Mike Hughes

.1) “Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. It was 51-and-a-half years ago that TV hatched a rare piece of near-perfection: Yes, “Sesame Street” (shown here) has lots of educational, good-for-kids details; a platoon of researchers made sure of that. But it also has clever songs, fun graphics, crisp editing, Muppets and lots of entertainment. This special will focus strongly on the serious side – from a 1992 attempt (which was scrapped) to address divorce to the current look at racial justice. Read more…

1) Academy Awards, 8 p.m. ET, ABC. This could turn out to be deadly dull. Lately, acceptance speeches have been dreary lists, thanking agents and such. This year’s best-picture nominees – “Nomadland,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Father,” “Sound of Metal” and “Promising Young Woman” – are worthy, but few people have seen them in theaters. The show needs humor and music, but has no host; movie stars — Brad Pitt (shown here), Halle Berry, etc. — will help out. And songs have been banished to the pre-show. Read more…

1) Musicals. On the eve of the Academy Awards, here are three excellent musical films with Oscar links. “Dreamgirls” (shown here, 2006, 8 p.m., HBO) drew an Oscar for Jennifer Hudson, a nomination for Eddie Murphy and great work from Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and more … “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018, 8 p.m., FX) has Rami Malek’s Oscar-winning work as Freddie Mercury … “Moana” (2018, 6:50, Freeform) was nominated for best animated feature and for one of its songs, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Read more…

1) “Great Performances: Romeo and Juliet,” 9 p.m., PBS. This had seemed like a sure hit for the National Theatre in London – Shakespeare’s classic, starring (shown here) Josh O’Connor (Charles in “The Crown”) and Jessie Buckley (the killer nurse in the latest “Fargo”). Then the pandemic brought a bold move: Skip the audience and film the show in the theater building, starting with minimal sets. The result is brilliantly directed and perfectly played; even Shakespeare skeptics might approve. Read more…

1) “Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World” (PBS) and “2040” (CW), both 8 p.m. Thunberg, now 18, planned to take a school year (2019-20) off and travel the globe, studying and speaking about climate change. Huge problems followed, including the pandemic, but this three-hour film remains uplifting and idealistic. That’s one of two Earth Day specials on broadcast networks; “2040” (shown here) offers an optimistic view, looking at current programs and envisioning an improved climate in 20 years. Read more…

1) “Snowfall” season finale, 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 11. Some fierce collisions have been propelled by two things: A reporter (tipped by Franklin’s father) wrote about Teddy’s CIA guns-for-drugs scheme; also, Leon accidentally killed the niece of Manboy, a rival gang boss. (Franklin, Leon and Manboy are shown here.) Last week, Teddy killed the reporter after a car crash; Franklin killed Manboy and his gang. Here are the aftershocks, some quiet and some not. This would be a great series finale, but “Snowfall” will return. Read more…