Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for May 14: zombies and Disney and such

1) “Fear the Walking Dead” season-opener, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:19. After vanishing for three seasons, Madison (the terrific Kim Dickens,shown here) returned in the seventh-season finale (which reruns at 7:48 p.m.). She’d been stealing children for PADRE, which re-programs kids (including Morgan’s daughter Mo). Now the eighth and final season jumps ahead seven years; it’s a potent hour, with Madison, Morgan and Mo in a fierce power struggle. Read more…

Best-bets for May 12: 50 years of Broadway joy

1) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m., PBS. Celebrating its first 50 years, the show has new performances of songs from a half-century of Broadway musicals. Sutton Foster hosts and sings beautifully. There’s zesty dancing to music from “Dancin'” (shown here), “Sophisticated Ladies,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and more. There are great voices, old (Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Raul Esparza) and new (Ledisi, Solea Pfeiffer, Mamie Parris, more), plus a dandy blitz from Rob McClure. Read more…

Best-bets for May 11: three finales and lots of country

1) “Ghosts” season-finale, 8:30 p.m., CBS. When Sam inherited a mansion last year, she decided to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. What could go wrong? A lot so far, despite help from the ghosts that only Sam can see. Now comes another problem: Someone arrives (shown here, right), claiming to be the rightful heir. There’s a surprise, CBS says, that could sharply change things. Read more…

Best-bets for May 10: It’s Vanna’s moment, on a game-filled night

1) “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” 9 p.m., ABC. After four decades of spinning the letters for “Wheel,” Vanna White (shown here) might have picked up some skill at guessing the puzzles. We’ll see tonight, when she competes with Ken Jennings (whose “Jeopardy Masters” tournament continues at 8 p.m.) and another “Jeopardy” genius, Mayim Bialik. “The Game Show Show” follows at 10 p.m. Read more…

Best-bets for May 9: fun, games and a tough finale

1) “Accused” season-finale, 9 p.m., Fox. This has been one of the year’s most engaging new shows – and, at times, one of its most painful. For the fourth time in 16 episodes, a story involves a troubled son. This one is back from his latest drug-rehab and working with his father. The dad (Keith Carradine, shown here) is a music star, overwhelmed by this dilemma. Like every “Accused,” this is written and acted with subtle skill; like many, it’s tough to watch. Read more…

Best-bets for May 8: a new “Jeopardy” and a 25-year movie

1) “Independent Lens: Sam Now,” 10 p.m., PBS. Reed Harkness used to make goofy movies, with his half-brother Sam as a superhero. Then he suggested something bigger – trying to find the mother who had vanished when Sam was in his early teens. The resulting film – sort of 25 years in the making – tells a remarkable story, with a deep empathy for Sam (shown here) and mom.
Read more…

Best-bets for May 7: Hank leads a finale-filled night

1) “Lucky Hank” finale, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 11:02. This superb mini-series finds Hank (Bob Odenkirk, shown here) flailing. The school president wants him to fire three faculty people … his wife (Mireille Enos) is in New York, with a big, new job and a tiny, new apartment … and their daughter’s marriage is crumbling. It’s a busy hour that, as usual, offers deep characters and witty dialog. Read more…

Best-bets for May 6: lots of Charles, no Pete

1) Coronation. The actual ceremony for King Charles III (shown here) starts at 6 a.m. ET and is expected to last a couple hours. Most networks, however, are planning all-out coverage, from 5-10 a.m., bringing some of their stars. Anchors include Anderson Cooper at CNN, Savannah Guthrie at NBC, Martha McCallum at Fox News, Alex Witt at MSNBC, Michael Strahan at ABC and the Saturday-morning trio at CBS. Each will be joined by reporters and royalty experts. Read more…

Best-bets for May 5: great new “Maisel”; great old “Oz”

1) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amazon Prime. It’s been a big streaming week, with the season-finale of the delightful “Schmigadoon” (Apple TV+) and season-opener of “Bridgerton” (Netflix). Now it adds the futuristic “Silo” on Apple and a terrific “Maisel,” jumping ahead to a tribute/roast for Susie (shown here, left, in a previous episode — now powerful and alone. Also streaming today are shows that will reach cable Sunday — Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” and AMC’s superb “Lucky Hank” finale. Read more…