Best-bets for March 29: Fox has Malcolm, music

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. After a so-so start, “Resident” made wise detours. It changed Dr. Bell from scoundrel to hero … and it added Dr. AJ Austin. Both are key tonight. Bell is a crusading member of the medical board; Austin rages over a botched case. He’s played superbly by Malcolm Jamal-Warner (shown here), the former Cosby kid. After decades elsewhere — including four years on a forgotten UPN comedy – he’s a potent part of what has evolved into a good show. Read more…

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. After a so-so start, “Resident” made wise detours. It changed Dr. Bell from scoundrel to hero … and it added Dr. AJ Austin. Both are key tonight. Bell is a crusading member of the medical board; Austin rages over a botched case. He’s played superbly by Malcolm Jamal-Warner (shown here), the former Cosby kid. After decades elsewhere — including four years on a forgotten UPN comedy – he’s a potent part of what has evolved into a good show.

2) “Name That Tune” season-opener, 9 p.m., Fox. The basics remain the same – Jane Krakowski as host, Randy Jackson heading a terrific band, people guessing songs. So do the flaws – from a forced cheeriness to a scoring system that makes early rounds unimportant. But this is a celebrity edition, sliced into half-hours. The first has JoJo (who does a great song herself) and Kelly Osbourne; the second has football stars Vernon Davis and Victor Cruz.

3) “Mr. Mayor,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. Neil (Ted Danson) was already overwhelmed; he’s a widower, 73, trying to raise a teen daughter and run a city (Los Angeles) he doesn’t understand. Now he starts dating a TV-commercial star (Fran Drescher) who’s his opposite. That’s followed by serious hours of “This Is Us” (a road trip for Randall and his adoptive mom) and “The Truth About Pam” (next paragraph).

4) “The Truth About Pam,” 10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Things had seemed resolved. A prosecutor (and her friend, the judge) were sure Russ Faria killed his wife Betsy; he was convicted. But doubts linger: Pam Hupp received $150,000 from Betsy’s life insurance; she said it was for Betsy’s daughters … but never gave it to them. After three years, Russ gets a new trial. It’s a strong hour (the fourth of six) that also views the rage between Pam and her mom.

5) Documentaries. Two new films probe the wild turns of late. “How to Survive the Pandemic” (9-10:50 p.m., HBO) views the rush to develop a vaccine and get it in use. “Frontline” (10 p.m., PBS) shows how false allegations of election fraud became potent political tools.

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