Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for Nov. 13: holiday flurry & Swift “SNL”

1) “A Picture Perfect Holiday,” 8 p.m., Lifetime. We’re still 12 days from Thanksgiving, but Christmas movies abound. The Hallmark Channel started new ones before Halloween; at 8 p.m. today, it has “My Christmas Family Tree” and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has “Christmasin My Heart.” Now others jump in. At 7 and 11 p.m. ET, UPtv debuts “A Snowy Christmas.” At 8, Lifetime has Tatyana Ali (shown here) of “Fresh Prince,” as a fashion photographer; on a reluctant vacation, she meets a willdlife photographer. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 12: music masters & Disney’s day

1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:15 p.m., PBS. Yes, we know John Williams as the guy whose music propels “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and many more. But he’s also a gifted conductor and classical composer. Williams, 89, conducts the debut of his 32-minute violin concerto for violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter (shown here in a previous concert). They stay for a “Star Wars” love song, then depart; the Boston Symphony carries the rest of a strong musical evening. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 11: Agony in war and in peace

1) “Station 19” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. After a two-week break, these dramas are back, big-time: An explosion jolts Seattle, personally affecting people on both shows, especially Dr. Hunt (shown here; see next item). Meanwhile, other stories continue. On “Station 19,” Vic ponders her feelings about Theo and commitment; also, Andy take refuge in Dean’s home. On “Grey’s Anatomy,” Meredith and Amelia – working on their study in Minnesota – get help from a familiar face. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 10: Singers (masked or maskless) lead the night

1) Country Music Association awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Luke Bryan hosts and performs, in a star-stuffed night. Performing are all five Entertainer of the Year nominees – Eric Church and Chris Stapleton (who lead with five nominations each), Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert (three each) and Carrie Underwood (one). Also performing: Gabby Barrett (shown here, four nominations, including best new artist), Blake Shelton, Jennifer Hudson, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Mickey Guyton, Thomas Rhett and more. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 9: Strong “Resident,” iffy fantasies

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. The two-week baseball break was perfectly timed for this show’s transition. It returns by jumping ahead a few years; the widowed Conrad has changed his life, so he can be with his pre-school daughter. Now, at least for a day, he’s back in his old hospital (shown here, right). With one exception (out-of-character behavior for Bell and Austin), it’s a terrific episode. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 7 (out of order): “Dexter” leads a dramatic night

1) “Dexter: New Blood” debut, 9 p.m., Showtime. In its eight seasons, “Dexter” drew four best-drama Emmy nominations, plus five best-actor ones for Michael C. Hall (shown here), as a police technician who secretly killed bad guys. Now here’s the solid start of a 10-part mini-series: For a decade, Dexter has been hiding in upstate New York. In public, he’s cheerful, dating the police chief; in private, he argues with images of his late sister. He meets someone from his past and worries that his old ways may return. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 8: Deadly crises in fact and fiction

1) “The Lost Symbol” opener, 10 p.m.. NBC. In three Ron Howard movies, Tom Hanks played Robert Langdon, a master of ancient symbols and codes. Now this prequel has young Langdon (Ashley Zukerman, shown here) trying to save his mentor (Eddie Izzard). The nine-week first season concludes Thursday on Peacock, where you can find the other episodes. To get us in the mood, NBC shelved a rerun of “Ordinary Joe” (which returns next week) and inserted this hour, a robust blend of peril and mystery. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 6: an “SNL” return … after a 30-year break

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Kieran Culkin’s “SNL” debut may have gone unnoticed. He was 9 then and cast as Froggy in a sketch; his brother Macaulay, 11, hosted. Now, 30 years later, Kieran is the host, with Ed Sheeran as music guest. Once merely the brother of the “Home Alone” kid (they’re shown here with their movie parents), he did indie films, getting awards for “Igby Goes Down” (2002). As the troubled Roman in “Succession,” he’s drawn praise, an Emmy nomination … and this belated eturn to “SNL” Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 5: “Magnum,” music, more

1) Magnum P.I.” 9 p.m., CBS. After reruns last Friday, CBS is back to new hours. That includes “S.W.A.T.” – staying here, after CBS scuttled a plan to move it to Sundays — at 8 p.m. and “Blue Bloods” at 10. And it includes this episode, with a tricky twist: People usually hire a private eye when a marriage goes bad; now a guy wants his bride-to-be (shown here, right, with Higgins) investigated before the wedding. Read more…

Best-bets for Nov. 4: Queen’s music soars on two networks

1) “Queen Family Singalong,” 8 p.m., ABC. Back in 1971, the band Queen formed. With Freddie Mercury as lead singer, it would blast epic anthems, from “We Are The Champions” to “We Will Rock You.” Now its 50th anniversary is being celebrated this week – Monday on “Dancing With the Stars” and again here. Adam Lambert (who often takes the late Mercury’s spot) will perform; he’s shown here. Also performing: Darren Criss, Derek Hough, Fall Out Boy, Pentatonix, JoJo Siva, JimmieAllen and two Broadway casts. Read more…