Daily Best Bets

1) “How We Roll” debut, 9:30 p.m., CBS. In real life, Tom Smallwood was laid off after a half-year at an auto factory near Detroit. At 31, he made one last stab at a bowling career — and succeeded. Now that’s been turned into a comedy that’s OK, but no match for CBS’ other Thursday shows. There are some good moments from Pete Holmes, Katie Lowes (as his wife; they’re shown here) and Chi McBride (as the bowling-alley owner), but his mom is poorly written and played. Read more…

1) “Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX; rerunning at 11:02, 12:04, 1:06. We’re in the aftershocks of the fierce attack that almost wiped out Franklin’s crack-dealing empire. Louise and others want revenge on Kane (whose brother Kevin was killed by Franklin, who’s shown here in a previous episode) and Peaches. Leon resists. “It’s about Black bodies in the street,” he says. “It’s about our people wiping each other out.” And – in a strong, pivotal episode for him – the oft-violent Jerome is torn between the two. Read more…

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. After a so-so start, “Resident” made wise detours. It changed Dr. Bell from scoundrel to hero … and it added Dr. AJ Austin. Both are key tonight. Bell is a crusading member of the medical board; Austin rages over a botched case. He’s played superbly by Malcolm Jamal-Warner (shown here), the former Cosby kid. After decades elsewhere — including four years on a forgotten UPN comedy – he’s a potent part of what has evolved into a good show. Read more…

1) “Snowpiercer” season-finale, 9 p.m., TNT; rerunning at 10:03. For three seasons, this mega-train has spanned a frozen world, holding the only survivors. But now comes the confrontation: On one side is Wilford (Sean Bean), the train’s creator and despot; on the other are Layton (Daveed Diggs, shown here) and the rebels. Layton feels a New Eden micro-climate is livable; Melanie, a master engineer, disagrees. A final face-off looms, in an hour that is beautifully written and executed. Read more…

1) Academy Awards, 8 p.m. ET, ABC. The bad years – with no host, no music and little fun – are apparently behind us now. This will have three hosts — comedians Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes and actress Regina Hall. The best-song nominees, exiled to the pre-show last year, will be performed by Beyonce (shown here), Billie Eilish, Reba McEntire and Sebastian Yatra. And eight of the 23 categories will be handled before the telecast, leaving more time for entertainment. Read more…

1) “Dune” (2021), 8 p.m., HBO. On the eve of the Academy Awards, we can catch some of the best-picture nominees. “Dune” (shown here) repeats at 6:15 p.m. Sunday (overlapping the Oscars, at 8 p.m. ET) and is on HBO Max, which also has “Drive My Car” and shares two others – “Nightmare Alley” (with Hulu) and “West Side Story” (with Disney+). Netflix has “Don’t Look Up” and “The Power of the Dog,” Apple TV+ has “Coda” and the others are video-on-demand. Read more…

1) “Great Performances: Conductor,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. “I’ve never been good with a lot of rules,” Marin Alsop (shown here) says. She quit a stern music school and created String Fever – 14 women doing swing music on orchestral instruments. She resisted the idea that conductors must be men; at one point, she led orchestras in three cities (Baltimore, Vienna, Sao Paolo), on three continents, in three languages. It’s a great story, told with surges of soaring music. Read more…

1) “Atlanta” season-openers, 10 and 10:49 p.m., FX; then 11:34 p.m. and 12:34 a.m.; 1:08 and 1:58 a.m. After a four-year pause, “Atlanta” returns with an odd (but interesting) episode – a 5-minute dream scene, followed by a half-hour memory … with Donald Glover (the show’s star) not appearing until the final minute. It follows with an episode that’s semi-strange and sometimes quite funny. Earn and two friends are with Big Boi (they’re shown here), who’s on his European tour. Read more…

1) “Snowfall,” 10 p.m., FX. Until now, we thought Franklin (shown here) was fearless. Not so; lock him up next to an angry tiger – yes, a TIGER – and he becomes very concerned. The problem started last week, when he and colleagues were attacked while hauling $3 million. Now they must escape the tiger and more gunmen, then ponder the aftershocks. It’s a fierce hour, with way too much brutalizing of defenseless people, but also potent and well-made. Read more…

1) “iHeartRadio Music Awards,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. The Grammys were pushed back to April 3, but here’s a temporary substitute. It even has LL Cool J – a five-time Grammy host – as host and performer. Also performing: Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Jason Aldean, Maneskin and more; Jennifer Lopez gets a special award. Justin Bieber and Olivia Roderigo (shown here) lead with nine and eight nominations, including male and female artist of the year. Read more…