace; then a trade gave him young Satchel.  Now they drive the backroads, eluding danger. A mostly black-and-white episode, with hints of “Wizard of Oz,” it’s the sort of episode in which nothing happens … until everything does.

2) “Bob’s Burgers,” 9 p.m., Fox. Cartoon characters duck the ravages of time and virus. “The Simpsons” has topped 690 episodes, “Family Guy” has topped 350 and now “Bob’s Burgers” has No. 200, a fairly funny one. As a festival nears, the kids think their biggest problem is their mom’s awful sculpture; then there’s a fire. How did it happen? The answer emerges in several clever little songs.

3) “The Good Lord Bird” finale, 9 p.m., Showtime. You can catch the entire series, starting at 3 p.m., with Ethan Hawke brilliant as the earnest-but-demented John Brown, trying to free the slaves in 1859. Last week’s episode (rerunning at 7:05) finds him in control of an armory and expecting slaves to join him. Then (after the debut of the “Reagans” documentary at 8), we see the fictional Onion – a boy, dressed as a girl — at turning point. The ending ripples with passion, deep loss and long-range hope.

4) “NCIS: New Orleans,” 9 p.m., CBS. This concludes the two-part season-opener, with a suspicious death on a humanitarian ship that’s wracked with COVID. Also, Dr. Wade helps a woman who can’t find the body of her brother, a COVID victim. That follows an “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m.) that reflects last season, when Sam and Callen arrested someone accused of war crimes. As the trial nears, a star witness is missing.

5) Much more: This is the day Netflix’s richly crafted “The Crown” releases its fourth season, filled with Charles-and-Diana twists. Meanwhile, the “The People’s Choice Awards” are 9 p.m. on E, Bravo, Syfy and USA … plus a red-carpet preview at 7 p.m. on E. Demi Lovato hosts, with music from Justin Bieber and Chloe x Halle. Also at 9, Kristin Chenoweth hosts “Candy Land,” a Food Network competition that’s based (really) on the board game.

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