Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 15: “FBI” star returns

1) “FBI,” 8 p.m., CBS. No matter where she works, Missy Peregrym has been an audience favorite. A preacher’s kid from Canada, she did “Black Sash” and “Reaper” on WB-turned-CW, was a new cop in ABC’s “Rookie Blue,” then became Maggie, a top FBI agent. She missed six episodes this fall, after having her second child on June 6. Now Maggie (recovering from sarin-gas exposure) returns (shown here), facing a double homicide and perilous undercover work. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 14: tough times in fact and fiction

1) “American Experience: Taken Hostage,” 9-11 p.m., PBS; concluding Tuesday. For 444 days, Americans were held hostage in Iran. The crisis engulfed the final year of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, ending just as Ronald Reagan was being inaugurated. This richly detailed film views the ordeal of the hostages, but also goes back to see decades of American links with the autocratic shah, leading to protests (shown here) and his overthrow. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 13: A double day for “Yellowstone” creator

1) “Yellowstone” season-opener, 8-10:27 p.m., Paramount Network, rerunning at 10:27. Ominous music looms through this two-parter, even during John Dutton’s inauguration as governor. Big things – tragedies (large and small) and triumphs — are ahead. It’s hard to empathize with a governor whose only concern is his own property. But when he’s perfectly played by Kevin Costner (shown here), with surgical-sharp dialog and epic visuals, we can’t help it. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 11: potent Veterans Day choices

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…

Best-bets for Nov.10: Farewell to a weird gem

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…

Best-bets for Nov. 9: country, “Crown,” classics

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…

Best-bets for Nov. 8: elections, plus a few alternatives

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…

Best-bets for Nov. 7: After a brief break, dramas return

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…

Best-bets for Nov. 6: moody music visit to stars and wannabes

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…