1) “SEAL Team,” 9 p.m., CBS. After loaning its timeslot to a music special last week, the show returns with its central character in jeopardy: Jason (David Boreanaz, shown here, center, in a previous episode) has been accused of committing a horrific crime on a mission. His colleagues are barred from conta\cting him, leaving him on his own. Read more…
1) “American Masters: Flannery,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. For a brief spurt, Flannery O’Conner (shown here) strayed far from her rural-Georgia roots. She went to the Iowa Writers Workshop and tp a writers colony in New York, getting praise and friendship from literary masters. Then she was diagnosed with lupus, which her father had died of; she retreated at 27, spending her final 12 years with her mom. Her two novels and 37 short stories kept a Southern Gothic tone, becoming classics. Here’s an excellent profile. Read more…
1) Music overload. For the first time this season, the new ratings giant (NBC’s “The Voice”) faces the original one (ABC’s “American Idol,” now on Sundays and Mondays). Both are 8-10 p.,m.; tonight, “Voice” closes its auditions and looks back at highlights; “Idol” is in Hollywood Week, with Ryan Seacrest (shown here) introducing duets. But for truly great singing, catch Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin, in National Geographic’s “Genius.” Sunday’s openers reruns at 6:56 and 8:03, with new hours at 9 and 10; it continues through Wednesday. Read more…
1) “Genius: Aretha” opener, 9 and 10:08 p.m., National Geographic; rerunning at 11:05 p.m. and 12:12 a.m. Over the next four nights, an epic life will unfold, spiced by great music. Aretha Franklin was plagued by overbearing men, including her dad, a famous preacher (played by Courney Vance, shown here) and her first husband. Still, she soared. This opens with her one trip to record in Muscle Shoals, Ala.; then it flashes between her childhood and early career. Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal is quite stoic, but her singing is magnifcent and Aretha-esque. Read more…
1) “Ruby” (shown here), 8 p.m., Lifetime, rerunning at midnight. Ever since a “Flowers in the Attic” remake drew a big audience, Lifetime has savored V.C. Andrews’ novels. Today, it reruns four of them, at noon and 2, 4, and 6 p.m. (They’re sequels to “Heaven,” which, oddly, reruns at 10:02 p.m. and 2:04 a.m.) Then it starts a new series about Ruby Landry, growing up in the Louisiana bayou with her grandmother (Naomi Judd). That will rerun at 6 p.m. Sunday, leading into its sequel, “Pearl in the Mist.” Two more Ruby movies will air next weekend. Read more…
1) Basketball, CBS. The first full day of the NCAA tournament wipes out CBS’ soap operas and cop shows, plus various talk and game shows. The best games should be the ones with similar seeds: On CBS, that’s 12:15 p.m. ET (Florida, No. 7 seed in a 16-team region, and Virginia Tech, No. 10) and 7:10 (North Carolina, No. 8, and Wisconsin, shown here, No. 9). The others are at 3 p.m. ET (Ohio State, No. 2), and Oral Roberts, No. 15) and 9:40 (San Diego State, No. 6, and Syracuse, No. 11). Read more…
1) “Grown-ish” (shown here) season-finale, 8 p.m., Freeform. This episode starts and ends with big, Hollywood-style scenes – one involving a college protest, the other an on-and-off romance. Then it tacks on an epilogue, jolting us toward next season. There are some meandering moments in between, but mostly this is an episode well worth catching. Read more…
1) “A Grammy Salute to the Sound of Change,” 9-11 p.m., CBS. Starting Sunday, viewers can savor Cynthia Erivo’s awesome vocal skill. In National Geographic’s “Genius: Aretha,” she ranges from gospel to disco. First, catch her here, singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” There’s much more: John Fogerty does “Fortunate Son” and “Promised Land” … Gladys Knight (shown here) and others do Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” Greats songs are done by Andra Day, Billy Porter, Yolanda Adams and more. Read more…
1) “Mayans M.C.” season-opener, 10 pm., FX. One of TV’s best (and roughest) dramas is finally back. It’s been 16 months since the previous season ended. Now this border town is filled with soldiers; the bikers have lost their drug sources. Dita Galindo convinced EZ and Angel (shown here in a previous episode) to kill her, making it look like a suicide. Their dad (Dita’s ex-lover) is despondent; so is her son, the drug boss. The result – acted and directed with subtle skill – is deep and dark and brutal; the final minutes are especially nasty Read more…
1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8 p.m., ABC. Tonight, Matt James can choose Michelle Young (a Minnesota teacher, shown here with James) or Rachael Kirkconnell (a Georgia designer), in a show filmed prior to the controversy: James is the first Black bachelor; Kirkconnell has attended a pre-Civil War South party and allegedly mocked classmates who like Black men. Host Chris Harrison suggested leniency; for the 10 p.m. follow-up, he’s replaced by Emmanuel Acho, author of “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.” Read more…
