Month: June 2022

1) Hockey, 8 pm. ET, ABC. After two games in Colorado, the best-of-seven finalsl move to Tampa Bay. There, the local team (the Lightning,,shown here in blue) is used to this; it’s going for its third straight Stanley Cup championship. Getting in the way is a team (the Avalanche) that has dominated lately. After its win in the first game of the finals, it had a stunning 13-2 record in this year’s play-offs. The action will stay in Tampa Bay on Wednesday; then (if needed) it’s Friday in Colorado, Sunday in Tampa Bay and June 28 in Colorado. Read more…

1) “Hotel Portofino” (shown here) opener, 8 p.m., PBS. On a gorgeous stretch of the Italian Riviera, Bella has spiffed up a little hotel. She hopes to draw her fellow Englishmen; she may even find a match for her son, a handsome lad who barely survived the world war. On the surface, this is classic PBS, “Downton” meets “Durrells.” But it’s set in the 1920s and Fascism is rising; also, Bella’s husband is a jerk, some guests are iffy and romance rarely goes as planned. At times, this six-parter is too soapy, with cliché characters; at others, it’s a sweet summer pleasure. Read more…

1) “After Jackie,” 8-10 p.m., History. Yes, Jackie Robinson (shown here) transformed baseball by breaking its color barrier. But it was 12 more years before every team was integrated … and 16 years after that before the first Black manager. This richly detailed film views three greats – Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson – at the St. Louis Cardinals. Facing segregated housing (in spring training) and a bigoted manger, they prevailed, winning two World Series titles. Read more…

1) Watergate documentaries, 6 p.m. to midnight, History; 9-11 p.m., CBS. It was 50 years ago today that five men were arrested for a break-in at Democratic headquarters in the Watergate complex. The cover-up and investigation brought the end (shown here) of the Nixon presidency. Now CBS has a new documentary and History repeats its film by Oscar-winner Charles Ferguson. Both interview reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. CBS has past interviews with Nixon, John Dean and H.R, Haldeman; History has Dean, John McCain, Dan Rather and more. Read more…

1) “The Old Man” openers (shown here), 10 and 11:30 p.m., FX. For the first 15 minutes, you might be tempted to switch away. Don’t;; a strong drama – tough, intense, richly crafted – is waiting on the other side. In those early minutes, we see a solemn widower (Jeff Bridges), with his two dogs and memories of his wife’s descent into Alzheimer’s. He talks to his daughter on the phone, digs tin cans out of the garbage and seems a bit daft. Just stick with it; a compelling, seven-part adventure is coming, with great work from Bridges, John Lithgow and more. Read more…

1) “So You Think You Can Dance,” 9 p.m., Fox. The 300th episode of this oft-excellent series (shown here in a previous episode) marks a changeover. The try-outs are finished and 12 contestants move to a TV studio – a big step for a show that missed two summers during the pandemic. And there’s a new judge: Matthew Morrison was ousted, reportedly for sending a note to one of the contestants. Taking over is Leah Remini, a popular actress (“The King of Queens”), also known for strident documentaries opposing scientology. She joins JoJo Siwa and Stephen (tWitch) Boss. Read more…