1) Sports surge. The baseball season starts with one game Wednesday (Yankees-Giants, 8:05 p.m. ET on Netflix) and lots on Thursday, including two on NBC — Pirates and Mets at 1:15 p.m., Dodgers (shown here) and Diamondback at 8:30. Also, Thursday is when the college basketball tourney starts a new round, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on CBS, 7:30 and 10 on TBS. Read more…
1) Basketball. A new round of the college tournament begins, with Thursday’s winners colliding. CBS has games at noon, 2:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET, with more games on TBS. TNT and TruTV. By late Sunday night, the tourney will have its “sweet 16” for next week’s games. Meanwhile, other networks have films (shown here) for the basketball-averse. Read more…
1) “Doc,” 8 p.m., Fox. Here’s a rerun of one of the show’s best episodes. It has three strong stories, including a powerful one centering on Joan (Felicity Huffman, shown here, right, in a previous episode), a skilled surgeon covering up her progressive ailment. That’s followed by an OK “Best Medicine,” focusing on a hunky loner. Read more…
1) College basketball. The 64-team tourney starts its three-week marathon. For CBS, that means tip-offs at 12:15 (Ohio State, shown here, and Texas Christian), 2:50, 7:10 and 9:45 p.m. ET, wiping out soaps, comedies and mysteries. That will be the same time Friday (wiping out cops and firefighters at night). There’s more on TBS, TNT and TruTV … and a new round will be Saturday and Sunday. Read more…
Billy Crystal has strong moments at the Oscars, but none like this.
In a a eulogy for his friend, Rob Reiner, he did it all. It was sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, but always a celebration of a great life.
It included the professional — now-classic movies at the start of Reiner’s directing career — and the personal. With his wife Michelle, Reiner successfully championed progressive causes, including gay marriage;
That was part of the best (and busiest) in-memoriam stretch in Oscar history. It started with Reiner, paused in the middle for Diane Keaton, then closed with Robert Redford and the unexpected touch: Read more…
1) “America’s Culinary Cup,” 9:30 p.m., CBS. Here’s a sign that “Cup” contestants (some are shown here) are an interesting bunch: In the final showdown, we deeply don’t want either chef to lose. One does, in an hour focusing on sustainability. In the showdown, two chefs use parts that most people throw away. Both seem to do well; one departs and tears are shed. Read more…
Television can seem like an all-or-nothing, feast-or-famine world.
One moment, there’s little worth watching. The next, there’s an overload.
Fortunately, we’re heading into overload land. One night — Sunday, March 22 — has three debuts and two season-openers, plus the regular shows.
It opens the 15th season of “Call the Midwife” and the 22nd of “The Bachelorette.” It has the third “Forsytes” series (shown here), the 40th-or-more “Count of Monte Cristo” and the zillionth (approximately) Biblical epic.
The shows vary drastically, from the glittery “Forsytes” to the dark “Monte Cristo.” But all are ambitious. Alongside the regular dramas — “Tracker,” “Marshals,” “Dark Winds” — they’re in an overstuffed night. They are: Read more…
1) “Finian’s Rainbow” (1968), 5:30 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. OK, we don’t usually associate Francis Coppola with Irish culture. But before his “Godfather” films, he beautifully directed this zesty musical. Tommy Steele and Fred Astaire star(they’re shown here), with Petula Clark, Tommy Steele a Don Francks star, with some great comic moments from Al Freeman Jr. Read more…
Here’s an odd-couple pairing: Barack Obama and Larry David.
One speaks of hope and “yes we can”; the other professes hopelessness and “we probably can’t.” Now they sort of have a show together.
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” will debut at 9 p.m. June 26 on HBO. That’s a Friday, a night that has worked well for Bill Maher.
David (shown here) co-created and stars in the show. Obama isn’t necessarily in it, but Higher Ground (his company with his wife Michelle) is the production company. Read more…
1) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. In a quicker format this year, the show now has its top 20 and is giving them a sweet backdrop: Tonight and next Monday, they’ll be performing at a Hawaiian resort. (Shown here is Zahlie Windsor in last year’s Hawaiian round.) Read more…
Best-bets for March 21: lots of basketball … and lots of alternatives 
Best-bets for March 20: dramatic “Doc”; happy “Place” 
Best-bets for March 19: The madness begins 
