Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 8: Spies, laughs and agri-romance

1) “Farmer Wants a Wife” (shown here) debut, 9 p.m., Fox. The CW tried this show 15 years ago, with one farmer and lots of city-bred prospects. Now CBS tries it, with four guys. Each is college-educated and in his 30s; two raise cattle, one has horses, one has both. Also, Hunter Grayson sings in a band, Ryan Black designs and builds houses. They meet 32 women (ages 24 to 39), including two bloggers, two therapists, a bartender and a spiritual coach. Read more…

Best-bets for March 7: fine night for comedies and a drama

1) “Accused,” 9 p.m., Fox. Whitney Cummings (shown here) gives a perfect performance – subtle, layered, deeply moving – in a strong episode. Cummings is known for fun; she’s a brash stand-up comedian, creator of her own show (“Whitney”) and co-creator of “2 Broke Girls.” She plays a stand-up comic here, but the story soon veers into dark turf. We won’t reveal any plot points, but it’s a tough and disturbing hour. Read more…

Best-bets for March 6: return of “Voice,” “9-1-1” and Mel Brooks

1) “The Voice” opener, 8-10 p.m., NBC. Two new coaches – Niall Horan (shown here) and Chance the Rapper – arrive, facing the show’s big winners: In 22 editions, Blake Shelton has had nine champions and 14 runners-up, sometimes simultaneously; in eight tries, Kelly Clarkson (back from a one-edition break) has had four champs and a runner-up. Reba McEntire will be the mentor for all four teams Read more…

Best-bets for March 5: with Oscars near, a great movie night

1) “Gone With the Wind” (1939) and “Casablanca” (1942), 4 and 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. A week from the Academy Awards, TCM fills its line-up with great films. That peaks here, “Wind” is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute’s best-film list; “Casablanca” (shown here, with Dooley Wilson and Humphrey Bogart) is No. 3. They’re sandwiched by the epic “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) at 12:30 p.m. and “The Way We Were” (1973), a lushly emotional Streisand/Redford film, at 10.
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Best-bets for March 4: slime, spies and Bond

1) “Kids Choice Awards,” 7 p.m., Nickelodeon channels, plus CMT, TV Land, and MTV2. Each year, this offers lots of star and slime. This year’s hosts are Nate Burleson of “NFL Slimetime” and Charli D’Amelio, who was slimed two years ago. There’s music by Bebe Rexha (shown here) and Young Dylan and a career award for Adam Sandler. Presenters include Pete Davidson, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, Chris Pine, Halle Bailey, Seth Rogen and more. Read more…

Best-bets for March 3: grand comedy, rocking drama

1) “Grand Crew” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., NBC. After a so-so first season, “Grand Crew” bounces back with a terrific episode, focusing on its two best characters. Noah (Echo Kellum, shown here) is a hopeless romantic, ready to marry his girlfriend so she doesn’t get deported to Canada; Nicky, his sister, is skeptical about love and is hiding a romance. Noah has a funny flight of imagination and then a frantic rush to the altar, while friends have their doubts. Read more…

Best-bets for March 2: Swank returns, baby arrives

1) “Alaska Daily” return, 10 p.m., ABC. This well-acted drama stepped aside mid-crisis, for a 15-week break. Now it’s back, with Eileen (Hilary Swank, shown here, a two-time Oscar-winner) at gunpoint. Once a star reporter, she’s rebuilding her career at an Anchorage paper. She exposed officials’ corruption and their indifference to the disappearance of native women; she’s also made an enemy, who now holds a gun. Read more…

Best-bets for March 1: spy fun, reality ordeals

1) “True Lies” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. Back in 1994, this was a fun James Cameron film, with Jamie Lee Curtis unaware her husband (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was a master spy. In this modern update (shown here), that won’t do; the wife (Ginger Gonzaga) learns quickly about her husband (Steve Howey) … then trains to work with him. This gets a silly at times; criminals seem awfully easy to defeat. Still it offers a rare TV blend — action and glamour, spiced with humor. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 28: “Black Broadway” leads a strong night

1) “Black Broadway,” 8 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Here are some of the best musical moments you’ll see on TV, back-to-back. After a bland overture (the only weak point), Corbin Bleu blasts a “Ragtime” anthem; soon, Nova Payton (shown here in a previous PBS special) sings from “The Color Purple” and “Dreamgirls.” These are potent, passionate songs that were first performed by Blacks. Stephanie Mills does a “Wiz” ballad she debuted 49 years ago, but mostly it’s a splendid showcase for young stars. Read more…

Best-bets for Feb. 27: “Alert” and “AGT” conclude

1) “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” finale, 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. After their son Keith vanished, Jason (Scott Caan, shown heree) and Nikki drifted. He struggled after returning from the military; she became a missing-persons cop and is engaged to a colleague. In the opener, they found a teen who seems to be Keith. Now these episodes wrap that up, alongside other cases. The two villains are way too similar and overwrought, but if “Alert” isn’t renewed, it’s had a strong finish. Read more…