Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Feb. 15: fun and music from ‘SNL’ and beyond

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m., NBC. On the eve of its 50-year celebration, “SNL” reruns it first episode. It’s not like the current version, with a huge cast doing sketches; instead, it’s a ragtag variety show, blending sketches from a small with music from Billy Preston and Janice Ian, comedy from Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson and mini-monologs from George Carlin. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 13: Fun and mystery on Valentine eve

1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. Ever since “Rear Window,” mysteries have offered the idea of a silent, distant witness. Now the distance is thousands of miles: Through an art installation, a Scottish singer (Ioann Gruffudd, who’s played Lancelot and Horatio Hornblower) sees a crime that Elsbeth (shown here) sees in Manhattan. It’s a fun story that has twists appropriate for Valentine eve. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 10: surf, sports and romance

1) “Rescue HI-Surf,” 9 p.m. today, Fox. A post-Super-Bowl makeover begins for Fox. At 8 p.m. is the debut of “Extracted,” a survival reality show. Then “HI-Surf” has what it calls its most dangerous rescue yet. There are, indeed, some high-stakes moments, after torpedoes are found. There are also blue-sky moments (shown here) and others — especially with the one-note mayor — that are merely so-so. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 9: Super Sunday, plus alternatives

1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox. The Kansas City Chiefs (shown here) try to be the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. Still, this is no domineering dynasty: The previous wins were by 3 points apiece. The conference championship win was also by 3; now they face the Philadelphia Eagles, who won their conference-title game by 32. This could be fun. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 8: boy bands; super soul

1) “The ‘90s Boy Band Boom,” 8-10 p.m., CW. Here’s a mostly joyful tour of an era, told mostly by the guys themselves. It starts with a Backstreet Boys single peaking at No. 69. The group (shown here in the early days) then soared in Europe; so did ‘N Sync. Then came 98 Degrees and more. Girls screamed, guys fumed. One rocker called them “spawns of the devil,” but they’ve persisted. Read more…