Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 17: Farewell to “Lies,” “Masked” season, more

1) “True Lies” finale, 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. It’s one last fling (two, actually) for an entertaining show that CBS won’t be bringing back next season. Ginger Gonzaga (shown here) and Steve Hovey play married spies, trying to keep their work away from home life. In the first hour, the teen hacker who helped them is now dating their daughter. In the second, a spy is missing; the search seems to strain their relationship and reality itself. Read more…

Best-bets for May 16: FBI, EMT’s and an odd-videos master

1) “American Masters,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Nam June Paik reached the U.S. in 1964, a classical pianist with no money, but many ideas, some controversial. His 1967 concert was broken up by police, who arrested a topless cellist. Paik then focused on artwork, including a Buddha statue watching itself on TV (one example is shown here); fame followed. He coined the phrase “electronic super highway” and made the sort of images that soon fueled a generation of music videos. Here’s a fascinating profile. Read more…

Best-bets for May 15: “9-1-1” season ends, “Voice” lingers

1) “9-1-1” season-finale, Fox. This is Fox’s most-watched show … but the network won’t be bringing it back next season. Instead, it will jump to ABC. That’s partly because Fox doesn’t own a piece of the show; it does own part of “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which it will keep next season. And it’s partly because this is an expensive show – as we’ll see tonight (shown here). Car crashes leads to the collapse of an overpass, endangering civilians and rescuers. Read more…

Best-bets for May 14: zombies and Disney and such

1) “Fear the Walking Dead” season-opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:19. After vanishing for three seasons, Madison (the terrific Kim Dickens,shown here) returned in the seventh-season finale (which reruns at 7:48 p.m.). She’d been stealing children for PADRE, which re-programs kids (including Morgan’s daughter Mo). Now the eighth and final season jumps ahead seven years; it’s a potent hour, with Madison, Morgan and Mo in a fierce power struggle. Read more…

Best-bets for May 12: 50 years of Broadway joy

1) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m., PBS. Celebrating its first 50 years, the show has new performances of songs from a half-century of Broadway musicals. Sutton Foster hosts and sings beautifully. There’s zesty dancing to music from “Dancin'” (shown here), “Sophisticated Ladies,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and more. There are great voices, old (Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Raul Esparza) and new (Ledisi, Solea Pfeiffer, Mamie Parris, more), plus a dandy blitz from Rob McClure. Read more…

Best-bets for May 11: three finales and lots of country

1) “Ghosts” season-finale, 8:30 p.m., CBS. When Sam inherited a mansion last year, she decided to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. What could go wrong? A lot so far, despite help from the ghosts that only Sam can see. Now comes another problem: Someone arrives (shown here, right), claiming to be the rightful heir. There’s a surprise, CBS says, that could sharply change things. Read more…

Best-bets for May 10: It’s Vanna’s moment, on a game-filled night

1) “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” 9 p.m., ABC. After four decades of spinning the letters for “Wheel,” Vanna White (shown here) might have picked up some skill at guessing the puzzles. We’ll see tonight, when she competes with Ken Jennings (whose “Jeopardy Masters” tournament continues at 8 p.m.) and another “Jeopardy” genius, Mayim Bialik. “The Game Show Show” follows at 10 p.m. Read more…

Best-bets for May 9: fun, games and a tough finale

1) “Accused” season-finale, 9 p.m., Fox. This has been one of the year’s most engaging new shows – and, at times, one of its most painful. For the fourth time in 16 episodes, a story involves a troubled son. This one is back from his latest drug-rehab and working with his father. The dad (Keith Carradine, shown here) is a music star, overwhelmed by this dilemma. Like every “Accused,” this is written and acted with subtle skill; like many, it’s tough to watch. Read more…

Best-bets for May 8: a new “Jeopardy” and a 25-year movie

1) “Independent Lens: Sam Now,” 10 p.m., PBS. Reed Harkness used to make goofy movies, with his half-brother Sam as a superhero. Then he suggested something bigger – trying to find the mother who had vanished when Sam was in his early teens. The resulting film – sort of 25 years in the making – tells a remarkable story, with a deep empathy for Sam (shown here) and mom.
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