1) “This Is Us” season-finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. As last week’s fascinating episode ended, Rebecca reluctantly agreed to go away for a clinical trial, trying to head off Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. That soothed one son (Randall), but may enrage the other (Kevin), who wants her near home. Now the two guys collide (shown here) at the first birthday party for Jack, the blind son of their sister Kate and her husband Toby. Expect something good; “This Is Us” has ended its seasons with deeply emotional jolts.
2) “A Million Little Things” season-finale, 10 p.m. Thursday, ABC. In a week for strong emotion, this show –the closest clone to “This Is Us” – also wraps up its season. For now, it seems close to an uncharacteristically happy moment: Katherine and Eddie have survived his affair with their friend Delilah; they’re renewing their wedding vows … maybe. Eve goes into labor with the baby that Rome and Regina might adopt. Also, Maggie shocks Gary and Eddie learns about a long-ago fatal accident..
3) “Council of Dads” debut, 10:01 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. That formula – deeply passionate human stories, with few cops or crooks, lawyers or doctors – is being tried by others. This show’s involving pilot gets a big push, right after the “This Is Us” finale, then waits until April 30 for more episodes. We meet Scott, who has a gorgeous, lakeside home and a loving wife and five kids. Then comes a grim prognosis; in a move that author Bruce Feiler did in real life, he asks three friends to help with his kids.
4) “Gershwin Prize: Garth Brooks,” 9-10:30 p.m. Sunday, PBS. This is the 11th year of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, but only the second with a country winner. (Willie Nelson was first.) Brooks, 58, is also the youngest winner; he’s already sold 148 million albums in the U.S., second only to the Beatles. He performed at this concert, along with his wife Trisha Yearwood, plus Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Ricky Skaggs, Keb’ Mo, Lee Brice and the Howard University Chorus; Jay Leno hosted.
5) “CMT Crossroads,” 10 p.m. Wednesday, CMT. Here’s another treat for country fans — Kelsea Ballerini shares a concert with pop’s Halsey. They had opposite roots: Ballerini grew up on a farm near Knoxville and sang in church; Halsey is a city kid from New Jersey who had some rough years and homelessness in New York. But they’re similar in age (26 and 25) and in the ability to propel a powerful ballad. A sampling of this hour shows great duets on “Graveyard” and “Homecoming Queen.”
6) “The Hidden Kingdoms of China” debut, 8-11 p.m. ET today, Nat Geo Wild; reruns at 11, then concludes March 30. China is known for its cities and its 1.4 billion people. Still, this is a sprawling place – almost 20 percent bigger than the U.S., minus Alaska – with lots of wilderness. That’s captured here with stunning beauty. The first hour sees the mountain creatures; the second has the South Hunan jungles. The third is a delight, with giant pandas, golden pheasants, bamboo bats and moustache toads.
7) “One Day At a Time” season-opener, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Pop. Some 33 years after “One Day” left, it was revived on Netflix with Latina stars. The result drew praise and a Television Critics Association nomination for best comedy; canceled after three seasons, it jumps to Pop, still with Norman Lear, 97, producing and Rita Moreno, 88, co-starring. Don’t worry about who’s-who; that’s explained to a census taker (Ray Romano) in the first minutes. The result often feels broad and stage-y, but is mostly fun.
8) “Hawaii Five-0,” 9 p.m. Friday, CBS. When the basketball tournament vanished, CBS shoveled reruns into its Thursday and Friday voids. But here are exceptions: A new episodes of “MacGyver” is at 8 p.m., leading into this new “Five-0”: McGarrett gets a coded letter from his late mother; bad guys are ready to kill Danny to get it. Also, Chuck Norris plays an ex-soldier, helping a witness hide. A week later, “Five-0” has its series finale. It’s been around for 10 years … or 22, if you count the original.
9) Movies. The TV set is our movie theater now and tt has a busy weekend, led by “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019) at 8 p.m. Friday, 11:02 p.m. Saturday and 8:06 a.m. and 4:12 p.m. Sunday. A sprawling, history-bending Quentin Tarantino film, it’s a fun ride that drew 10 Oscar nominations (including best picture), winning for Brad Pitt. Also of interest: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017), 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday, FX; “The Kitchen,” 8 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO.
10) “Call the Midwife” season-opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Filmed long before the coronavirus crisis, this reminds us that things have been much worse. In 1965 London, nurses find some public-health scares. Soon, we see testing, quarantines and fear. The episode (which aired in England in January) also has Fred find an abandoned baby. With scenes that are brief and plots that are resolved quickly, “Midwife” rarely builds high drama. Still, it’s an amiable view of good people in tough situations.