Daily Best Bets

(This is slightly out of order; for the April 20 beat-bets, scroll down one.)
1)“Black-isn: finale, 9 p.m., ABC. One of TV’s most important comedies concludes. In its first seven seasons, “Black-ish” received 25 Emmy nominations, including four for best comedy series. It has Peabody and American Film Institute awards, a Television Critics Association win for best comedy and a Golden Globe for Tracee Ellis Ross, who stars with Anthoy Anderson (they’re shown here). Tonight, with his parents leaving and his kids pondering college, he considers a change … and gets advice from gymnast Simone Biles. That’s followed at 9:31 by “Black-ish: A Celebration.” Read more…

1) ”Snowfall” season-finale, 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 11:11, 12:22, 1:33. “There might be a problem,” one character says, late in this high-octane episode. You think? By that point, there are huge problems for everyone. For just a moment, things seemed fine: After splitting from Teddy, Franklin (shown here in a previous episode) was in love, in real estate and maybe leaving the drug world. Then came crescendos of deceit, rage and violence. Intense and powerfully acted, this sends the show in fresh directions next season. Read more…

1) “Better Things,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 11 and midnight. For this final season, Celia Imrie (left) — who plays the mother of Sam (Pamela Adlon, right) — couldn’t leave England during the pandemic. Adlon had a solution: She flew there to tape several two-person scenes for early episodes, pretending they were in California; then the entire cast arrived for this engaging hour. Amid pleasant moments in Liverpool and London, we get some humor and some life-changing decisions … setting up next week’s series finale. Read more…

1)“The First Lady” debut, 9 p.m., Showtime, rerunning at 10. Over the next eight weeks, we’ll see three fascinating stories entwine. Michelle Obama (shown here) is played by Viola Davis, with Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Pfeiffer as the surprising Betty Ford. Later, we’ll glimpse their early yearsb (with different actresses) and later years. Tonight focuses on their arrivals at the White House. Ford didn’t want to be there … but promptly emerged as a strong and outspoken force. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. The first time Lizzo (shown here) did the show, “SNL” had its best ratings in years. Of course, it helped that Eddie Murphy was making his long-awaited turn as host. Now, two-plus years later, she’s back and fully in charge; she’ll double as host and music guest. Read more…

1) “Come Dance With Me” debut, 8-10 p.m., CBS. An OK dance competition gets buried in a sea of feel-good excess. Kids who are serious dancers – prizewinners, maybe professionals – team with parents who aren’t (shown here). The performances are quite good; after all, half the dancers are talented and they’re give excellent costumes, choreography, music and lighting. But “Come Dance” pushes too hard; it feels forced, surrounding acts with emotion and praise. Read more…

1) ”Superstar,” 10 p.m., ABC. Patrick Swayze grew up in Texas, which is football country. A knee injury ended any shot at an athletic scholarship, so he spent more time dancing for his mother, who had a jazz-ballet company and a dance studio. He took over the lead role in Broadway’s “Grease,” then went on to “Dirty Dancing” (shown here) and movie stardom, before dying of cancer at 57. This hour includes Demi Moore and Tony Goldwyn (his “Ghost” co-stars), Debbie Allen and Jaclyn Smith (his mother’s students) and more. Read more…

1) ”Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX; reruns at 11:05, 12:09, 1:13. Last week, the wedding party of Jerome and Louanne was spiked with LSD. It was a bizarre detour, but it led to revelations for Franklin (shown here in a previous episode) and Leon. Their stories continue this week, along with a fierce sub-plot: Louanne sent a crooked cop to kill a rival. Now opposite instincts are juggled: There might be peace and a crime-free life … or maybe retribution, with gang warfare in Los Angeles. It’s a strong hour, leading to a huge – and crowded — season-finale next week. Read more…

1) “Abbott Elementary” season-finale, 9 p.m., ABC. This clever little show has been a bright spot for ABC, getting decent ratings, especially in the 18-49 age group. Now it wraps its first season, a week before “Black-ish” (9:30) ends its eighth and final year.  Tonight, the Abbott school has its annual trip to the zoo (shown here), with lives in transition. Janine faces a big choice … Tariq has been offered a job in New York … and Barbara ponders her future, after learning that her favorite reptile (a tuatara) has been retired because of age. Read more…

1) CMT Music Awards, 8 p.m., CBS. Country music fills the night, including the Judds’ (shown here) first TV performance in 20 years. Other duos include Maren Morris with Ryan Hurd, Cole Swindell with Lainey Wilson, Mickey Guyton with Black Pumas, Jason Aldean with Bryan Adams, Thomas Rhett with Riley Green and Jimmie Allen with Monica and Little Big Town. Also performing: Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini (who hosts with Anthony Mackie), Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, Walker Hayes, Carly Pearce, Old Dominion Read more…