Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for April 16: a great-drama overload

1) “Lucky Hank,” 9 p.m., AMC. Yes, there are way too many good shows (“Succession,” “Sanditon,” “Yellowjackets”) at 9 p.m. Sundays. But this one – rerunnning at 10:06 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. — is way too good to miss. Hank (Bob Odenkirk, shown here) clings to his faculty job at an obscure college, but his wife has interviewed for a job at a top school in New York. At a faculty dinner party, it all boils over in ways that are simultaneously funny and disturbing. Read more…

Best-bets for April 14: “Mrs. Maisel” is still marvelous

1) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” season-opener, Amazon Prime. A great show starts its final season with broad strokes. First is a fascinating flashforward to Esther as a young woman; then we’re back to the 1950s and her mom Midge (shown here in a previous episode) in despair, her comedy career sputtering. Her agent must move quickly, focusing on a latenight show. There’s an odd Thanksgiving and, as usual, crackling-good dialog. Read more…

Best-bets for April 13: double “Anatomy,” returning “Sheldon”

1) “Grey’s Anatomy,” 9 and 10 p.m., ABC. Earlier this year, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) – the central character for 18-plus seasons – departed. Now Maggie Pierce, Meredith’s half-sister and the head of cardio-thoracic surgery, leaves after nine years. She and Winston Ngu decide the future of their wobbly marriage. (They’re shown here.) That’s in a busy, two-episode night: Jo faces a tough diagnosis, Levi helps a patient celebrate a milestone and the Amelia/Kai relationship is tested. Read more…

Best-bets for April 12: busy birds, sober human

1) “Nature: The Hummingbird Effect,” 8 p.m., PBS. Costa Rica is barely the size of West Virginia, but it has more than 50 hummingbird species, some with specialized beaks Their perpetual mission is to pollinate the verdant forests. This hour is filled with gorgeous footage, both of the hummingbirds (one is shown here, not from the show) and of the vibrant animal kingdom they help sustain. Read more…

Best-bets for April 11: fun and games … or wartime memories

1) “My Grandparents’ War” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Each week during the first season, a British celebrity learned about a grandparent or two who did something intriguing during World War II. Now the show hits a four-bagger: Kit Harington (shown here), of “Game of Thrones,” learns about all four grandparents. Both couples met during the war; one stuck together afterward and the other was fractured by battlefield memories. It’s an involving hour. Read more…

Best-bets for April 10: A big day in “The Neighborhood”

1) “The Neighborhood,” 8 p.m., CBS. It’s the 100th episode of a show that often seems loud and blunt – especially compared to the superb “Bob (Hearts) Abioshola” thtat follows – but has good intentions. Originally about distrusting the white newcomers to a Black neighborhood, it’s now about neighborly friendship. Jerry O’Connell (shown here) guests, in a story about getting tickets to “The Talk.”
Read more…

Best-bets for April 9: good vibrations, great dramas

1) “Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Here’s a romp through great songs – many of them sunny and frilly, a few deep and dark. The hits are there, sung by Beck, Weezer, Charlie Puth, My Morning Jacket and more. But we also get emotional ballads from LeAnn Rimes, Mumford & Sons, and (shown here) a Brandi Carlile/John Legend duet. There are also key comments: When “In My Room” came out, Bruce Springsteen was 13; he played it over and over, in his room. Read more…

Best-bets for April 8: Easter-eve music, laughs, more

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. In the two decades since leaving “SNL,” Molly Shannon has popped up on the show a few times, but only hosted it once, in 2007. Now she’s back, with the Jonas Brothers as music guest. Lately, Shannon has thrived in the streaming/cable world. She did two “White Lotus” episode and the one-season “I Love That For You”; she plays a pop star’s mom in “The Other Two” (shown here), which starts its third season on May 4. Read more…

Best-bets for April 7: beautiful music and “Beautiful Things”

1) “Now Hear This,” 9 p.m., PBS. Violinist Scott Yoo did great work in a dozen previous episodes, often visiting old European sites (shown here) where classical music was formed. But here’s his best hour yet – a dazzling visit to Buenos Aires and the life of tango master Astor Piazzolla, We see superb musicians and dancers; then Yoo and his wife (gifted flutist Alice Dade) join in – hesitantly on the dance floor, brilliantly with the music. Read more…