1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. As a triple threat (writer-producer-star), Quinta Brunson (shown here) is sweeping up the awards. Last fall, she won an Emmy for her “Abbott Elementary” pilot script; in January, she won Golden Globes for best comedy series and best comedy actress. Now Brunson, 33, is scheduled for her first time hosting “SNL”; Lil Yachty is the music guest. Read more…
1) Gershwin Prize, 9 p.m., PBS. Joni Mitchell has created immense depth and beauty; now she’s the focus of a gorgeous event: With her paintings as a backdrop, Mitchell (shown here early in her career), 79, is serenaded by her contemporaries (James Taylor, Graham Nash, Cyndi Lauper) and others. Ledisi links with Herbie Hancock for “River,” Annie Lennox sings a beautiful “Both Sides Now” and Brandi Cartlisle offers a stunning version of the more-recent (2007) “Shine.” Read more…
1) “CSI: Vegas,” 10 p.m., CBS. After a two-week basketball break, this returns with a deeply moving episode. There’s great work from Paula Newsome, as the CSI chief, and Regina Taylor, as a vicitm who has retained anger (and a bullet) for decades. (They’re shown here, right and centr.) She rages, justifiably, about past police who seemed to give Black victims less attention. Now she has people on her side. Read more…
1) “Riverdale” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. The Archie comics offered sweet Americana – a cheery chap and his pals at the soda shop. This series, however, has rippled with murder and despair. Now a comet has transported everyone to 1955, when teens (including Cheryl, shown here) can focus on fun, not murder. Only Jughead remembers anything. It’s a clever idea that wobbles a bit in the opener, but works well. We see ‘50s sunniness, darkened by a world that seemed to ignore racism and more. Read more…
1) “Accused,” 9 p.m., Fox. This anthology again delivers an hour that is both beautifully crafted and deeply depressing. Abigail Breslin (the former child star of “Little Miss Sunshine”) and Aisha Dee (“The Bold Type”) — shown here, left and center — are perfect as young lovers who witness an atrocity in Brooklyn, then become obsessed with vengeance. There are a couple lapses in believability, but this story is compelling, emotional … and devastating. Read more…
1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8 p.m., ABC, with follow-up at 10. Zach Shallcross started with 30 women, including four nurses, a nursing student, a therapist (Charity Lawson, the next “Bachelorette” star) and a rodeo racer. Now Shallcross, 26, a 6-foot-4 sales guy from California, is down to two: Kaity Biggar (shown here with Shallcross), 27, is a Canadian travel nurse; Gabi Elnicki, 25, is a marketer from Vermont. Read more…
1) “Succession,” 9 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 10:05. One of the most honored dramas in years starts its final season. In each of its three previous ones, Jesse Armstrong has won an Emmy for his scripts; there have been 10 other wins, including – for the second and third seasons – best drama series. During that time, people have vied to be the successor to Logan Roy (Brian Cox,shown here, center), atop a media empire. Now, however, he plans to sell it all to a tech visionary. Read more…
1) Basketball and figure-skating. The 7-footers and the 5-footers each have their moments tonight. The big guys are in the college basketball tournament, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS, setting half of next Saturday’s final four. And the petite folks (shown here) are in the finals of the World Figure Skating Championships; that’s tape-delayed from 8-10 p.m. on NBC. For more sports, catch XFL football (7 p.m., FX) or pro hockey (Capitals-Penguins, 8 p.m. ET, ABC). Read more…
1) “Up Here” debut, Hulu. Robert Lopez has already triumphed as a composer for Broadway (“Avenue Q,” “Book of Mormon”) and — with his wife, lyricist Kristen Anderson Lopez — for movies (“Frozen,” “Coco”). Now they link with director Tommy Kail (“Hamilton”) for a gem. We see young lovers (Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdez, shown here) and hear the lingering voices in their heads. It’s a delightful musical in eight parts, all available at once. Read more…
1) Basketball. The second weekend of the college tournament begins, with only one game that fulfills predictions. That’s at 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS, when Gonzaga and UCLA (shown here), seeded No. 2 and 3 in their region; collide; at 7:15 on CBS, that region has Connecticut (No. 4) and Arkansas (No. 8). Elsewhere, TBS has Kansas State (No. 3) and Michigan State (No. 7) at 6:30 and Tennessee (No. 4) and Florida Atlantic (No. 9) at 9. Read more…
