1) “Accused,” 9 p.m., Fox. After some tough episodes lately, “Accused” offers a brisk ride at the edge of soap turf. A teen (Bebe Wood) is obsessed with learning the identity of the sperm-donor who is her biologic father; her mom (Betsy Brandt) promptly panics. A caper (shown here) follows, along with some large plot twists that actually add up, especially when handled by sharp dialog and a talented cast. Read more…
1) “A Small Light” opener, 9-11:29 p.m., National Geographic. People worldwide know Anne Frank, the teen whose diary described her life while hiding from the Nazis. Now we meet the heroic Miep Gies. A young woman who worked for Anne’s father Otto, she took huge risks for two years, bringing supplies. (She’s shown here, right, helping Anner’s older sister.) The story is told slowly (eight-plus hours on four Mondays) and well, with great work from Bel Powley and Liev Schreiber, as Miep and Otto.
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1) “Masterpiece: Tom Jones” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Fresh from the celibacy of “Sanditon,” PBS goes in a different direction. The 1749 novel and the 1963 movie both celebrated a lad’s lusty adventures. There’s a lot of that here, including bedroom mix-ups and an older seductress. But this time Tom (the likable Solly McLeod, shown here) is a decent chap, looking for his true love. The resulting four-week story is light, loose, sometimes goofy and often fun. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. There’s one more rerun tonight, before “SNL” returns to new episodes … unless a writers’ strike scuttles the rest of the season. Pedro Pascal (shown here), the star of “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us,” hosts, with Coldplay as music guest. Next Saturday (barring a strike) has Pete Davidson, two days after his “Bupkis” series debuts on Peacock. Read more…
1) “Grand Crew” season-finale, 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. The latest attempt at Friday comedies is ending. Such shows once thrived on ABC; Fox revived the idea – then switched to wrestling. Now NBC has moved “Lopez vs. Lopez” to Tuesdays and is closing the season for “Grand Crew” (shown here in a previous episode), which has improved sharply in its second season. In tonight’s first episode, Noah finds an all-consuming romance; in the second, everyone goes to a wine-tasting. Read more…
1) James Corden farewell, 10 p.m. and 12:37 a.m., CBS. Arriving from England nine years ago, Corden brought intelligence, enthusiasm and a terrific producer. Ben Winston has gone on to produce the Adele specials, the “Friends” reunion, two Tony nights and seven Grammy shows. He and Corden have worked wonders. Now their farewell has Adele in a “Carpool Karaoke” (she and Corden are shown hre in their previous one), Tom Cruise in a “Lion King” number and Will Ferrell and Harry Styles as the last late-late guests. Read more…
1) “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. On Burnett’s 90th birthday, we get a cascade of clips, songs and praise. That’s a fine idea, even if the mix is wrong. There’s way too much praise (repetitious and sort of monotonous) and way too few clips of Burnett and friends in her series (shown here) and specials. Even with the mis-blend, however, this is a delight. It includes music from Katy Perry, Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch and more. Read more…
1) “How I Met Your Father,” 10 and 10:30 p.m., Freeform. Here’s a small-but-worthy trend: A few shows from streaming networks re-appear on cable, where more people can see tbem. FX did that with “Under the Banner of Heaven” and on Thursday will start Steve Carell’s compelling “The Patient.” Here’s a lighter choice: Hilary Duff(shown here) is looking for love, in a variation of “How I Met Your Mother.” Read more…
1) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The Hawaiian week (shown here with Eise Kristine) is over now and some serious cuts begin. Tonight, we learn which of the 20 singers were in the viewers’ top 10; then the judges add two more. That collides with “The Voice” (8-10 p.m., NBC), which continues its “knockout round.” Read more…
1) Earth Day. You can spend the day in nature – or savoring it on TV. There are cable marathons (see next two items) and the streamers are busy. Apple TV+ has the beautifully filmed “Big Beasts,” plus fiction ranging from kiddie idealism in “Jane” (shown here) to the sobering “Extrapolations.” Netflix has “Chimp Empire”; PBS Passport had a rich trove. Disney+ has its epic nature movies, plus “Secrets of the Whales” and the start of “Secrets of the Elephants.” Read more…
