1) “American Idol” finale (ABC) or “Billboard Music Awards” (NBC), both at 8 p.m. ET Sunday (airing twice, 5 and 8 p.m., on West Coast). To complicate our lives, two pop-music events are simultaneous. “Idol” is down to its final three now and is ready to choose a champion. Billboard has Nick Jonas hosting and Pink and The Weeknd performing. Drake (shown here) – who has had nine No. 1 singles – gets the artist-of-the-decade award. He and Weeknd are up for artist of the year, alongside Taylor Swift, Pop Smoke and Juice Wrld.
2) “NCIS: New Orleans” series finale, 10 p.m. Sunday, CBS. This should be a pleasant end to a seven-year run: Dwayne Pride and Rita Devereaux (Scott Bakula and Chelsea Field, married in real life) hope to marry in Dr. Wade’s backyard, then have a reception with Big Easy music. Naturally, complications loom. Connor – the son Pride just learned about – will be there, before going into witness protection. Pride is still trying to learn who attacked Connor … and what Connor’s evil mom Sasha is planning.
3) “Last Man Standing” series-finale, 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Fox. Another series is ending, after an even-longer run. “Last Man” had nine seasons, spanning 10 years and two networks. It gave us likable characters and so-so humor – as we’ll see in the 9 p.m. episode, about a “camping boot camp.” Then comes a change-of-pace, written by star Tim Allen: People have stolen the classic truck he worked on for a decade. The show is no classic – the finale gives some awful lines to Jay Leno – but ends amiably.
4) “American Experience: Billy Graham,” 9-11 p.m. today, PBS. Graham was a Southern farm kid, 6-foot-2, with blue eyes, a strong voice and an amorous nature. He quit Bob Jones College because he wanted to date girls. At another Bible school he met a missionary’s daughter; they were married 64 years, with five children. Graham was a classic evangelist, this terrific film says, but overstepped political lines. The Watergate tapes were “a crushing experience,” triggering apologies and moderation.
5) “Superman & Lois” return, 9 p.m., Tuesday CW. After starting the season late, CW has lots of new, scripted episodes to sprawl into the summer. This show began well, then had a second COVID shutdown. After a two-month break, it’s back with 10 more episodes. Setting aside his Superman duties, Clark has returned to Smallville with his wife Lois and their twin sons. He has doubts about letting Jordan (who has flashes of superpowers) play football; she’s probing Morgan Edge, a developer.
6) “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Some talented singers have been unmasked lately. Last week it was Hanson, the brothers (now 40, 38 and 35) whose “MMMBop” was No. 1 in the U.S. and 13 other countries. That follows the unmasking of Bobby Brown, Mark McGrath and Tyrese Gibson; four singers remain, disguised as Black Swan, Piglet, Chameleon and Yeti. The championship will be next week; the same is true of “The Voice,” which today (8-10 p.m., NBC) still has nine people.
7) “Life at the Waterhole,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. African animals savor water holes, so this three-week series dug a fresh one, rigged up with cameras nearby. The opener spends too much time with people, not animals, but still has some intriguing glimpses of everything from a huge lion to tiny birds. That’s on a strong night for nature shows: At 8 p.m. (repeating at 10 and midnight), the Smithsonian Channel has “Cher and the Loneliest Elephant,” which was the Earth Day film on Paramount Plus.
8) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. Two years ago, few people knew Anya Taylor-Joy or Lil Nas X; now they’re host and music guest of the season-finale. Taylor-Joy, 25, was up for two Golden Globe awards this year; she won for “The Queen’s Gambit” and was nominated for “Emma.” Lil Nas X saw his “Old Town Road” start on the country chart, cross over to pop … and spend 17 weeks at No. 1. He became the first Black, openly gay man to win a Country Music Association award.
9) More season-finales. There are plenty of them, including the terrific “Bob (Hearts) Abishola,” (8:30 p.m. today), when crowded calendars may propel a hurry-up wedding. Other finales: Today, CBS’ “The Neighborhood” and “Bull”; Tuesday, Fox’s “The Resident” and “Prodigal Son,” plus ABC’s “Mixed-ish,” “Black-ish” and “Big Sky”; Wednesday, all four ABC comedies; Friday, ABC’s “Shark Tank”; Sunday, CBS’ “Equalizer” and “NCIS: Los Angeles”; plus Fox’s “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers.”
10) “Flatbush Misdemeanors” debut, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Showtime. Kevin Iso and Dan Perlman made a “zero-budget” digital series, then upgraded. They play quiet friends (an artist and a teacher) in a noisy Brooklyn; it’s clever, in an “Atlanta” way. That’s in a huge night for Showtime: “The Chi” and “Black Monday” start seasons at 9 and 10; “Ziwe” debuts at 11. Also excellent Sunday: A Letterman-based “Story of Late Night” (9 p.m. and midnight ET, CNN) and a new “In Treatment” season (9 p.m., HBO).