Year: 2019

1) “Back to Life” debut, 10 and 10:30 p.m, Showtime. Returning to the seaside village where she grew up, Miri has her doubts. So does everyone else. Convicted of murder as a teen-ager, she was in prison for 18 years; now even her parents are afraid of her. Daisy Haggard (shown here) created this show, stars in it and is one of the producers. In just six half-hours (on three Sundays), she gives us humor, drama and a big finish. The parents’ sub-plot is lame, but the rest of this is a terrific little gem. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. For Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this is a can’t miss year. She won three Emmys (for writing, producing and starring in “Fleabag”) and was nominated for a fourth (for producing “Killing Eve”). Then she hosted the season’s second “SNL,” which reruns here; it was a big improvement over the first. The “Mid-Day News” sketch was sharp and another – letters between a war-time soldier and his love, with Mikey Day (shown here) and Waller-Bridge – was wonderfully clever. Read more…

1) “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” 8 p.m., ABC. For a while, it looked like musicals might become an old-people thing. Then came “High School Musical” and a new generation. That’s been followed by two sequels, a theater version, more Disney/ABC musicals … and now this: When the Disney+ streaming service starts on Tuesday (Nov. 12), it will include this series (shown here), which pretends to be a documentary, following teens trying out for the school show. Tonight, ABC gives us the first hour. Read more…

1) “Perfect Harmony,” 8:30 p.m., NBC. The Perpetual Praise mega-choir is overwhelming. “They are the Death Star of church choirs,” Dwayne says. They have platoons of singers, fog machines and an arena-like facility with giant screens. Now the tiny Second First Church choir is lured into a challenge … while its conductor (shown here) is having a bad hair day. After a so-so Halloween episode last week, “Harmony” reverts back to form, as the best new series on a broadcast network. Read more…

1) “The Masked Singer,” 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. When the World Series went seven games, it wiped out two Wednesdays for Fox, creating confusion. Fox scheduled “Masked Singer” and “Almost Family” for tonight, then detoured. “Almost” (a good show) will sit out for its third straight week, so “Masked” can double up. Things starts with a terrific performance by “Rottweiler” and an interesting one by “Ladybug”(shown here) … whom Jenny McCarthy promptly proclaims “the Lady Gaga of ladybugs.” Read more…

1) “Mayans M.C.” season-finale,10 p.m. FX; rerunning at 11:36 p.m. and 1:12 a.m. Rippling with macho energy – off-camera, as well as on – this has been a tough ride. Kurt Sutter, the co-creator and co-producer, was recently fired; he granted that his own hard-charging approach has been part of the problem. But “Mayans” remains, flaws and all, what we need – intense, involving TV. Now two wars loom: The Mayans against another biker club and EZ (shown here) and his brother against efforts to deport their dad. Read more…