1) “NCIS: Sydney” and “Fire Country,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. Both shows are a week from their season-finales. (Yes, they’ll be back.) The Sydney team (shown here) faces searing heat, while probing a Marine’s death during a joint training exercise. Then a routine house fire escalates, putting a firefighter in danger. Read more…
1) “Matlock” season-finale, 9-11 p.m., CBS. Matty (shown here) finally told Olympia the truth: She’s been lying, to learn which man – Olympia’s ex-husband or his dad – buried a drug report that could have saved lives. Amid a fractured friendship, they now push ahead. It’s a fairly strong ending to a great season. Still, it leaves way too much hanging until next year. Read more…
1) “Sherlock & Daughter” debut, 9 p.m., CW. A quick-witted American feels she’s Sherlock Holmes’ daughter. He disagrees, but needs her on a case. It’s a smart story that starts (shown here) when she has a quick friendship with a rich girl. Some things are settled next week; others continue for six more weeks. Blu Hunt (“The Originals,” “The New Mutants”), who has Lakota and Apache roots, is impressive alongside David Thewlis. Read more…
1) “The Cleaning Lady,” 8 p.m., Fox. This show has killed two interesting FBI agents; now it has its best character yet. An assistant district attorney, he brims with false folksiness, Columbo-style. Perfectly played by Robert Cicchini (shown here), he squeezes Thony … who has much to hide, including a mercy killing. It’s a terrific episode, with a big twist near the end. Read more…
1) “Paradise,” 10 p.m., ABC. Last week’s opener had some shell-shocks: The president was killed, his mistress leads the probe, his top secret-service agent is a suspect … and (viewers learned late) this is in a post-apocalyptic bunker city. “Paradise” is from the “This Is Us” duo of writer-producer Dan Fogelman and Sterling K. Brown (shown here) as the agent. Read more…
1) “The Last of Us” season-opener, 9 p.m., HBO. In its first season, this epic drew raves and 24 Emmy nominations, including best drama. It won eight Emmys … but waited two years for this second season, which only has seven episodes. The story jumps ahead five years, finding Ellie and Joel (shown here) in his brother’s fortified compound, surrounded by danger. Read more…
1) The Ten Commandments” (1956), 7-11:44 p.m., ABC. It’s the annual showing of an epic (shown here) that won an Oscar for special effects and was nominated for six more, including best picture. The next morning (10:30 a.m. ET), it moves to UPtv and starts a Palm Sunday marathon. Read more…
1) “Now Hear This” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Tony Bennett didn’t really leave his heart in San Francisco, but Frederic Chopin literally left his in Warsaw. (After his death, his sister smuggled it back to a cathedral.) That’s one of many stories about a man who loved his homeland, but was away from it for half his lifetime. Host Scott Yee visits elegant settings in Poland and Paris (shown here), hearing great music. Read more…
1) “Matlock,” 9 p.m., CBS. Last week ended with a jolt: Olympia learned Matty has been lying to her. Now she demands the truth; that brings a tense hour, reminding us that Kathy Bates (shown here) is a gifted, Oscar-winning actress. Can Matty salvage the friendship? Can she find who buried the vital study? That will be settled (partly) in next week’s season-finale. Read more…
1) “Good Cop/Bad Cop” season-finale, 9 p.m., CW. This first season has been way too short (eight episodes), but sharp and fun. Far from her role as Blair Waldorf in “Gossip Girl,” Leighton Meester plays a savvy cop, working with her smart-but-loopy brother (Luke Cook, shown here with Meester) for their dad, the police chief. Now an old case could rip the small town apart. Read more…
