1) “Sheriff Country” and “Fire Country” return, 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. Back from a two-week basketball break, these have a big-deal crossover: A mysterious school-bus explosion (shown here) leaves nine students missing; the sheriff and the firefighters investigate. In the second hour, Bode and Nathan try a desperate rescue. Read more…
1) “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” return, 8 p.m., CBS. After a two-week basketball break, broadcast-TV’s best comedy returns. And it’s back with its best kind of episode, mixing the families: Mandy tries to give Georgie’s sister dating advice; Georgie’s mom (shown here) is not pleased. Read more…
1) “Chicago Med,” 8 p.m., NBC. In a remarkable change-of-pace, “Med” starts a two-week story focusing almost entirely on Dr. Charles (shown here). A soft-spoken psychiatrist, he has soothed other people, amid painful family burdens in his past and present. Now life crashes down, in an ordeal played with subtle skill by Oliver Platt, a five-time Emmy-nominee. Read more…
1) “Secrets of the Bees,” 8-10 p.m., National Geographic. The superb “Secrets” films, produced by James Cameron, have shown mega-creatures — whales and elephants and such. Now it goes micro, with great footage inside hives. Bertie Gregory shows us a fascinating web of duties, including scouts, workers and queens-in-waiting. Read more…
1) “Henry David Thoreau,” 9-11 p.m., PBS, concluding 9 p.m. Tuesday. Yes, Thoreau spent two years in a cabin (re-created here), writing eloquently about man and nature, But Ken Burns’ splendid film finds he’s much more interesting than that: Thoreau was a social guy who loved to mingle. He was a teacher, philosopher and pencil-maker, an abolitionist and a strong believer in personal freedom.
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1) CBS blitz. This should be a powerhouse day for CBS. First, it has basketball, filling the final spots in the college tournament’s final four. That’s at 2 and 4:30 p.m. ET, leaping (in Eastern and Central zones) into a strong night — “60 Minutes,” “Marshals” — Kayce (shown here, right) goes rogue to rescue a kidnapped girl) and “Tracker” (a boy vanishes during a field trip). Read more…
1) Skating, 1 p.m. ET, USA Network; 8 p.m., NBC. Ilia Malinin (shown here) had a long string of victories and one miss — in, alas, the Olympics. Now seeks his third title in the World Figure Skating Championships. You can catch the finals live on USA or wait for NBC. It will have highlights of the entire weekend; the women’s finals (including Amber Glenn) were Friday Read more…
1) “Martha Graham Dance Company: We Are Our Time,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. The opener, a three-minute gem, sets up a terrific film that sprawls across two Fridays. Tonight, we see Graham dance in her 30s (including a 1929 film) and coach in her 90s. We hear her words (via Meryl Streep) and see her current company (a performance is shown here), in its 100th season, with immensely gifted dancers. Read more…
1) “iHeartRadio Music Awards,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. Amid a sports surge, we also get pop music. Performers are Ludacris, who hosts, and John Mellencamp (shown here), who gets a special award, plus Alex Warren, Kehlani, Raye, Lainey Wilson and, for the first time, a linking of three classic girl groups — TLC. En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa. Also getting a special award is Miley Cyrus. Read more…
1) “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m., Fox. We’re a week from the finale, with five people left, (One, viewers know, is Kylie Cantrall, shown here in Disney’s “Rise of Red” movie, as “Cat Witch.”) This edition has dumped some singers — Billy Ray Cyrus, Jack Wagner, Tone Loc — and others. Last week it unmasked actor-singer Evan Ross (Diana Ross’ son) and Greg Mathis, of “Judge Mathis” fame. Read more…
