1) “NCIS: Origins,” 10 p.m. today, CBS. It’s tough when you’re investigated for murder … and tougher when you actually did it. That’s the situation for Gibbs, after what he considered a righteous killing. Now we see the crisis through the eyes of Cecelia (known as Lala, shown here), his intense colleague. It’s a gripping and well-made hour that includes a closing jolt. Read more…
1) Earth Day, Tuesday. Alongside splendid films in their libraries, streamers have new ones – “Sea Lions of the Galapagos” (shown here), Disney+; “Kiss the Ground,” Amazon Prime; “Pangolin,” Netflix; “Jane,” Apple TV+; “The Americas,” Peacock and Hulu. Also, the delightful “Secrets of the Penguins” is on Disney+ and reruns 8-11 p.m. Tuesday on National Geographic. Read more…
1) “Secrets of the Penguins,” 8-11 p.m. Sunday, National Geographic. Each year, near Earth Day (April 22), we get a superb James Cameron production. Previous ones eyed elephants, whales and octopuses. Now (shown here) comes the best yet. It ranges from the Arctic to a desert, from 4-foot-tall to two-foot. Young filmmaker Bertie Gregory captures rich, intimate detail. Read more…
1) Basketball, 8:30 p.m. ET today, CBS. A no-upset year concludes. For the first time in 17 years (and, reportedly, the second in tourney history), each team seeded No. 1 in a quadrant reached the final four. There’s no Cinderella team, no Butler or Bradley or Texas Tech. Instead, Florida, Duke (shown here), Auburn and Houston collided Saturday, with the winners tonight. Read more…
1) Basketball, 6:09 and about 8:39 p.m. ET Saturday, CBS. It’s final-four time, as the teams collide in San Antonio. The winners will be back next Monday, for the national championship. Meanwhile, CBS has some of its top shows back after a two-week break. It’s cop-and-firefighter shows on Friday (“Fire Country” is shown here) and (see No. 8) comedies and mysteries Thursday. Read more…
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…
