1) “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. This joyous journey includes, as some people put it, everyone except Cole Porter. It traces the Gershwins, Lerner and Loewe, Kander and Ebb, Comden and Green, Rodgers and Hart and then Hammerstein (raised Protestant, with Jewish roots). It savors Sondheim and Bernstein (including this scene from the movie of their “West Side Story”) and more greats.
2) “Dutton Ranch,” Friday, Paramount+. This fourth episode powerfully captures extremes, from young lust to elder regret to wrenching tragedy. We meet an old cowboy who’s talkative, re-meet another who has few words and deep despair. Beautifully written, acted and filmed, it leads to some of the strongest emotions you’ll find on a weekly TV show.
3) “Sheriff Country,” 8 p.m., CBS. Returning from its mid-season break, the show had this intense episode. With its patriarch in jail, a family attacks the sheriff’s office. The hour mixes action shoot-em-ups with personal intensity, with one life in danger.
4) “Happy’s Place,” 8 p.m.,. NBC. This inconsistent show perked up with the arrival of Jane Lynch as Gabby’s mom. Here’s her first episode; she flows with such charm that people strt to doubt Gabby’s childhood tales. A second rerun follows, with Bobbie planning a special dinner with Emmet.
5) “Cape Fear” (1962), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Next Friday, Apple will launch a remake, sprawling this story over 10 parts. First, however, here’s the potent original, with Robert Mitchum as an ex-con, terrorizing the family of the lawyer (Gregory Peck) he hates. It’s a compelling role, later played by Robert De Niro and, next week, Javier Bardem