Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Jane the Virgin,” 9 p.m., CW. With just five weeks left, “Jane” is clicking again. Yes, it sputtered for a while, especially with its Rafael-or-Michael storyline. But now Jane and Rafael are engaged; this episode ripples with sharp plot twists and brief bursts of humor. Jane frets about finishing and selling her book … and about being a good stepmom to the twins of Petra (who has her own evil mom to worry about) and Rafael. Also, many people – Jane’s dad, Rose, the twins (shown here)– scheme in the telenovela fashion. Read more…

1) “Bring the Funny” debut, 10:01 p.m., NBC. For a dozen years, NBC had a shaky relationship with “Last Comic Standing.” Once, it ordered a second edition for the fall … then failed to run the final episode. It cancelled the show three times – once for a year, then for three, then forever. Now, four years later, a new show debuts. Like “Last Comic,” it has stand-up comedians; unlike it, there are also sketch comedy (shown here), magicians and more. Kenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy and Chrissy Teigen are judges. Read more…

1) “The Bachelorette,” 8-10:01 p.m., ABC. It’s time for Hannah Brown (shown here) to visit the home towns and meet the families of the final four. And that means mostly staying close to her Southern roots: She’s 24, a former Miss Alabama. Luke Parker, 24, an import/export manager, is from Georgia … Jed Wyatt, 25, a singer/songwriter, is from Tennessee … Tyler Cameron, 26, a contractor, is from Florida … and Peter Weber, 27, a pilot, is from California. Read more…

1) “The Movies” debut, 9 p.m. ET, CNN (barring breaking news), rerunning at midnight. This is like the former Disney World ride that zipped us through Hollywood history — fast and fun, but never really staying anywhere for long. The opener takes us through the 1980s. It has fresh interviews with the great filmmakers – Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Rob Reiner, Tim Burton, Ridley Scott, the late John Singleton – and a few actors, critics and historians. It has a few insights — Tom Hanks calls “Roger Rabbit” (shown here) the most difficult filmmaking ever — and lots of quick, fun clips. Read more…

1) “A Star is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (both 2018), 5:40 and 8 p.m., HBO. Two stories about singers – the first fiction, the second true – beautifully blend music and emotion. Both drew Academy Award nominations for best picture. “Star” — superbly directed by Bradley Cooper, with great performances from Cooper and Lady Gaga (shown here) – won a best-song Oscar; “Rhapsody” won best actor (for Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury) plus three Oscars for sound and for editing. Read more…

1) “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), 8 p.m. Friday, Turner Classic Movies, and more. First is “Oz,” which on Aug. 25 will turn 80. Then is a 10 p.m. documentary, “1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year.” That’s no exaggeration: The American Film Institute lists “Oz” as the 10th-best movie ever … but it won only two Oscars, both for music. That year had “Gone With the Wind” (No. 6 with the AFI), plus “Mr. Chips,” “Mr. Smith” (No. 26), “Ninotchka” (6 p.m. today), “Stagecoach,” “Of Mice and Men” and more. Read more…