1) “Dear Mama,” 10 and 11:30 p.m., FX. Here are the first pieces of a compelling, five-part biography – a double-bio, actually – that keeps surprising. We meet a sensitive teen, discussing his goals; this is Tupac Shakur, later (shown here) known as a fierce-tongued rapper. We also meet his mother, a Black Panther filled with pride and rage; her son argued with her and loved her, rapping: “And even as a crack fiend, Mama/You always was a black queen, Mama.”
2) “Secrets of the Elephants” opener, 9 and 9:56 p.m., National Geographic Channel. This four-parter – concluding Saturday, which is Earth Day – is beautifully filmed. It’s also sometimes heavy and solemn. Elephants can be that way, especially in these conditions; the second hour is in the desert, where they plod ahead in endless search of water. There’s tragedy, especially at the end of the first hour; but there are also surprising moments of warmth and joy.
3) More Earth Day-type shows, streaming. Disney+ has a treasure trove of nature films, including the 2021 “Secrets of the Whales,” and will add this year’s elephant series. There’s much more on PBS Passport and on Apple TV+: Last week it debuted the kid eco-adventure “Jane”; tonight it concludes the sobering “Extrapolations” and has the first two episodes of “Big Beasts” – going from a sweetly nurturing gray whale to a fiercely possessive giant seal.
4) More streaming: The 1988 movie “Dead Ringers” had Jeremy Irons playing evil twins. Now Rachel Weisz plays them in a six-part mini-series on Amazon Prime – which also debuts the documentary “Judy Blume Forever.” Netflix has Rachel Leigh Cook in Vietnam for “A Tourist’s Guide to Love.” And Apple TV+ wraps a huge week (“Ted Lasso,” “Schmigadoon,” “Big Beasts”) with Ana de Armas and Chris Evans in “Ghosted,” an action-comedy movie.
5) “Blue Bloods,” 10 p.m., CBS. Larry Manetti was Tom Selleck’s co-star throughout the eight-season “Magnum” run. He’s done a couple episodes of the “Magnum” reboot, but has never been on Selleck’s new show – until now, in the 13th season. Manetti, 75, plays a grieving grandfather, as Jamie goes after a fentanyl dealer. That follows new episodes of “SWAT” and “Fire Country.”