Best-bets for Nov. 19: surfers, vampires and da Vinci

1) “Leonardo da Vinci,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10; concludes Tuesday. His mind in perpetual motion, da Vinci painted, sculpted, invented and more. He abandoned many projects, but the ones he finished – Mona Lisa, The Last Supper (shown here), etc. – are renowned. Like previous Ken Burns films, this is beautifully filmed; unlike them, it’s fairly impersonal. Read more…

1) “Leonardo da Vinci,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10; concludes Tuesday. His mind in perpetual motion, da Vinci painted, sculpted, invented and more. He abandoned many projects, but the ones he finished – Mona Lisa, The Last Supper (shown here), etc. – are renowned. Like previous Ken Burns films, this is beautifully filmed; unlike them, it’s fairly impersonal.

2) “Rescue HI-Surf,” 9 p.m., Fox. This is the show’s best episode so far. It’s virtually devoid of action, but strong on drama involving its two best characters – Sonny (the captain) and Emily (his lieutenant). The four younger lifeguards remain empty vessels, albeit attractive ones.

3) “Brilliant Minds,” 10 p.m., NBC. Sex is at the core of two stories – one about a sex-obsessed widow in her 80s, another about Oliver’s boyhood struggles with his homosexuality. Both stories are fairly predictable, but there are some strong moments near the end of the hour.

4) “What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m., FX, rerunning at 10:34 and 11:08. In a logical error, the vampires mistake “March madness” for demonic possession. It’s a funny notion, with Marissa Jaret Winokur terrific as an almost-widow. A lesser story (with a great finish) involves Guillermo’s job.

5) “Inspector Ellis” season-finale, www.acorn.tv. In the first two episodes, Ellis worked with police chiefs who didn’t want help; this time she has full cooperation, in a strong story. Also, today has OK mysteries in “Whitstable Pearl” (Acorn) and “Murdoch Mysteries” (8 p.m., Ovation). The latter, set a century ago, views a surging interest in evolution.

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