1) “Interview With the Vampire” season-opener, 9 p.m., AMC. After deep mourning for her daughter, who died at 5, Anne Rice created Claudia, who has the body of a child (when she became a vampire), the soul of an adult. She was 5 in the book, 11 in the movie and 14 here. Now she’s been recast: Delainey Hayles (sown here) is richly emotive, in a sometimes-brutal hour in 1940s Romania. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Maya Rudolph has been a steady force on “SNL.” She was in the cast for seven years, then made at least 20 guest stops, winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Kamala Harris. She’s also starring in the terrific “Loot” (shown here) on Apple TV+. Still, she’s only hosted twice (winning another Emmy for one of those). Here’s her third turn, a week before the season finale; Vampire Weekend is the music guest. Read more…
1) “Doctor Who” season-opener, Disney+. In its 61 years, this show has had stops, starts, cancellations, revivals … and 14 stars. It has also had bursts of British wit … especially since Russell Davies became showrunner in 2005. Now the time-trekking show has a new streaming home, plus the 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa, 31, a Rwanda native) and a new companion (Millie Gibson, 19); they’re shown here. Read more…
1) “Next Level Chef” finale, 8 p.m., Fox. This started with five professional chefs, five who just did social media and five who cooked at home. Then the pros faded quickly; only one reached the final seven. That’s Zach Laidlaw, 34, who is now in the final three. He faces Christina Miros (shown here with Gordon Ramsay), 35, a home chef, and Gabi Chappel, 29, a social media chef. One of them will win $250,000 and a mentorship. Read more…
1) “Nature,” 8 p.m., PBS. Her name is “Grizzly 399” and her following is huge. She’s “the most famous bear that ever lived,” we’re told, using humans in the Grand Tetons National Park to shield her cubs from predatora. At about 24, she had quadruplets, which are rare; at 27 (a year past the average life span), she had her 23rd cub. It’s a remarkable story, often told through Tom Magnesen, the ace photographer who took this photo. Read more…
1) “The Good Doctor,” 10 p.m., ABC. Only three episodes remain in this seventh and final season. Now a young patient needs a medical procedure, but his parents can’t agree. That challenges three doctors, two (Shaun and Charlie, shown here on the right) on the autism spectrum. Read more…
1) “NCIS” season-finale, 9 p.m., CBS. Probing the innards of a ship (shown here), the team finds three bodies. When Parker and Knight (Gary Cole and Katrina Law) investigate, thay’re trapped inside, as it’s about to be sunk. We’re betting they survive; “NCIS” seems unsinkable. It will be back next season, its 22nd; it will be joined then by a prequel (Mark Harmon narrating Gibbs’ early adventures) and by “NCIS: Sydney.” Read more…
1) “Parish” season-finale, 9 p.m., AMC, repeating at 10. A great story has an ending that’s merely semi-great. Gray Parish (Giancarlo Esposito, shown here) is a former getaway driver with conflicting goals – revenge his son’s death or withdraw from the crime world, to preserve the rest of his family. Now those collide. The finale is well-crafted and high-octane, yet feels out-of-sync with what preceded it. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC, In a 32-episode stretch, only Bad Bunny has doubled as host and music guest. Now Dua Lipa (shown here) does. Also, “Weekend Update” could be interesting. We’ll see if Colin Jost or Michael Che have comments about Jost’s uneven (but often funny) turn at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Read more…
1) “Unfrosted,” Netflix. In the 26 years since his show ended, Jerry Seinfeld has avoided long-form projects. One exception was “The Bee Movie,” an animated film he co-wrote and voiced. Now he co-wrote and directed this film, about (really) the race to be create Pop-Tarts. He stars, alongside Melissa McCarthy (they’re shown here), Jim Gaffigan Amy Schumer, Jack McBrayer, Dan Levy, Hugh Grant and more. Read more…
