Daily Best Bets

(This is an improved version of the five TV best-bets for Saturday, May 14, adding CNN’s “Navalny” rerun. It moves No. 3 to the No. 5 spot, where it adds “Navalny”; the others move up to 3 and 4.)

1) “Top Gun” (1986), 8-10:30 p.m., CBS. Tom Cruise’s career was off to a good start, with a dandy comedy (“Risky Business”) and some dramas. Then this film shot it into the stratosphere. Playing a cocky pilot, Cruise was surrounded by director Tony Scott’s flashy visuals, plus soaring music, macho-guy dialog and strong support from Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis and more. The result was the year’s top box-office draw; it’s back, two weeks before its sequel reaches theaters.
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1) “Great Performances: Anything Goes,” 9 p.m., PBS. Last summer – before Broadway began its comeback – Sutton Foster (shown here) and director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall did this show in London. They had done it on Broadway a decade earlier, winning Tonys; now they triumphed again. The plot is way too silly, but the Cole Porter songs ripple with wit and zest. Foster is superb in Marshall’s epic song-and-dance numbers.
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1) “Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS. After pausing last week for reruns, the show is back to its best storyline: Georgie, 17, lied about his age; now his ex-girlfriend, 29, is pregnant. (They’re shown here with his grandmother.) His mom (who was pregnant with Georgie when she married) was stunned when friends avoided her Bible club. Now it’s time to face the congregation. Sheldon is perplexed, but his twin sister speaks up for Georgie. Read more…

1) “Nova: Dinosaur Apocalypse,” 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. Long ago, a meteor struck Mexico, sending clouds that killed the dinosaurs and more. Now – some 2,000 miles (and 66 million years) away – paleontologists in North Dakota have apparently found remnants of the meteor and some of its victims. “Nova” spent three years filming the work, adding special effects and David Attenborough (shown here). The result is fascinating – top-drawer science, related in a thoroughly entertaining way. Read more…

1) “American Masters,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. To some, Duke Kahanamoku (shown here) was one of the all-time great athletes. He won swimming medals in three Olympics, spread over a dozen years … then popularized the sport of surfing. Statues of him are in Australia, New Zealand, California and his native Hawaii. Most amazing, however, was the day he individually saved eight people from drowning. This fascinating film even has the moment they thanked him, decades later. Read more…

1) “American Song Contest” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. This started with 56 acts (one per state or territory), each with an original song; now it has its top 10. Michael Bolton (shown here) is here, representing Connecticut. Two others were reality-show finalists in 2015: Jordan Smith (Kentucky) was the “Voice” winner; Riker Lynch (Colorado) was the “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up.  Others are from Alabama, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Samoa. Read more…

1)“American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The twice-a-week phase is done now; there are just three rounds left, all on Sundays. Tonight, we have the top seven — Leah Marlene (shown here), Christian Guardino, Fritz Hager, HunterGirl, Jay, Nicolina and Noah Thompson. Next Sunday has the top five; a week later, “Idol” will have its 20th champion. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After two weeks of reruns, “SNL” is ready for the season’s final burst of new shows. Tonight’s host, Benedict Cumberbatch, might not seem like a funny chap in “The Power of the Dog” or the “Doctor Strange” (shown here) movies, the latest of which opened Friday. But he’s British, he was clever in “Sherlock” films and he’s hosted “SNL” twice before. Arcade Fire is the music guest. Read more…

1) “Blue Bloods” season-finale, 10 p.m., CBS. Nothing lasts forever on TV … unless cops and/or Tom Selleck are involved. “Blue Bloods” was recently renewed for its 13th season; first, this episode links the family of Frank Reagan (Selleck): His son Jamie and grandson Joe (Will Hochman, shown here) search for an undocumented teenager who was being sex-trafficked. Their probe converges with one by Danny (another son), after the murder of a woman who was in witness protection. Read more…

1) “Call Me Kat” season-finale, 9 p.m., Fox. Last week, Kat’s world crumbled. The new landlord (who was, briefly, her boyfriend) raised the rent on her café and apartment. Desperate, she laid off Phil … then collapsed with an anxiety attack. Both characters – played by Mayim Bialik (shown here) and Leslie Jordan – are thoroughly likable; so is the show, even when its humor is mild. Also tonight, Max gets a big break and Carter tries to control his jealousy. Read more…