1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Dave Chappelle (shown here) has become the show’s Saturday-after-election host. He did that in 2016 … and again in 2020, on the day a presidential winner was finally declared. Now he’s back after the mid-terms, with Black Star as music guest. Read more…
1) “Band of Brothers,” 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., History. As Veterans Day begins, History reruns HBO’s compelling portrait (shown here with Damian Lewis) of one World War II unit. It follows with a “Salute to Service” special at 8 and 11 p.m., with “Hacksaw Ridge” (2016) at 9. The true story of a pacifist who won a Medal of Honor as a medic, “Ridge” drew Oscar nominations for best picture, star Andrew Garfield and director Mel Gibson. Also at 9 p.m., PBS profiles the USO. Read more…
1) “Atlanta” series-finale, 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:47 and 11:34. One of TV’s best (if weirdest) shows ends its four-season run. It has already won six Emmys and been nominated for 19 more, including two for best comedy series. Donald Glover (shown here, right, in a previous episode) has been nominated three times as best actor and twice as director (winning once in each category), plus twice for his scripts. The finale’s title – not serious, we hope – is, “It Was Only a Dream.” Read more…
1) CMA Awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Generations and genres merge. This opens with a tribute to the late Loretta Lynn and later has a career award for Alan Jackson. It has music fron Reba McEntire and Patty Loveless, plus crossover artists (Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Pillbox Patti, the Black Keys) and current country elite — Miranda Lambert (shown here), Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Carly Pearce, Lainey Wilson, Jimmy Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and more. Read more…
1) Election coverage. The stakes are huge today — 36 governors, 34 senators and all 435 congressmen, plus control of the House and Senate. So the networks are going all-out: ABC, CBS (shown here with Norah O’Donnell), NBC and PBS start coverage at 8 p.m. ET, when many polls close. Pausing briefly (including 11 p.m.) for local coverage, they’ll be ready to go all night. So will the news networks. Read more…
1) “The Cleaning Lady,” 9:02 p.m., Fox. After a one-week baseball break, the show booms back with a tough and involving hour (shown here) — a strong one for Oliver Hudson (right). Once a comedy actor like his mom (Goldie Hawn) and sister (Kate Hudson), he’s excellent as Garrett, an FBI guy facing tragedy (shown here) while trying to bring down the evil Kamdar, despite distractions: He’s hiding the fact that he killed Cortez; Thony’s hiding the fact that it was her nephew who pushed her husband to his death. Read more…
1) “Spector” opener, 9 p.m., Showtime. Phil Spector was the master of early-’60s pop music, churning out vibrant “wall of sound” hits for the Ronettes (shown here) and others. Then he sort of disappeared … until Feb. 3, 2003. That’s when a British magazine published a long, candid interview; it’s also when a blonde beauty was found dead in his mansion. This compelling, four-week film starts that day, then uses the interview as the spine; the opeer focuses on a great (but brief) career. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Amy Schumer, quickly becoming an all-media star, hosts, with Steve Lacy as music guest. Schumer has been terrific hosting “SNL” twice previously – and in most other things. She has a sketch show, “Inside Amy Schumer,” on Paramount+ … has the comedy-drama “Life & Beth” (shown here) renewed for a second Hulu season … and, as co-host, was the best part of the chaotic Academy Awards. Read more…
1) “Young Rock” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., NBC. It’s an odd sort of brew – bits of comedy, scattered alongside a dramatization of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s real past and a fictional version of his future. Tonight’s comedy parts come early (with Randall Park in an awful talk show), then retreat. We see rough moments in the wrestling careers of Johnson as a young man (shown here) and his dad. And in the final minute, we jump ahead to a time after his failed 2032 run for president. Read more…
1) “Welcome to Flatch” and “Call Me Kat,” 9:02 and 9:30 p.m., Fox. We’ll be watching “Kat” on the next four Thursdays, for the final bits from Leslie Jordan (shown here in an upcoming episode), the tiny actor who died Oct. 24, at 67. Alongside it, the inconsistent “Flatch” has a fairly good story: Last week, Barb (Jaime Pressly, 45) started a torrid affair with young Shrub. Now his cousin Kelly tries to break them up by transforming drab, dull Beth into a flashy mini-Barb. Read more…
