Month: May 2020

1) “Great Performances: Bernstein’s Mass,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Even during this social-distance time, we can savor the epic power of supersized music. Leonard Bernstein wrote this powerful piece for the 1971 Kennedy Center opening; this performance (shown here) is from last July at the Ravinia Festival, near Chicago. Paolo Szot (a Tony-winner for “South Pacific”) is superb, backed by the Chicago Symphony, a children’s choir, a vocal quartet, a 22-person “street chorus” and, yes, a marching band. Read more…

1) “How to Get Away With Murder” series finale, 10 p.m., ABC. For six seasons, this show has delivered tangled mysteries, spiced by spectacular performances from Viola Davis (shown here with Tom Verica) as Annalise. She already has an Emmy and three more nominations; now come pivotal moments. On trial for murder, she learns there’s a surprise witness. Then there’s the pesky mattert of a flashforward that showed Annalise’s funeral. ABC promises we’ll learn what that’s all about and who (if anyone) killed her. Read more…

1) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. Surviving in a field of previous winners are two cops (Tony Vlachos, 45, and Sarah Lacina, 34) and an ex-Marine (Ben Driebergen, 36). They face the edition’s oldest person (Denise Stapley, 48), one of the youngest (Michele Fitzgerald, a travel consultant, 29) and one more, with Nick Wilson (shown here) as the newest member of the jury. Lacina and Stapley are both from Iowa, but Stapley is said to be the state’s only certified sex consultant. The final hour – including results and follow-up – will be done long-distance. Read more…

1) “The Happy Days of Garry Marshall,” 8-10 p.m. ABC. For two years, Marshall had TV’s two most-watched shows, “Happy Days” (shown here) and “Laverne and Shirley”; the next year, he had three of the top four, adding “Mork & Mindy.” He went on to movies and more, dying in 2016 at 81. Some of his top stars – Penny Marshall (his sister) and Robin Williams – have died, but others gather here, including Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Pam Dawber and (from “Pretty Woman”) Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Read more…

1) “9-1-1” season-finale, 8 p.m., Fox. The series started with terrific work from Connie Britton as Maddie, a passionate 9-1-1 operator. She left – Britton had only planned to do one season – but returns two years later for this guest shot. Maddie (shown here) was one of the victims, when a train plunged off the tracks; people race to the rescue, including her ex-lover Buck. Then the second “9-1-1: Lone Star” episode reruns at 9:01. Read more…