Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Homeland” series-finale and “Penny Dreadful” debut, 9 and 10:10 p.m., Showtime. One of the all-time great series concludes. Carrie (the superb Claire Danes, shown here in a previous episode) returns to Afghanistan, trying to revive the peace treaty. That’s followed by a stylishly filmed tale set in 1938 Los Angeles, complete with Nazis, old Hollywood, radio evangelism and the demons of Mexican folklore. That last part is an odd but interesting detour from a strong drama, with the terrific casting of Nathan Lane as a crusty cop. Read more…

1) “Born Wild: The Next Generation,” 8 p.m., ABC. If you missed this Earth Day special Wednesday on cable, catch a quick rerun. Robin Roberts hosts, cutting to scenes worldwide. Chris Hemsworth (yes, Thor) shows us rescued koala cubs in Australia. National Geographic and ABC reporters look for other newborns, including monkeys in Sri Lanka (shown here), whales in Hawaii, lions in Kenya, seals in Canada and black bears in Minnesota. Read more…

1) “International Jazz Day from Australia,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). All those music-from-home specials are fine, but sometimes we need the joy of musicians jamming. Taped a year ago in Melbourne, this includes jazz stars from10 countries, from Russia and the U.S. to Israel and Lebanon. They range from jazz classics to Ledisi (shown here) singing “Try a Little Tenderness” and everyone linking for John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Read more…

1) “Will & Grace” series finale, 9 p.m., NBC, with retrospective at 9:30. A sometimes-great series ends (again) in its usual fashion. This episode is sometimes goofy, sometimes warm, occasionally very funny. One of those occasions comes at the start, with the profoundly pregnant Grace; there’a a Lucy-like feel here. The Jack and Karen scenes are, as usual, too broad; the ones with Will and Grace (shown here) mix humor and human depth. After a decade off, this show returned for three more seasons; we’re glad it did. Read more…

1) “Jane Goodall: The Hope” (shown here), 9 p.m.. and midnight ET, National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild. We glimpse Goodall at 26, pioneering the study of chimps in the wild. And we see her at 86, traveling the globe to promote a love of nature. It’s a warm, upbeat film – and one of three with Goodall, on this 50th anniversary of Earth Day. “Jane” (2017), a lovely film, is noon ET on National Geographic; “She Walks With Apes” – profiling Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas and newer generations – is 9 p.m. ET on BBC America. Read more…