Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 7: Four seasons end

1) “Grey’s Anatomy” (shown here in a previous episode) season-finale, 10 p.m., ABC. The 22nd season ends with a crisis (the aftermath of last week’s bridge-collapse) and change. It’s the final episode for Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Teddy (Kim Raver); they’ve been there for 18 and 12 seasons. Nick (Scott Speedman), who’s been scarce in recent years, may be back as a victim. Read more…

Best-bets for May 8: Re-live a global adventure

1) “Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure,” 8 p.m., PBS. Two days before David Attenborough turns 100, PBS notes his most ambitious project. “Life on Earth” (shown here) debuted in 1979, after three years and 1.5 million miles of travel to 30 countries, filming 600 animals. In this amiable hour, Attenborough and others fondly recall the adventure Read more…

Best-bets for May 4: One season ends; others will soon

1) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. We’re a week from the finale, with five singers left — Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson (shown here), Chris Tungseth and Braden Rumfelt. Pretending to be a 20th-year class reunion, the show includes people from the 2006 season (Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee finished 1-2) and from “Dancing With the Stars.” Read more…

Best-bets for May 2: pop music and fast horses

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After two weeks of reruns, “SNL” closes the season with three new episodes. That starts with youth: Olivia Rodrigo (shown here in a previous concert), 23, has her first turn as host and third as music guest. (By comparison, the May 16 season-finale has Will Ferrell, 58, and Paul McCartney, 83.) Next week has Matt Damon and Noah Kahan. Read more…

Best-bets for May 1: gorgeous sights, splendid sounds

1) “Now Hear This” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. This is the show’s best hour yet, a visit to Iceland. The scenery is stunning (shown here in a generic view, not from the show), the people are appealing — “we’re doers,” one says — and the music is abundant. With only 400,000 people, Iceland averages 500 new albums a year. This hour ranges from choral music inside a volcano to a thundering cello concerto. Read more…

Best-bets for April 29: Nature and democracy survive

1) “Shared Planet” season-opener, 10 p.m., PBS. Even in packed cities, nature survives. We see mountain lions in Los Angeles (shown here with the “Hollywood” sign in the background), a huge oyster project in New York, trees blooming near (or on) the skyscrapers of Medellin and Singapore. A week after its Earth Day shows, PBS propels this globally ambitious, four-week documentary. Read more…

Best-bets for April 28: Cool J is back; dramas are busy

1) “NCIS,” 8 p.m., CBS. LL Cool J (shown here) is turning “NCIS” into a lifetime assignment. He was Sam Hanna for 14 seasons on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” plus 12 episodes on “NCIS: Hawaii”; this fall, he’ll star in the new “NCIS: New York.” First, here’s his sixth “NCIS” episode. The team comes together to defend one of its own, who’s been framed for murder. Read more…