1) “Call the Midwife,” 8 p.m., PBS. Setting up next week’s deeply moving finale, “Midwife” (shown here in a previous episode) juggles key stories. There’s Rosalind’s romance … Sister Monica Joan’s health troubles … and a girl we met a decade ago, when she was born with defects linked to thalidomide. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After two weeks of reruns, “SNL” closes the season with three new episodes. That starts with youth: Olivia Rodrigo (shown here in a previous concert), 23, has her first turn as host and third as music guest. (By comparison, the May 16 season-finale has Will Ferrell, 58, and Paul McCartney, 83.) Next week has Matt Damon and Noah Kahan. Read more…
1) “Now Hear This” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. This is the show’s best hour yet, a visit to Iceland. The scenery is stunning (shown here in a generic view, not from the show), the people are appealing — “we’re doers,” one says — and the music is abundant. With only 400,000 people, Iceland averages 500 new albums a year. This hour ranges from choral music inside a volcano to a thundering cello concerto. Read more…
1) “Grey’s Anatomy” return, 10 p.m., ABC. After a three-week rest, “Anatomy” (shown here in a previous episode) is back to wrap its 22nd season. Next week is the season-finale, including the departure of Teddy and Owen. Tonight, however, it’s a big-deal crisis: The Royal Bridge collapses, putting all the doctors into action. Read more…
1) “Shared Planet” season-opener, 10 p.m., PBS. Even in packed cities, nature survives. We see mountain lions in Los Angeles (shown here with the “Hollywood” sign in the background), a huge oyster project in New York, trees blooming near (or on) the skyscrapers of Medellin and Singapore. A week after its Earth Day shows, PBS propels this globally ambitious, four-week documentary. Read more…
1) “NCIS,” 8 p.m., CBS. LL Cool J (shown here) is turning “NCIS” into a lifetime assignment. He was Sam Hanna for 14 seasons on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” plus 12 episodes on “NCIS: Hawaii”; this fall, he’ll star in the new “NCIS: New York.” First, here’s his sixth “NCIS” episode. The team comes together to defend one of its own, who’s been framed for murder. Read more…
1) “The 1% Club,” 8 p.m., Fox. Joel McHale’s comedy (“Animal Control)” finished its season last week, but he’s still busy hosting TV’s best game show. Amid fascinating questions, McHale (shown here) toys with contestants. Today, they include one person who’s been on Jerry Springer’s show and another who was a zombie on “The Walking Dead.” Read more…
1) “The Forsytes” season-finale, 9 p.m., PBS. Amid all the Victorian-age glamour, there are deep waves of emotion. At work, Jo was right; Soames wasn’t, destroying a client. At home, both men’s marriages are crumbling. Jo left after his wife (they’re shown here) banned him from seeing his long-ago lover and their children. Now come great moments, especially from his grandmother. Read more…
1) “Marty Supreme” (2025), 8 p.m., HBO. A terrific film (shown here) makes its cable debut, one day after reaching HBO Max. In 1952 New York, Marty (based on a real guy) obsesses on ping-pong. Director/co-writer Josh Safdie crafted a frantically entertaining story. It drew nine Oscar nominations, including for best picture and for Timothee Chalamet’s brilliant performance. Read more…
1) “Now Hear This,” 9 p.m., PBS. The second half of this four-week series is as much a gorgeous travelog as a music show. Next week is Iceland; today is Istanbul, an ancient city aglow with sights and sounds. Host Scott Yoo (shown here) brings his wife, Alice Dade. He’s a violinist, but its her flute talent that fits the local music. An “International Jazz Day” concert follows at 10. Read more…
