1) “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” 9 p.m., NBC. This has become a delight, making clever use of its gimmick: Usually (shown here), Zoey can hear other people’s thoughts, via pop songs. But now that gimmick is set aside for a week, with great results. A brilliant script (by newcomer Celeste Klaus and Sam Laybourne, one of the producers) flashes back to before Zoey’s “gift” … and before she knew Max and Mo … and before her dad was sick. It does insert some music, in sly little touches that fans will savor. Stick with it to the end.
2) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Now that its Monday edition has been scuttled, “Idol” has a lot of ground to cover tonight. It’s a Mother’s Day show, with contestants dedicating songs to loved ones. Also, each contestant does something from the band’s songbook, with Chris Martin as mentor; Coldplay also performs its new “Higher Power.” Then the field is trimmed from seven to five.
3) “The Story of Late Night,” 9 p.m. and midnight ET, CNN. This second chapter tries to profile the 30 Johnny Carson years in less than an hour. Off-camera, Carson was “shy” (his word) or aloof; on-camera, he was a gracious host, making others look good. He was the Nebraska kid who conquered both coasts. He invented the nightly, topical monologue, yet avoided controversy. He chose Harry Belafonte for a guest week rippling with hot topics … then returned the show to its easy equilibrium.
4) “Pose,” 10 p.m., Fx, rerunning at 11. Last week’s potent season-opener saw Pray Tell finally face his alcoholism. He’s gone to rehab now and the focus shifts to Elektra and the trunk that’s been so key to her life. When she was young, it held her valuables – stripped away when her mother threw her out. Now it holds the body of a guy who had been abusive. This deeply emotional hour starts amid a Mayor Guiliani crackdown in 1994, then flashes back to earlier crises in Elektra’s life.
5) ALSO: “When Calls the Heart” (9 p.m., Hallmark) ends its season, with Elizabeth finally choosing one of her two guys. And Turner Classic Movies wraps up its four-day Classic Film Festival. It offers some blandly pleasant “Hollywood Home Movies” at 7 p.m. ET and later has two terrific films, plus guests from their casts. At 9:30 p.m. ET is Richard Dreyfuss with Neil Simon’s witty “The Goodbye Girl” (1977); at 11:45 is Debbie Allen and the vibrant “Fame” (1980).