Week’s top-10 for May 23: The end of a season … and of a great show

1) “This Is Us” series finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. For six seasons, this has been the best broadcast-network drama. Now – voluntarily and way too soon – it’s ending with its 106th episode. During this time, we’ve seen Kate change husbands, Randall change careers and Kevin change lovers, returning now to his first love, Sophie. We’ve seen them (shown here) lose their dad suddenly, when they were kids, and their mom slowly, to Alzheimer’s disease. Now they’re back together; we can expect strong emotions. Read more…

1) “This Is Us” series finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. For six seasons, this has been the best broadcast-network drama. Now – voluntarily and way too soon – it’s ending with its 106th episode. During this time, we’ve seen Kate change husbands, Randall change careers and Kevin change lovers, returning now to his first love, Sophie. We’ve seen them (shown here) lose their dad suddenly, when they were kids, and their mom slowly, to Alzheimer’s disease. Now they’re back together; we can expect strong emotions.

2) “Grey’s Anatomy” season-finale,” 8 and 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC. This drama has prospered for 18 years. Indeed, its second episode Tuesday will be its 400th overall … topping “This Is Us” by 294. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has been at the core, but now she wants to take a research job in Minnesota. First, she tries to help save the troubled residency program in Seattle. Also, Nick asks her to help with a patient. The latter effort is complicated by a blood shortage; the hospital sets up its own donation center.

3) “National Memorial Day Concert,” 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS, rerunning at 9:30.After two Memorial Day eve specials that filmed the music in advance, this now returns to its strengh – live performances and stories done for a big, outdoor crowd. This will include some of Broadway’s greatest voices – Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga and Norm Lewis – plus country star Craig Morgan, old-time/blues master Rhiannon Gibbons and Pia Toscano, who showed a powerhouse voice on “American Idol.”

4) “NCIS” season-finale, 9 p.m. today, CBS. When FBI agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) arrived, early in the season, he probably didn’t realize how complicated his life would be. Now he’s been framed for murder; his colleagues – with McGee (Sean Murray) taking charge — try to stall for time, while seeking evidence to clear.him. He even has an ex-wife – Gibbs, you’ll recall, has had many wives – who helps. She’s an FBI agent, played by Teri Polo, who will stick around for this ratings-leader’s 20th season.

5) :Don’t Forget the Lyrics” and “Beat Shazam” season-openers, 8 and 9 p.m., today, Fox. Others are still wrapping the main season, but Fox already has its summer shows. Last Wednesday, it launched the first “So You Think You Can Dance” in three years. Now it adds “MasterChef” on Wednesday and these music shows today. Niecy Nash – who will star in a “Rookie” spin-off this fall – hosts “Lyrics”; in the opener, a father of four tackles songs. Then Jamie Foxx leads Shazam,” with his daughter Corinne as DJ.

6) “MasterChef” season-opener, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Derrick Pelz was a drummer when he tried “MasterChef” in 2015 … Brandi Mudd was an elementary school teacher in 2016… Lindsay Haig was a lawyer in 2018 … Wuta Onda was an English teacher in 2019. None won (although Mudd was runner-up), but all went on to become food professionals. Now 40 previous contestants get a second chance; the lively opener has 12 of them — including those four — compete for six spots in the competition.

7) “The Great American Tag Sale,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. At 80, Martha Stewart had lots of excess stuff, from art and antiques to knickknacks. Naturally, she turned that into a TV special. We see her hold “tag sales” (like garage sales, for people with BMW’s in their garages) for celebrities, neighbors and common folk,while telling stories about some of the items. That’s followed at 9 by “The American Rescue Dog Show,” with Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore (the “Holey Moley Guys”) giving offbeat awards.

8) “Great Performances: Keeping Company With Sondheim,” 9-10:30 p.m. Friday, PBS. Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” debuted 52 years ago, drawing raves and six Tonys, including best musical. It returned in 1993 and 2006 (winning a best-revival Tony) and was set for March, 2020 — when Broadway shut down. Some 20 months later, Sondheim slipped into a preview and got a standing ovation; he died 11 days later, at 91.This film has too much abstract talk, but also has glimpses of a great show, up for nineTonys.

9) More finales, all week.”Survivor:” has its big’deal, three-hour finish at 8 p.m. Wednesday, finding its 42nd winner. The next night, “Bull” (10 pm., CBS) has its series finale. For others, it will merely be a season-finale; they include: Today – “The Neighborhood,” “Bob Hearts Abishola,” “NCIS: Hawaii,” all CBS; Tuesday — NBC’s “Young Rock” and “New Amsterdam” and CBS’ three FBI shows; Wednesday — NBC’s three Chicago shows; Thursday — Fox’s “Welcome to Flatch”; Friday — NBC’s “The Blacklist.”

10) “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Disney+) and “Stranger Things” (Netflix), both Friday. As soon as the official season ends (Wednesday), streamers swoop in with their top shows. Disney has Ewan McGregor in his Obi-Wan movie role; this mini-series is set a decade after the third “Star Wars” prequel. For Netflix, “Stranger” drew three straight best-drama Emmy nominations … then waited three years for this fourth season. Also, Apple TV+ has an ambitious, five-night documentary, “Prehistoric Planet,” today through Friday,

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