1) “Encanto,” 8 p.m,, ABC. On the eve of the Disney studio’s 100th birthday, a three-day celebration begins. Tonight, a short (“Once Upon a Studio”) has cartoon characters trying to assemble for a photo; that’s followed by “Encanto” (2021, shown here), with vibrant animation and splendid Lin-Manuel Miranda songs. On Monday, “Studio” reruns at 11:51 a.m. on FXX, 8 p.m. on Disney and 8:30 on Freeform. Also, Disney+ has the restored “Snow White” on Monday; the next day, “Dancing With the Stars” has Disney night.
2) “Hotel Portofino” season-opener, 8 p.m., PBS. Opposite extremes are at play here. The setting – an Italian resort catering to the English – is beautiful; the time, Mussolini and fascism, is ugly. Some stories are flimsy soap-opera, others have subtlety and depth. Bella scrambles to expand the hotel, feeling almost alone. Her abusive husband is back in England; so is their son, a decent guy who took an ill-matched marriage to save the family’s finances.
3) “World on Fire,” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. The first-season of this World War II drama ended full-throttle: Harry, a British special-operations soldier, found his wife Kasia, a Polish resistance fighter, just as they were ambushed. Now the second season inexplicably begins in London, with domestic moments that bore Kasia (and viewers). Other twists center on Harry’s ex-lover Lois.
4) “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” series-finale, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:19. In six busy weeks, this has packed a big impact. Now it wraps in three phases: The first is brutal (no surprise) and the second is serene (big surprise), The third is a tad perplexing, but there isn’t much time to worry, because we soon get a quick nod to what’s ahead.
5) ALSO: Two more shows end tonight. It’s “Murdaugh Murders” (8-10 p.m., Lifetime), with Alec Murdaugh (well-played by Bill Pullman) crumbling as his life collapses; and the “When Calls the Heart” season-finale (9 p.m., Hallmark), with an election. Also, “Annika” (10 p.m., PBS) opens its season with some bursts of action. It’s a good hour, partly blighted by a lesser one next week.
— Mike Hughes, TV America