Daily Best Bets

1) “Bridgerton,” Netflix. Thursdays have become strong nights for Netflix mini-series. There was “Florida Man,” a sunny adventure spiced with great characters … followed a week later by Kerri Russell’s “The Diplomat” … and now, two weeks after that, this six-episode prequel to a lush series. We’ve known Queen Charlotte as a stone-faced ruler. Now we meet her as a brainy teen (shown here), falling for a young king who shares her love of science.
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1) “A Million Little Things” series-finale, 10 p.m., ABC. It isn’t easy building a drama out of regular lives – ones without cops, crooks or courts. “This Is Us” did it brilliantly; “Million” (shown here in an early epiode) has done it fairly well, at a frantic pace. It started with a suicide, then added new crises. One person became paraplegic, two had cancer. There was deceit, despair, Alzheimer’s, more … plus warmth and humor. Now the show ends – as it had planned, it says — after five seasons. Read more…

1) “Accused,” 9 p.m., Fox. After some tough episodes lately, “Accused” offers a brisk ride at the edge of soap turf. A teen (Bebe Wood) is obsessed with learning the identity of the sperm-donor who is her biologic father; her mom (Betsy Brandt) promptly panics. A caper (shown here) follows, along with some large plot twists that actually add up, especially when handled by sharp dialog and a talented cast. Read more…

1) “A Small Light” opener, 9-11:29 p.m., National Geographic. People worldwide know Anne Frank, the teen whose diary described her life while hiding from the Nazis. Now we meet the heroic Miep Gies. A young woman who worked for Anne’s father Otto, she took huge risks for two years, bringing supplies. (She’s shown here, right, helping Anner’s older sister.) The story is told slowly (eight-plus hours on four Mondays) and well, with great work from Bel Powley and Liev Schreiber, as Miep and Otto.
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1) “Masterpiece: Tom Jones” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Fresh from the celibacy of “Sanditon,” PBS goes in a different direction. The 1749 novel and the 1963 movie both celebrated a lad’s lusty adventures. There’s a lot of that here, including bedroom mix-ups and an older seductress. But this time Tom (the likable Solly McLeod, shown here) is a decent chap, looking for his true love. The resulting four-week story is light, loose, sometimes goofy and often fun. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. There’s one more rerun tonight, before “SNL” returns to new episodes … unless a writers’ strike scuttles the rest of the season. Pedro Pascal (shown here), the star of “The Mandalorian” and “The Last of Us,” hosts, with Coldplay as music guest. Next Saturday (barring a strike) has Pete Davidson, two days after his “Bupkis” series debuts on Peacock. Read more…

1) “Grand Crew” season-finale, 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. The latest attempt at Friday comedies is ending. Such shows once thrived on ABC; Fox revived the idea – then switched to wrestling. Now NBC has moved “Lopez vs. Lopez” to Tuesdays and is closing the season for “Grand Crew” (shown here in a previous episode), which has improved sharply in its second season. In tonight’s first episode, Noah finds an all-consuming romance; in the second, everyone goes to a wine-tasting. Read more…

1) James Corden farewell, 10 p.m. and 12:37 a.m., CBS. Arriving from England nine years ago, Corden brought intelligence, enthusiasm and a terrific producer. Ben Winston has gone on to produce the Adele specials, the “Friends” reunion, two Tony nights and seven Grammy shows. He and Corden have worked wonders. Now their farewell has Adele in a “Carpool Karaoke” (she and Corden are shown hre in their previous one), Tom Cruise in a “Lion King” number and Will Ferrell and Harry Styles as the last late-late guests. Read more…

1) “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. On Burnett’s 90th birthday, we get a cascade of clips, songs and praise. That’s a fine idea, even if the mix is wrong. There’s way too much praise (repetitious and sort of monotonous) and way too few clips of Burnett and friends in her series (shown here) and specials. Even with the mis-blend, however, this is a delight. It includes music from Katy Perry, Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch and more. Read more…

1) “How I Met Your Father,” 10 and 10:30 p.m., Freeform. Here’s a small-but-worthy trend: A few shows from streaming networks re-appear on cable, where more people can see tbem. FX did that with “Under the Banner of Heaven” and on Thursday will start Steve Carell’s compelling “The Patient.” Here’s a lighter choice: Hilary Duff(shown here) is looking for love, in a variation of “How I Met Your Mother.” Read more…