Best-bets for April 20: an angsty night for teens and bikers

1) “Cruel Summer” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., Freeform. Here is a remarkable performance by young Chiara Aurelia – virtually a triple role, all within one character. We meet Jeanette as a shy and likable teen (shown here) who secretly envies the beautiful Kate (Olivia Holt). A year later, she has Kate’s life and boyfriend; a year after that, she’s widely hated. Bouncing between the three summers, we slowly learn her actions (or inaction) changed everything. And we see the mixed impulses that can live inside one teen. Read more…

1) “Cruel Summer” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., Freeform. Here is a remarkable performance by young Chiara Aurelia – virtually a triple role, all within one character. We meet Jeanette as a shy and likable teen (shown here) who secretly envies the beautiful Kate (Olivia Holt). A year later, she has Kate’s life and boyfriend; a year after that, she’s widely hated. Bouncing between the three summers, we slowly learn her actions (or inaction) changed everything. And we see the mixed impulses that can live inside one teen.

2) “Mayans M.C.,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 11:07. It’s dangerous, EZ’s brother warns, to live in two worlds. Still, EZ tries. He’s giddy about sweet-spirited Gaby; he’s also caught in a fierce battle with a rival biker group. That leads to some of the show’s most brutal moments … juggled alongside some sweetly moving ones involving Gaby and, separately, Adelita, the rebel leader who has returned.

3) “Independent Lens: Philly DA,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. A huge change in the legal system is coming from a surprising source – not judges or lawmakers, but reform district attorneys. This eight-hour series focuses on Larry Kresler, who spent decades competing with police and prosecutors … then was elected Philadelphia’s district attorney. “Philly DA” is too long and slow, suffering from its fly-on-the-wall technique. But it skillfully shows Kresler’s flaws – included a heavy-handed purge – and triumphs.

4) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. Last week/s episode – a good one – ended with a jolt: Mina decided she should return to Nigeria, to work with her mother; Austin said he’s going with. Tonight, there’s a complication. Also, Cain – a star surgeon before his accident – may get a chance to return to work.

5) “This Is Us,” 9 p.m., NBC. Here’s a rerun of the moving episode in which Randall finally learned what happened to his birth mother, after he was dropped at the fire station. That’s followed at 10 by a fresh “New Amsterdam,” with Max learning about workplace inequities for women of color.

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