Week’s top-10 for April 20: finales, opener, Earth Day

1) “Matlock” season-finale, 9-11 p.m. Thursday, CBS. It may be a long time before we see some more new episodes: “Matlock” is this year’s first CBS drama to wrap its season … and it won’t be on the fall schedule, waiting until mid-season. For now, Matty and colleagues (shown here) are close to nailing Senior, until a hurdle appears. Also, they have two new cases in court.

2) New shows for Earth Day, Wednesday. Each year, DisneyNature debuts a lush movie; this year, that’s “Orangutan,” on Disney+. On the same day, PBS has the rich emotion of “Legendary Tigers of India” at 8 p.m. … a blend of fierce footage and somber science in “Rain Bombs” at 9 …and “Wilding” at 10, with an intriguing look at a farm returned to a wilderness.

3) James Cameron films, Wednesday. The “Titanic” director annually produces a superb “Secrets Of” series. The newest, on bees, is 7:51 to 10 p.m. on National Geographic Channel, 9:49 to 11:58 p.m. on Nat Geo Wild. NGC also has elephants at 4:04 p.m. and octopuses at 11:08; Wild has penguins at 11:58 p.m., Cameron’s “Ocean Xplorers,” 7-10:30 a.m. and more.

4) Football draft, 8-11 p.m. ET Thursday, 7-11:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, ABC and ESPN. While the basketball playoffs gobble huge chunks of time on NBC, ABC and ESPN, football also has its big moments. It has the first round on Thursday, the next two on Friday and the final four Saturday. On the first two days, ESPN has an hour-long pre-draft show.

5) “The Forsytes” season-finale, 9 p.m. Sunday, PBS. The season ends with deep waves of emotion. At work, Jo was right; Soames wasn’t, destroying a client. At home, both men’s marriages are crumbling. Jo left after his wife banned him from seeing his long-ago lover and their children. Now come some great moments for Francesca Annis, as the matriarch.

6) “Sullivan’s Crossing” season-opener, 8 p.m. today, CW. The third season seemed to be wrapping cheerily. With her dad leaving, Dr. Maggie Sullivan would run his resort, start a clinic, and be with Cal. Then Liam showed up, saying he’s her husband. Now more complications (personal and medical) pile up, in a show that remains mostly sunny and likable.

7) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. Finally, this has the field to itself. NBC’s “The Voice” had to end early, to make room for basketball playoffs. (This week, NBC has games today, Tuesday and Sunday.) “Idol” can prosper: Tonight, the nine remaining contestants do songs from Disney movies; then viewers vote, trimming the field to seven.

8) “Bear Grylls is Running Wild” opener, 9 p.m., Tuesday, Fox. Far from his Texas roots, Matthew McConaughey is in glacier-carved Norway. He and Grylls (ages 56 and 51) descend a steep, 800-foot granite cliff; he eats reindeer testicles, swims in 35-degree water and discusses his friend, Woody Harrelson, “a perpetual 8-year-old.” It’s all fairly entertaining.

9) “Abbott Elementary” (8-9 p.m. Wednesday, ABC) and “Animal Control” (9 p.m. Thursday, Fox) season-finales. Abbott has the school’s “AVA Festival” at 8 and a teachers’ conference in Miami at 8:30. Then “Control” has the banquet, announcing if Frank or his nemesis will be Animal Control Officer of the Year. Both shows will return next year.

10) “Marty Supreme” (2025), Friday, HBO Max; 8 p.m. Saturday, HBO.
Who knew ping-pong could bring a great movie? Timothee Chalamet did, apparently. He started preparing seven years ago, honing skill at the game and morphing into a self-centered, obsessive character. This drew nine Oscar nominations, including for best-picture and for Chalamet.