Month: April 2023

1) “Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Here’s a romp through great songs – many of them sunny and frilly, a few deep and dark. The hits are there, sung by Beck, Weezer, Charlie Puth, My Morning Jacket and more. But we also get emotional ballads from LeAnn Rimes, Mumford & Sons, and (shown here) a Brandi Carlile/John Legend duet. There are also key comments: When “In My Room” came out, Bruce Springsteen was 13; he played it over and over, in his room. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. In the two decades since leaving “SNL,” Molly Shannon has popped up on the show a few times, but only hosted it once, in 2007. Now she’s back, with the Jonas Brothers as music guest. Lately, Shannon has thrived in the streaming/cable world. She did two “White Lotus” episode and the one-season “I Love That For You”; she plays a pop star’s mom in “The Other Two” (shown here), which starts its third season on May 4. Read more…

1) “Now Hear This,” 9 p.m., PBS. Violinist Scott Yoo did great work in a dozen previous episodes, often visiting old European sites (shown here) where classical music was formed. But here’s his best hour yet – a dazzling visit to Buenos Aires and the life of tango master Astor Piazzolla, We see superb musicians and dancers; then Yoo and his wife (gifted flutist Alice Dade) join in – hesitantly on the dance floor, brilliantly with the music. Read more…

1) Jeremy Renner interview, 10 p.m., ABC. Renner’s career had been thriving – two Oscar nominations (“The Hurt Locker,” “The Town”), a series (“Mayor of Kingstown”) and steady work as Hawkeye (shown here) in the Marvel movies. Then he was run over by a seven-ton snowplow, breaking eight ribs, a shoulder and both ankles; a lung collapsed and his life was in danger. Now, three months later, he talks with Dianne Sawyer about the accident and his recovery. Read more…

1) “Schmigadoon” season-opener, Apple TV+. In the brilliant first season (shown here), two modern doctors (Cicely Strong and Keegan-Michael Key) found a world that seemed like a perpetual 1950s musical. They eventually got home and lived happily ever after … for a while. Now comes a delightful pivot, bringing the previous supporting actors back in very different roles. The songs are witty and Dove Cameron, once confined to cute Disney duty, is particularly good. Read more…