Month: May 2022

1) “So You Think You Can Dance” opener, 9 p.m., Fox. From its debut in 2005, “Dance” (shown here in a previous season) has been one of TV’s best reality competitions. It had great dancers and (after the auditions) gifted choreographers; it also had a producer and head judge (Nigel Lythgoe) who took this seriously. Now the show is back (for the first time in three years), but its leader isn’t. Lythgoe, 72, is out; JoJo Siwa, who turns 19 on Thursday, is one of the judges, alongside Matthew Morrison (“Glee”) and Stephen “tWitch” Boss. Read more…

1) Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, 9 p.m., PBS. Lionel Richie (shown here) gets his due, as the 13th winner of an annual prize that has included Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan. This hour is poorly crafted — too many speeches, too many broad-brimmed hats, too many attempts to involve a masked audience. But making up for that is the magnificent music. Richie’s songs are performed beautifully by Andra Day, Chris Stapleton, Yolanda Adams, Boyz II Men, Miguel, Luke Bryan and by Richie. Read more…

1) The Good Doctor” season-finale, 10 p.m. today, ABC. When this show started, Shaun was an autistic kid who was brilliant at surgery and overwhelmed by life. Things transformed when Lea, a sweet-spirited techie, moved into the apartment next door. (They’re shown here.) Last week, she was in her wedding gown when she realized a big-deal ceremony would be too much for him. Tonight, they try again, this time with a less-formal wedding. Then, ABC says, someone has a medical emergency. Read more…

1) “The Equalizer” season-finale, 8 p.m., CBS. This is a classic case of making the best of a bad situation. After sex-abuse accusations, Chris Noth was fired, leaving a void;. He’d been Bishop, Robyn’s former mentor and her CIA contact., so a new story emerged: Bishop was killed when Mason Quinn downed his plane; now Robyn’s obsession with revenge turns dangerous. Also, her daughter (shown here in a previous episode) finally meets the people Robyn has been working with. Read more…

(This is an improved version of the five TV best-bets for Saturday, May 14, adding CNN’s “Navalny” rerun. It moves No. 3 to the No. 5 spot, where it adds “Navalny”; the others move up to 3 and 4.)

1) “Top Gun” (1986), 8-10:30 p.m., CBS. Tom Cruise’s career was off to a good start, with a dandy comedy (“Risky Business”) and some dramas. Then this film shot it into the stratosphere. Playing a cocky pilot, Cruise was surrounded by director Tony Scott’s flashy visuals, plus soaring music, macho-guy dialog and strong support from Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis and more. The result was the year’s top box-office draw; it’s back, two weeks before its sequel reaches theaters.
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1) “Great Performances: Anything Goes,” 9 p.m., PBS. Last summer – before Broadway began its comeback – Sutton Foster (shown here) and director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall did this show in London. They had done it on Broadway a decade earlier, winning Tonys; now they triumphed again. The plot is way too silly, but the Cole Porter songs ripple with wit and zest. Foster is superb in Marshall’s epic song-and-dance numbers.
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