Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 26: “Amazing” returnees lead the race

1) “The Amazing Race” finale, 9-11 p.m., CBS. Veterans of three CBS reality shows collided … with “Race” the clear winner. It had five duos in the running and three are still there: Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl are friends, Leo Temory and Jamal Zadran are cousins, Colin Guinn and Christie Woods are “life partners.” Also surviving — one of the three “Big Brother” duos (Nicole Franzel and Victor Arroyo, here showing their boat skills) and none of the three “Survivor” duos. Tonight, the winner gets $1 million. Read more…

Best-bets for June 25: A brilliant “Pose”

1) “Pose,” 10 p.m., FX. Two stories – both of them passionate and life-changing – alternate here. To preserve the impact, we can only describe them in general terms: One has a brilliant performance by Indya Moore (shown here in the season-opener) as Angel, the street-tough transgender beauty who has a shot at being Eileen Ford’s face-of-the-year; the other finds Elektra with a work emergency. Superbly written by Our Lady J and directed by Janet Mock (who both happen to be transgender), it’s a high-stakes story, beautifully told. Read more…

Best-bets for June 24: Weird (but pretty) worlds

1) “Grand Hotel,” 10:01 p.m., ABC. Deep in debt to crooks, Santiago had one solution: His step-daughter would marry a rich guy whose family would buy the hotel. Alas, she slept with a singer named El Rey; at the altar, the groom denounced her and attacked him. (Yes, it’s that kind of show.) Now Santiago’s biologic daughter (Denyse Tontz, shown here) wants to save the hotel with an El Rey concert; others have doubts. Also, Danny’s secret – he’s the brother of the missing worker – is discovered by another staffer. Read more…

Best-bets for June 23: Mega-music and deep dramas

1) BET Awards, 8 p.m., BET (which reruns it at 12:30 a.m.), MTV and VH1. On a night stuffed with music, Cardi B l(shown here) eads with seven nominations; that includes best album, facing Travis Scott, Meek Mill, Ella Mai and The Carters. She’ll perform; so will Billy Ray Cyrus, DJ Khaled, City Girl, Migus, Lucky Daye and more. Mary J. Blige gets a special award; Regina Hall hosts and is also up for best actress, going against Viola Davis, Taraji Henson, Tiffany Haddish, Regina King and Issa Rae. Read more…

Best-bets for June 22: In Texas, the end is near

1) “The Son,” 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:01. A week before the finale, here’s a potent hour with key turning points. We learn how Eli, then a young widower, left the Comanches … And we hear a story of how the old Eli (Pierce Brosnan, shown here) died. We see his granddaughter as a matriarch … and see how coldly pragmatic she was as a teen. Some scenes – the tribe with a drunken Army captain, the teen with her mother – are brilliantly written and beautifully played. Read more…

Best-bets for June 21: A self-taught classical master

1) “American Masters: Robert Shaw,” 9 p.m., PBS (check local listings). “My entire life has been a make-up lesson,” Shaw said. He was a preacher’s kid from a town of 3,000, with no formal music education. But Fred Waring saw him conduct in college and hired him; at 22, Shaw did 500 shows a year. Some people scoffed … until Arturo Toscanini called him “maestro” and George Szell hired him for the Cleveland Orchestra. This hour views his flaws (alcohol, infidelity) and his immense talent. Read more…

Best-bets for June 20: “Dark” nears its potent finish

1) “In the Dark,” 9 p.m., CW. Yes, this has had its slow moments; that happens when you spread a mystery over 13 weeks. But tonight’s hour hits some highs, leading to next week’s potent season-finale. Blind and bitter, Murphy is at a low point: She split with her boyfriend; her roommate (and only friend) Jess split with her girlfriend … and moved out of the apartment. Stick around; after some surprises (including blind rollerskating, shown here), tonight’s final 15 minutes deliver a giddy high and then a powerhouse surprise. Read more…

Best-bets for June 19: From ranch land to a space colon

1) “Yellowstone” season-opener, 10 p.m., Paramount, rerunning at 11:11. In its first 17 months, this network has had some stumbles (especially the awful “Heathers”) and one solid success. That’s this show, filmed in the sprawling beauty of Montana and Utah. Kevin Costner plays a rancher, battling outside forces and, at times, his family. His daughter schemes with developers, one son is a politician, the other is an ex-SEAL who would rather be on the neighboring reservation with his wife and son. Read more…

Best Bets for June 18: Good Trouble and a great night

1) “Good Trouble” return, 8 p.m., Freeform. Here is an explosive episode – visually, aurally and emotionally. It’s time for the verdict in the trial of a cop who shot a black teen; that’s a case that has enmeshed Callie, a law clerk (Maia Mitchell, shown here with Beau Michoff) and her neighbor Malika, an activist) The story is told powerfully … sometimes with intense percussion in the background. That’s Dennis, wracked with self-loathing, pounding his drum set. Both stories are pack with fierce impact. Read more…

Best-bets for July 17: Glitzy grandeur

1) “Grand Hotel” debut, 10:01 p.m., ABC. Summer, we’re told, is about sun and fun and mindless pleasure; “Grand Hotel” has all of that, especially the mindlessness. Amid the beauty of a Miami Beach hotel, we meet the owner (a widower), his son and daughter, his new wife and her two daughters, plus key staffers. Most are gorgeous; most are schemers with dark secrets. An exception is the owner’s daughter, fresh from grad school and filled with optimism … which will soon be strained. Read more…