1) “The Joe Schmo Show” finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, TBS. This clever show has an ending that’s even better than we’d imagined. From the beginning, it made one real guy (shown here) think he’s in a reality show. The others – friends, foes, weirdos – are actors. Now comes an ethical dilemma and then the shell-shock news. The result has a little humor and a lot of warmth. Read more…
1) “Ringo & Friends at the Ryman,” 8-10 p.m. today, CBS. In his Beatle days, Ringo Starr recorded Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally.” Ever since, it’s been clear he likes country. Now Starr (shown here), 84, does that song and others with Brenda Lee, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Jamey Johnson, Mickey Guyton, Rodney Crowell, Molly Tuttle, Jack White and more. Read more…
1) “Grey’s Anatomy” return (shown here), 10 p.m. Thursday, ABC. Jo and Lucas were at a convenience story, where there was a gunman, a fight and a shot. Now – 15 weeks later – we learn what happened. There’s chaos in the hospital and Ben’s emergency plan faces challenges. Also, Amelia and Winston disagree about a patient and Owen feels romantic tension. Read more…
1) Academy Awards, 7-10:30 p.m. ET Sunday ABC. It won’t be easy to keep us entertained. With a few exceptions (“Wicked,” shown here, for instance), the nominees are obscure; there will be music, but not the best-song nominees. We’ll hope for fun from the host (Conan O’Brien), announcer (Nick Offerman) and presenters, including Ben Stiller, Amy Poehler and Bowen Yang. Read more…
1) “The Americas” and “Suits LA,” 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday, NBC. After lots of football and specials, NBC remakes Sundays. First, a gorgeous wildlife documentary series, starting with the Atlantic Coast (shown here) the first hour and Mexico the second. Then comes a new show from the creator of “Suits.” This one focuses on entertainment lawyers and stars Stephen Amell (“Arrow”). Read more…
1) “SNL 50,” 8-11 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC. “Saturday Night Live” arrived on Oct. 11, 1975, promptly changing TV. Now comes the 50th-season reunion. It includes past hosts and music guests — Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson (shown here), Quinta Brunson, Kim Kardashian, Dave Chappelle, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, John Mulaney, Robert De Niro and more. Read more…
1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox. Nine times, a team has won back-to-back Super Bowls. Until now, none has reached the game the next year. Now the Chiefs (shown here), 17-2, have a shot at the first three-peat. Their previous two Super wins – and this year’s previous game – were by only three points each. They face the Eagles, 17-3, who are fresh from a 55-23 win. Read more…
1) Grammys, 8 p.m. ET, CBS (5 p.m. PT, rerunning at 8:30). Trevor Noah hosts for the fifth straight year and Beyonce leads with 11 nominations. Her “Cowboy Carter” (shown here is up for best album, along with albums by Charli xcs (7 nominations), Billie Eilish (7), Taylor Swift (6), Sabrina Carpenter (6), Chappell Roan (6), Jacob Collier (3) and Andre 3000 (3). Read more…
1) Football, 7:30 p.m. ET today, ESPN and ESPN2. Two traditional champs, Notre Dame (shown here) and Ohio State, collide for the national title. Since 1929, they’ve won 11 and 8 national championships respectively; only Alabama (14) and Southern Cal (9) compare. As the playoffs started, they were ranked No. 8 and 7. Each then had three wins, two of them upsets, leading here. Read more…
1) “St. Denis Medical,” 8 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. After a three-week break, this reminds us that it’s one of the season’s best new shows. Two prisoners (shown here) arrive, after stabbing each other; now nurses tell the cynical Dr. Ron they can soothe them. Two other stories are fairly good; the prisoner one is hilarious. And in the final minute, all the stories combine for a comedy peak Read more…
