Best bets for April 21: Motown glory 
Best bets for April 20: A commanding epic 
Best bets for April 19: Lucy, loosely 
Best-bets for April 13: A crazy, rich night
1) “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), 8 p.m., HBO. At times, this feels like an early-’60s Read more…
Best-bets for April 12: The strangely funny “Strangelove”
1) “Dr. Strangelove” (1964), 8 p.m ET., Turner Classic Movies. A black-and-white tale of nuclear war? It might not sound like fun, but the American Film Institute calls it (quite reasonably) the third funniest film ever, trailing only “Some Like It Hot” and “Tootsie.” Peter Sellers — whose “Being There” (1979) follows at 9:45 — got an Oscar nomination for his great multiple-role performance; Stanley Kubrick got three — for best picture, for directing and for co-wriing the darkly satiric script. Read more…
Good news for June: “Tales” and Times
Is it too early for good news about June? Maybe not; announced today are:
— A new series from the New York Times. Starting June 2, “The Weekly” will be at 10 p.m. each Sunday on FX; it’s a half-hour show digging into a news story … which is something the Times does very well.
— And a new edition of “Tales of the City,” arriving June 7 on Netflix. Read more…
In case we forgot to read it, here’s an epic “Les Miserables”
It’s time for a new version of “Les Miserables,” the epic novel we all read in school, and …Or wait … have we all read it? “My teachers would love to hear me say ‘yes,’” said Lily Collins, one of the stars of the sprawling, six-part PBS mini-series.The teachers of Andrew Davies, the screenwriter, would also be disappointed. “It was one of those great classics that I neglected to read,” he said. Read more…
April 11 best-bets: Our last two-Adlon night
1) “Fam,” 9:30 p.m., CBS; and “Better Things,” 10 p.m., FX. For one more week, daughter and mother are back-to-back. First is the season-finale (and, probably, forever finale) of “Fam,” a fairly good show with fine work from Odessa Adlon (show here in last week’s episode); it’s time for her sister’s wedding. Then Pamela Adlon has another odd-but-great episode. This one starts with Frankie (the fictional version of Odessa) behaving badly. And it may be the first TV show to ask: “Frankie, why are you flushing towels down the toilet?” Read more…
A ‘Crazy,’ musical farewell
I have a few quick thoughts about the “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” finale, but I don’t want to spoil anything if you’re still planning to see it. Read more…
Best bets for April 10: Big-scale comedy on “Modern Family”
1) “Modern Family” season-finale, 9 p.m., ABC. This show shines when it can throw everyone together amid chaos. Now – as we get closer to the arrival of Haley and Dylan’s baby and possibly their wedding – everyone’s here. That includes all 11 regulars, plus Dylan’s flaky mom, Phil’s dad (techno-version) and even a couple strangers, one holding a celebrity dog. It’s a big, broad, funny episode that remains true to its characters, propelling “Family” toward its final season. Read more…
Best bets for April 9: “Fosse/Verdon” soars
1) “Fosse/Verdon” debut, 10 p.m., FX. This was the perfect Broadway duo: Bob Fosse directed and choreographed; Gwen Verdon starred. The results — “Chicago,” “Sweet Charity,” “Damn Yankees” — soared. But they were opposites, this series says. He (Sam Rockwell) was driven, adulterous, burdened by a tough childhood; she (Michelle Williams) was warm, caring, capable – sometimes — of repairing him and their marriage. Jumping around in time, this offers rich visuals and deeply layered characters. Read more…
Best-bets for April 8: At last, the tourney finals
1) Basketball, 9 p.m. ET, CBS. The college tournament has been filled with wild twists and close games. Now we have the finals, with Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill (shown here) at the mikes. A pre-game show is at 8:30 p.m. ET. In the Eastern and Central zones, that’s preceded (8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT) by a fairly good “Big Bang Theory” rerun, with Leonard reluctantly in charge of grant money. Read more…
Five best-bets for April 7: It’s country’s night
1) Academy of Country Music awards, 8-11 p.m., CBS. Nashville’s top stars will perform. That includes Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan (who used to be the co-hosts) and Reba McEntire (the current host). It includes Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton (shown here) and Keith Urban, plus fresh combinations — Brooks & Dunn with Luke Combs, George Strait with Miranda Lambert (who also does a medley), Kelly Clarkson with Dan + Shay and with Jason Aldean (who also links with Florida Georgia Line). Read more…