Year: 2020

1) “Great Performances: Gloria – A Life,” 9-11 p.m., PBS (check local listings). It’s been a big life, actually. Once a Toledo kid dreaming of being a Rockette, Gloria Steinem helped alter the possibilities for American women. Christine Lahti (shown here) portrays her, with six actresses taking all the other roles. It’s a good (if flawed) show that ends with a twist: Steinem, strong and sharp at 86, arrives. She takes comments from people in the audience … many of them witnesses to a world she transformed. Read more…

1) “Council of Dads,” 8 p.m., NBC. Basically, everyone is mad at everyone: Luly (shown here) rages at Anthony, for never mentioning that he (not Scott) is her father. Theo fumes at Anthony for ignoring his dreams of being a chef. Everyone’s mad at Anthony for leaving and at Luly because her family essay went online. Now all of that peaks as a hurricane roars in … and a baby is due … and much more. You can gripe about overkill and about too many lunk-headed moves, but it still adds up to a gripping hour. Read more…

1) “Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Who knew that 2017 – just three years ago – would already be sweet nostalgia? This reruns a special at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (shown here). The line-up of beloved souls includes Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Stevie Wonder and the Obamas. There’s more – Common, Usher, Ne-Yo, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Dave Chappelle, Mary J. Blige and the Foo Fighters. Read more…

1) “World of Dance,” 10 p.m., NBC. The bad news is that Fox’s first-rate “So You Think You Can Dance” has made it official: It will have to skip this summer. Fortunately, this show is a solid substitute, with smart judges and gifted dancers. Tonight, the callbacks have 10 teams competing for four spots. Our only complaint is a lack of variety: With a few exceptions – including Latin rhythms from Showstoppers (shown here) – there’s a sameness to the numbers. Read more…

1) “Independent Lens: Pipe Dreams,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Here’s a documentary formula that has worked well lately: Pick a competition, meet some contestants in advance, then follow them and hope you get lucky. That’s worked for a spelling bee, a crossword contest, a science fair and even duck-stamp artists. Now it works wonderfully for a pipe-organ competition. “Dreams” (shown here with Alcee Chriss) has great visuals, powerful music and interesting people from the U.S., China and Germany. You’ll root for them. Read more…