Week’s top-10 for June 13: Riviera elegance, biker rage

1) “Hotel Portofino” opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Bella (Natascha McElhone) has spiffed up a gorgeous little hotel on the Italian Riviera (shown here), hoping to draw her fellow Englishmen; she may even find a match for her handsome son. On the surface, we get classic PBS – “Downton” elegance meets “Durrells” backdrop. But this is the 1920s and Fascism is rising; also, Bella’s husband is a jerk, some of the guests are iffy and romance rarely goes as planned. At times, this six-parter is too soapy, with cliché characters; at others, it’s a sweet summer pleasure Read more…

1) “Hotel Portofino” opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Bella (Natascha McElhone) has spiffed up a gorgeous little hotel on the Italian Riviera (shown here), hoping to draw her fellow Englishmen; she may even find a match for her handsome son. On the surface, we get classic PBS – “Downton” elegance meets “Durrells” backdrop. But this is the 1920s and Fascism is rising; also, Bella’s husband is a jerk, some of the guests are iffy and romance rarely goes as planned. At times, this six-parter is too soapy, with cliché characters; at others, it’s a sweet summer pleasure.

2) “Mayans M.C.” season-finale, 10 p.m., Tuesday, FX. Here’s the opposite of PBS restraint – fiercely brutal, but beautifully crafted. Last week, Galindo returned, showing a warehouse filled with heroin. He wants the Mayans to be his dealers; EZ said yes, Marcus (the club president) said no. Now that leads to big changes. Also, Galindo’s wife is unaware her son has been stolen and her sister killed; Creeper has learned his lover is an FBI agent. The finale starts with Coco’s funeral, then follows his daughter, in an episode filled with strong, resourceful women.

3) “MasterChef,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. After lots of one-on-one face-offs, the show has its 20 contestants. All competed in previous seasons, when they were merely home cooks. Now 17 of them are in the food business; the others are a fashion designer, a consumer-insight analyst and a small-business director. Two – Shayne Wells, now 18, and Dara Yu, 20 – are from “MasterChef Junior”; they face elders, including Stephen Lee, 54 and Tommy Walton, 59. Tonight, all 20 gets second chances on the dishes that got them ousted..

4) “Beat Shazam,” 9 p.m. today, Fox. It’s “daddy daughter night,” which fits this show. Jamie Foxx hosts, with his daughter Corinne, 28, as the DJ. Now this episode has similar duos for its contestants. That’s part of a busy reality-show week for Fox. “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” has a new hour at 8 p.m. Monday and a rerun at 9 p.m. Thursday. At 9 p.m.. Wednesday, “So You Think You Can Dance” has finished its auditions and has 12 dancers, ready to work with skilled choreographers. And at 8 p.m. Thursday, “MasterChef Junior” pauses to preview next week’s finale.

5) “Kung Fu” and “Legacies” series finales, 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, CW. First, “Kung Fu” has its showdown, as Nicky battles the evil Russell Tan. That show will be back next season, but “Legacies” won’t; Thursday ends a string of 331 episodes, sprawling over 17 seasons of three series. First was “Vampire Diaries”; Alaric set up a school for kids (including his twins) with powers. Then was “The Originals” and Hope, who wields witch/werewolf/vampire powers. For “Legacies,” she went to Alaric’s school and faced fierce forces; now we learn what’s next.

6) “The Old Man” openers, 10 and 11:30 p.m. Thursday, FX. We meet Dan Chase, a tired old guy, sort of getting by. Jeff Bridges 72, makes us believe each weary, dreary moment. But in a crisis; his lethal instincts kick in. Soon, he’s on the run, with his former CIA buddy (John Lithgow), now a top FBI official, in pursuit. Chase’s only real contacts are his daughter and a woman who rents him a guest house. Like most FX dramas, “Old Man” has richly layered characters. Bridges, an Oscar-winner, is convincing in both the power and the despair.

7) “Watergate: High Crimes in the White House,” 9-11 p.m. Friday, CBS. Our decades and our scandals are starting to get jumbled together. On Sunday, CNN concluded its two-part Watergate documentary; today (7 a.m. PT, June 13) brings the second day of hearings about the Jan. 6 events. And Friday (June 17)? That’s the 50th anniversary of the arrest of the Watergate burglars. Now CBS digs into its archives, for interviews with Richard Nixon, John Dean and H.R. Haldeman; it also has new ones with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

8) “Animal Kingdom” opener, 9 and 10 p.m. Sunday, TNT. Large chunks of the first episode flash back to the wayward mission fhat changed life for Andrew (now called “Pope”) Cody and his now-late twin Julia. She was a sharp student when she linked with him and their adoptive brother, for an inept heist; their mom – the now-late “Smurf” – was not amused. These people evolved into skilled thieves; by the end of this hour, they’re linking with a former cohort. The result will surprise you, as this show often does. It’s a strong start to the final season.

9) “Masterpiece: Endeavour,” 9-11 p.m. Sunday, PBS. A prequel to the “Inspector Morse” series, this began in the “Morse” mode – straight-forward, hour-long episodes that caught crooks in tidy fashion. Now, alas, it’s changing form: This season has only three episodes, each movie length. Each also has more time for young Endeavour Morse to mope. He lost the love of his life (Joan Thursday, his colleague’s daughter) and drinks a lot. In the opener, there’s a campus murder; also Morse must protect a soccer star. Both plots are merely OK.

10) ALSO: The pro basketball finals continue. That’s 6 p.m. PT today at Golden State, then (if needed) 6 p.m. Thursday in Boston and 5 p.m. Sunday at Golden State. Sports fans – and others – will also be interested in “After Jackie,” from 8-10:03 p.m. Saturday on History; it follows three Cardinals – Bob Gibson, Curt Flood and Bill White – who arrived in the first couple decades after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball. And on Sunday, CW has back-to-back specials – music (the Black Pack) at 8 p.m. and spoken-word poetry (Brandon Leake) at 9.

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