Month: November 2021

1) “The Hunt for Planet B,” 9-11 p.m. ET, CNN. On Dec. 18, the Webb telescope (shown here in artist’s rendering) is slated to be blasted a million miles away – four times the distance to the moon. It’s a $10-billion, 20-nation project, 100 times stronger than the Hubble. Among other things, it will probe two planets that have the right conditions for life. This richly crafted film meets the men and (especially) women involved, including one who was the root of Jodie Foster’s character in “Contact” (1997). They’re fascinating people. Read more…

1) “Dean Martin: King of Cool,” 8–9:30 p.m., Turner Classic Movies. Martin was known by everyone, this film says, thanks to 150 records, 60 movies and an eight-year TV series. Yet no one really knew him. In Steubenville, Ohio, he spoke only Italian until he was 6, quit school in 10th grade, boxed and dealt blackjack. Later, he stuck to a reserved, cool-guy image. Here’s a neatly detailed profile, including the moment (shown here) when Frank Sinatra maneuvered a live-TV reunion of Matin and Jerry Lewis. This will be followed by his films, “The Caddy” (1953), with Jerry Lewis, at 9:30 and “Rio Bravo” (1959), with John Wayne, at 11:15 p.m. Read more…

1) “Station 19” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. It’s Thanksgiving on both shows, as people try to deal with last week’s tragedy. Dean Miller was killed in an explosion. (Okieriete Onaoowan, who plays him, wanted to leave the show.) Vic, his sometimes-girlfriend, was shattered; Ben (Jason George, shown here, center) promised that he and Bailey (from “Grey’s Anatomy”) would raise Dean’s son. Now the firefighters link with Station 23 for the holiday; at the hospital, Bailey and Richard seek emergency surgeries. Read more…

1) “The Goldbergs,” 8 p.m., ABC. Many of TV’s best comedy episodes have centered on Thanksgiving – when people are thrown together in fresh ways. Now this year’s crop starts here. Linda Schwartz plans afeast; Beverly Goldberg – whose daughter is engaged to Linda’s son – gets competitive. Also, Beverly (shown here at the head of the table) is surprised when her father-in-law (Judd Hirsch) brings a new “lady friend.” Read more…

1) “The Flash” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. Now for something really big: This show– which finished its seventh season in July – starts its eighth with a five-week epic. The world is in peril (again) and all of the superheroes – well, all the ones in CW’s universe – are needed. A villain named Despero arrives; The Flash assembles his friends. We quickly see Brandon Routh as The Atom (shown here with The Flash); also on the way are Batwoman, Green Arrow, Black Lightning, Sentinel, Damien Darkh and Reverse Flash. Read more…

1) “Ordinary Joe,” 10 p.m., NBC Most weeks, this leaps nimbly between Joe (James Wolk) in three variations of his life – a rock star (married to Amy), nurse (married to Jenny) and cop (unmarried). Tonight, however, the focus is sharply on Amy, beautifully played by Natalie Martinez (shown here with Wolk in a previous episode). She’s dating Cop Joe and pondering the future with a friend of Nurse Joe. But the real power comes alongside Rock Star Joe: Amy is a congressional aide whose boss has just been killed; tonight’s final 10 minutes pack fierce emotions. Read more…

1) “Adele: One Night Only” (shown here), 8:30-10:30 p.m., CBS (but 8-10 p.m. PT). At 33, Adele is already one of the all-time great singers and songwriters. Her first three albums won 15 Grammys; the second is this century’s highest-selling album. Now the fourth – her first new music in six years – goes on sale Friday. In this special — filmed outside the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles — she does some of its songs, plus past hits. She also sits with Oprah Winfrey, discussing her marriage, divorce, weight-loss and raising her son, now 9. Read more…