Year: 2019

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Harry Styles (shown here with Kenan Thompson) hosts and is the music guest, putting him in elite turf. The first person to do both on the same night was Desi Arnaz, 43 years ago (and 18 years before Styles was born); the most recent was Chance the Rapper, three weeks ago. Others include Sting, Drake, Ludacris and Gaga, plus the old masters (Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul Simon) and the opposite (Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus) and more. Read more…

1) “Red,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. This play is easy to love or hate, but mostly to respect. It catches painter Mark Rothko at his peak (and near his nadir), spending years on massive murals. He lectures constantly to an assistant who finally protests his “titanic self-absorption.” It’s brilliant, (but self-destructive) talk, perfectly rendered. On Broadway, “Red” won a Tony and Albert Molina (as Rothko) was nominated. In the London production (shown here), Molina links with Alfred Enoch (“How to Get Away With Murder”), who’s also perfect. Read more…

1) “The Good Place,” 9 p.m., NBC. D’Arcy Carden has been terrific as Janet, the human-like database … and Bad Janet (shown here), her foul alter-ego … and Neutral Janet and more. Now mega-Janets are needed, as the judge decides the Earth’s future. A fairly good episode gets better in the final minutes. Read more…

1) Country Music Association Awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. A big night for country women has an opener with Carrie Underwood (the host, shown here), Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire (“guest hosts”), Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson, Tanya Tucker and more. Some will return for solos … and yes, there will also be guys: Blake Shelton sings alone and with Garth Brooks; also, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton and more, including Brooks and Dunn with the Brothers Osborne. Read more…

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. It’s Nurse Appreciation Day at the hospital, a fact that’s met with skepticism. “If they really appreciated us, they’d get us more nurses, not cookies,” someone says. Chasing profits, the hospital keeps adding procedures without adding staff; it’s a flaw that strikes powerfully tonight. An hour that starts with fun and games (shown here) and starkly. “Resident” still flounders when trying a lighter story; a jockey sub-plot here is a prime example. But when it’s serious – as it often is – it works well. Read more…

1) “Independent Lens,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Here’s a Veterans Day view of war-zone people; they’re interpreters, risking scorn and death to help American soldiers. Congress has said they should get hurry-up consideration, if they apply to move here. Bureaucracy, however, doesn’t seem to have a hurry-up mode. We meet a likable chap (shown here), a chain-smoker who goes by the name Philip Morris; he had to wait four years. Another man gave up on waiting and decided to flee, with tragic results. Read more…