1) Basketball, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS, TNT and TruTV. The college tournament has its final four teams now. Two were expected — Purdue and Connecticut, each seeded No. 1 in its quadrant. The others provide underdogs: North Carolina State (shown here), No. 11 in its quadrant, faces Purdue; then Alabama, No. 4, faces Connecticut. The winners collide Monday. Read more…
Somehow, Montgomery Clift turned into Marilyn Monroe and then into Princess Diana.
And that begat the No. 1 (or maybe No. 2) single record of all time.
Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s lyricist, had lots of such stories, while discussing a top honor: They’re this year’s winners of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. ‘It’s a joy,” he told the Television Critics Association. “I’ve got the best job in the world, man.”
John (shown here in a previus concert) and Taupin seemed joyful during the ceremony, which airs at 8 p.m. Monday (April 8) on PBS. Their songs were done by stars with roots in country (Garth Brooks, Maren Morris), gospel (Jacob Lusk), rock (Metallica), Broadway (Billy Porter) and pop: Joni Mitchell, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile … and, for the final three songs, John himself. Read more…
1) “Fire Country” return, 9 p.m., CBS. The term “fire tornado” sounds like horror fiction, sort of like “Sharknado.” But lt’s is a real thing, when fire creates a deadly whirlwind. Alternately called a “fire whirl” or a “fire devil,” it was seen in California in 2018 and 2020; in tonight’s episode (shown here) it approaches the fictional town of Edgewater. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” return, 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. This is Elsbeth (shown here in red) at her best – all bright colors and bright smiles, clashing with dark-hued New Yorkers. That peaks in the first hour, with Linda Lavin, 86, as a despotic co-op head. Soon, Elsbeth is probing board members and a realtor (Jane Krakowski). It’s a clever hour, followed by one with the star of the “Lavish Ladies” reality show found dead. Read more…
1) “Nova,” 9 p.m., PBS. A solar eclipse (shown here) requires lots of coincidences, we’re told. That starts with the fact that the sun is 400 times the moon’s size and 400 times as far away. The April 8 eclipse will cut a swath from Dallas to Montreal, with 4-plus minutes of blackout. The start of this interesting hour has warnings – even with special glasses, don’t look through a telescope or camera – and details. Read more…
Television loves to link opposites.
It gives us Lucy and Desi, Sam and Diane, Turner and Hooch, Frasier and anyone. And now it has Georgie and Mandy. As “Young Sheldon” continues its final season (see overview under “stories”), they’re read for their wedding (shown here) at 8 p.m. April 11 and for their own show, next season.
When they met, she was 28, a former TV weatherperson; he was 17 and lying about his age. And the actors who played them were just as opposite:
Montana Jordan is now 21. Before “Sheldon,” his resume consisted of one obscure movie. Emily Osment is 32; she had already been a regular in six series. Read more…
1) Game shows, 9 and 10 p.m., NBC. Facing strong dramas on three networks, NBC really needs to find fun. But “The Voice” has trimmed to Mondays-only, leaving a void. “Weakest Link” takes the 9 p.m. slot, starting with “Days of Our Lives” actors. At 10, “Password” includes an alpaca-lover, an opera singer and a vogue dancer. As usual, Jimmy Fallon and host Keke Palmer manage to find some fun, despite format flaws. Read more…
For two weeks, TV’s top comedy was on the sidelines, waiting for the basketball tournament to end.
Now “Young Sheldon” (shown here) is back – for a while. It returns April 4, has the wedding of Georgie and Mandy a week later … then moves toward its May 14 finale, with the return of Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik as the not-young Sheldon and his wife Amy.
And that’s it … except for reruns and a Georgie-and-Mandy spin-off next season.
That may sound like there’s been a master plan, but co-creator Chuck Lorre insists he and the others have been improvising. “The whole process has been learning as we go.” Read more…
1) “iHeartRadio Music Awards,” 8-10 p.m., Fox. The networks like awards shows, which viewers tend to watch live. CBS has one Sunday (with country music) and Fox arrives today Performers include Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll (both will also perform Sunday), plus Justin Timberlake (shown here), Green Day and TLC, along with an award for Cher. Read more…
1) “Parish” debut, 10:15 p.m., AMC. Gray Parish (Giancarlo Esposito, shown here) tried to shed his life as a getaway driver. He has a family, a business and a New Orleans home. But his son was killed, his business is crumbling and now his friend (Skeet Ulrich) from the old days needs a favor. What follows is 83 percent of a gem. Before going off-course in the last of six episodes, it’s a great blend of action and drama. Read more…
Best-bets for May 1: ABC has “Jeopardy,” Griner 
Best-bets for April 30: taut dramas on Hulu, Fox, more 
Best-bets for April 29: It’s a near-finale wedding 
