1) “Young Sheldon” series finale, 8 and 8:30 p.m.,Thursday, CBS. A great series wraps after seven seasons. Its finale has extra impact, after the jolting finish to the May 9 episode, when we learned Sheldon’s dad had died. Today (May 13), CBS reruns the pilot film (shown here) at 8 p.m. and another episode at 8:30. Then Thursday’s finale includes Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik as the adult Sheldon and Amy.
2) More series finales, CBS. Other shows are leaving – but not by choice. Already gone are “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” and “NCIS: Hawaii.” Now two more end suddenly. At 9 p.m. Thursday is “So Help Me Todd”; Margaret takes on a cosmetics company and her son tries to crack an FBI case. At 10 p.m. Sunday is “NCIS: Vegas”: after an explosion, one person is dead and another is kidnapped.
3) “American Idol” finale, 8-11 p.m., Sunday, ABC. It’s time for the 22nd “Idol” winner … just before NBC’s “The Voice” has its 25th. On ABC, the final three singers perform; so do other stars and past contestants, on Katy Perry’s final night on the panel. Viewers choose a winner. On NBC, nine people sing at 8 p.m. today; on Tuesday, that’s trimmed to five for the finals, May 20-21.
4) “Tonight Show” anniversary. 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. After some stumbles, NBC had a fresh idea: Jimmy Fallon — then 39, boyish and upbeat — took over “Tonight” on Feb. 17, 2014. Ratings soared, then stumbled due to Covid, strikes and a competing surge of Trump-era satire. Now Fallon is No. 3, but thriving. In prime time, he’s had three game shows plus this clip-filled special.
5) “Nature: Saving the Animals of Ukraine,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. Surrounded by horror, people still rush to the rescue. “To save animals is to remain human,” says Asha Serpinska, 77. Evacuees clung to cats and dogs. Lions were rescued from private zoos. A 13-year-old house cat survived a 60-day ordeal. It became a national hero; so did a little dog who finds land mines. It’s a richly human story.
6) “I Can See Your Voice” season-opener, 8 p.m. Thursday, Fox. The first of the summer shows arrives, with lots more coming soon. Ken Jeong hosts this oddity, which has contestants guess which people are real singers – before they see them sing. Helping are panelists Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, plus guests. A “Farmer Wants a Wife” reunion follows at 9:02.
7) Season-finales, Thursday and Friday, NBC and CBS. Here are major shows that will be back next season … plus “Sheldon” and “Todd,” which won’t. On Thursday, it’s the 501st episode of NBC’s “Law & Order” at 8, followed by two spin-offs. On Friday, it’s CBS “SWAT,” “Fire Country” and “Blue Bloods” … which merely pauses: This fall, it has the last eight episodes of its 14th and final season..
8) “Audra McDonald at the London Palladium,” 9-10:30 p.m. Friday, PBS. Broadway’s all-time leader (with six Tonys), backed by a 40-piece orchestra, fills the night with show tunes. Some viewers will wish she spent less time in the upper octaves. Still, she finds lots of fun, plus powerhouse moments, including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” … which she’ll repeat in a multi-star special May 31,
9) “Saturday Night Live” season-finale, 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. Jake Gyllenhaal hosts, with Sabrina Carpenter as music guest. Other finales not yet mentioned: “Deal or No Deal Island,” 10 p.m. Monday, NBC; “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” (9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox), “Amazing Race” (9:30 p.m. Wednesday, CBS) and, on Sunday, Fox’s cartoons and CBS’ “Equalizer” and “Tracker.”
10) ALSO: “Bridgerton” is back, with lush romance in a make-believe monarchy. Now young Penelope (who secretly writes a tart gossip column) looks for love. Netflix has four episodes Thursday, with the other four on June 13. And on Sunday, PBS concludes two excellent dramas. “MaryLand” (9 p.m.) ends serenely; “Guilt” (10) wraps with a
blitz of schemes, some of them crumbling.