Best-bets for March 23: scary moments in fiction and fact

1) “Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX. Until now, we thought Franklin (shown here) was fearless. Not so; lock him up next to an angry tiger – yes, a TIGER – and he becomes very concerned. The problem started last week, when he and colleagues were attacked while hauling $3 million. Now they must escape the tiger and more gunmen, then ponder the aftershocks. It’s a fierce hour, with way too much brutalizing of defenseless people, but also potent and well-made. Read more…

1) “Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX. Until now, we thought Franklin (shown here) was fearless. Not so; lock him up next to an angry tiger – yes, a TIGER – and he becomes very concerned. The problem started last week, when he and colleagues were attacked while hauling $3 million. Now they must escape the tiger and more gunmen, then ponder the aftershocks. It’s a fierce hour, with way too much brutalizing of defenseless people, but also potent and well-made.

2) “Expedition with Steve Backshall: Unpacked,” 10 p.m., PBS. All night, people stray from civilization. At 8 and 9 p.m., CBS has “Survivor” and “Beyond the Edge”; then PBS has Backshall showing highlights of his past journeys. There’s great footage as he scales an African cliff, paddles through Greenland ice and explores a Mexican cave.

3) “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m., Fox. In a change from previous seasons, one person will be propelled the finals before most of the contestants have performed. The show has stuck strictly to one group of five. Duff Goldman (a chef) and Joe Buck (a sportscaster) were dumped in the first two weeks; three acts – Cyclops, Firefly and Thingmabob – remain. Now two will be ousted and one will advance.

4) “Kung Fu,” 9 p.m., CW. Two questions loom: How do you break into Russell Tan’s fortress-like home and reach an ancient bell? And what do you do with the bell, which is a two-ton brass goliath? Nicky and friends tackle the task, in a fairly good (if far-fetched) hour.

5) ALSO: Many things can go wrong at a school musical, but you don’t expect a doppelganger monster. One arrives in “Astrid & Lilly Save the World” (10 p.m., Syfy), leading into next week’s season-finale. And in Oscar Week, Showtime has one of last year’s films: “Minari,” at 8 p.m., is a slow but interesting look at an immigrant family’s effort to start a farm. It drew five Oscar nominations, including best picture; Youn Yuh-Jung, as the grandmother, won for supporting actress.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *