Daily Best Bets

Best bets for July 23: Catch a comedy while you can

1) “Modern Family,” 9 and 10 p.m., ABC, and more. In giddy stretches of the 1990s, a network would have 16-18 situation comedies. And next week? Counting everything (except cartoons), the broadcast networks will have a total of four sitcoms. Really. CBS and NBC had already replaced theirs with summertime reality; next Tuesday, most of ABC’s sitcoms will be replaced by the “Bachelorette” finale. So savor these laughs while you can,including “Modern Family” (shown here in a graduation episode), plus “The Connors” (8 p.m.), “American Housewife” (8:30) and “Black-ish” (9:30 and 10:30). Read more…

Best-bets for July 22: At last, a Lukeless Hannah

1) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10:01 p.m., ABC. This edition takes longer than usual, due to a lingering Luke. Two weeks ago, Hannah Brown refused to trim from four guys to three, inexplicably keeping Luke Parker (shown here with Brown). She dismissed him last week, but he’s persistent. Tonight, he finally leaves; Chris Harrison talks to Brown and to Parker and 16 other rejects, finding emotional moments with Mike Johnson. That sets up next week’s two-parter with Jed Wyatt, Peter Weber and Tyler Cameron. Read more…

Best-bets for July 21: The end of “Truth” and “Lies”

1) “Big Little Lies” season-finale, 9 p.m., HBO. It’s a night for shows to conclude their second seasons, wrapping up mini-series-type stories. At 8 p.m. is CW’s eight-week “Burden of Truth”; then is this seven-week story. The first season won eight Emmys, including best actress (Nicole Kidman) and mini-series. The second ends with Celeste (Kidman) grilling her late husband’s mother (Meryl Streep) about his childhood tragedy. Also, Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) feels secrets are tearing the five friends apart; they’re shown here, with Streep looming in the background. Read more…

Best-bets for July 20: Moon, moon, moon (and “SNL”)

1) Moon documentaries, everywhere. On the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, cable is busy. Discovery has “Apollo: The Forgotten Films” at 8 p.m. and “Confessions From Space” at 10. BBC America uses CBS’ original reports as the core, from 9-11 p.m. ET, rerunning at 2 a.m. At 9 p.m. ET, CNN reruns its “Apollo 11” movie (repeating at 11). Also, at 9, Smihsonian has “The Day We Walked the Moon”; at 10:05, History has “Moon Landing: The Lost Tapes.” Read more…

Best-bets for July 18? It’s quite elementary

1) “Elementary,” 10 p.m., CBS. Jonny Lee Miller (shown here) has become the perpetual Sherlock Holmes. Others try. Approximately, Jeremy Britt was Sherlock 43 times; Benedict Cumberbatch, 15; Basil Rathbone, 14; Christopher Lee, 3; Robert Downey Jr., 2. Add them up, throw in lots of others, and you still don’t match this: It’s the 150h episode with Miller as a modern Sherlock, mostly in New York. Tonight, s sculptor has been killed, sparking fears that a serial killer is back. Read more…

Best-bets for July 17: “Jane” has it all; PBS has the moon

1) “Jane the Virgin,” 9 p.m., CW. With only three episodes after tonight, this terrific show has one of its best hours. Jane’s grandmother (shown here, dancing with Jane’s mom) is alternately foul and triumphant … there’s a spectacular action scene … and there’s a truly bizarre plan assembled by Jane’s dad. That last one is part of a sub-plot that will satisfy all of us who feel it should be a felony to thank an agent during an awards ceremony. Read more…

Best-bets for July 16: CBS goes lunar and retro

1) CBS in space. A half-century ago, Walter Cronkite (shown here) and CBS grabbed a large chunk of viewers who obsessed on the moon mission. Now the network tries to recapture some of that. At 9:32 a.m. — exactly 50 years after the fact – its streaming site (www.cbsnews.com/live) reruns the original coverage of the lift-off. At 6:30 p.m., Norah O’Donnell anchors “CBS Evening News” from the Kennedy Space Center. And at 10, she anchors “Man on the Moon,” incorporating Cronkite’s coverage. Read more…

Best-bets for July 15: O’Donnell’s big night

1) “CBS Evening News,” 6:30 p.m., CBS. This is the day Norah O’Donnell (shown here) takes over multi-duties; she’s anchor and managing editor of the newscast … anchor of political events … and occasional “60 Minutes” correspondent. That puts her on Murrow/Cronkite/Rather/Couric turf and she starts with a subject Walter Cronkite savored, the moon launch. Tonight, she discusses the future with space entrepreneur Jeff Bezos and with Caroline Kennedy, whose father propelled the moon program. Read more…

Best-bets for July 14: ’50s crime or ’90s movies

1) “Masterpiece: Grantchester” season-opener, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. For three summers, James Norton has played a village vicar – decent and fragile – who helps a cop (Robson Green, shown here with Norton) solve crimes. Now he has his final two cases; we also glimpse the man who will replace him next week. Set in the 1950s, tonight’s first hour has a strong civil-rights theme; the second eyes a corrupt businessman. The mysteries are so-so. but this is a deep portrait of a good man, torn by his flaws. Read more…