Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Prideland” and “The Lavender Scare,” 9 and 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Here’s a reverse time machine, showing us attitudes toward gays, present and past. First, Dyllon Burnside (“Pose”) journeys through his native South — he’s shown here in Texas — and finds a get-along mood. The early segments are bland, but then a church-school teacher in Mississippi passionately recalls her adjustment to learning her sons are gay. Contrast that with “Lavender,” a chilling account of an era when the federal government fired all gays. Read more…

1) “Man With a Plan” series finale, 8:31 p.m., CBS. When Matt LeBlanc’s “Friends” ended its 10-year run, it was a big deal, a time for mourning. When his “Plan” ends a four-year run … it’s sorta worth noting. This is an adequate comedy, with LeBlanc in the cliched role of a semi-bumbling husband and dad. Tonight, he plans to surprise his wife (Liza Snyder, they’re shown here in a previous episode) on their 20th anniversary, re-creating their honeymoon. Read more…

1) “What We Do in the Shadows” season-finale, 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 11. Guillermo (wonderfully played by Harvey Guillen, shown here) has become one of TV’s best characters. He’s the long-suffering assistant (called a “familiar”) for four lazy vampires in Staten Island, protecting them (without their knowledge) by slaying other dragons. After a decade of being ignored, he’s left. The others realize they don’t know his phone nmber … or his last name … or how to wash clothes. Some oddly hilarious moments follow. Read more…

1) “Stargirl,” 8 p.m., CW. This is the sort of episode – sober, serious, unnerving – a show might have in its fourth season; here, remarkably, it’s the fourth episode of the first season. As part of a five-minute prologue, wordless and compelling, we learn why a classmate is despondent. Then Courtney (Brec Bassinger, shown here in the first episode), an upbeat type, tries to recruit her as a fellow superhero. The result is well-made and involving. Read more…

1) “Twilight: Los Angeles,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Back in 1992, another crisis raised sharp questions about police and race. The verdict in the Rodney King case brought protests and violence; in the aftermath, Anna Deveare Smith(shown here) created a one-woman play in which she portrayed the people – black and white, male and female – on both sides. Director Marc Levin added news footage and interviews. That’s one of many new and old specials that PBS has quickly added. Read more…