Weekly Previews

1) “Country Music: Live at the Ryman,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, PBS. Some of country’s best songs are done superbly. Many are high-octane, with great instrumentalists – Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, an awesome band that includes Vince Gill. But there are also ballads, sung with heartbreaking passion – a Johnny Cash one by his daughter Roseanne, a Hank Williams one by his granddaughter Holly (shown here at left, with Ketch Secor, Larry Gatlin, Kathy Mattea and Riders in the Sky). The night’s (and year’s) highlight has Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” sung by Rhiannon Giddens in the style of Patsy Cline. Read more…

1) MTV Music Video Awards, 8 p.m. today (Monday), MTV, BET, CMT, VH1, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Comedy Central, Paramount. Assembling a mega-list of stars; MTV lets its sister networks simulcast the show, then reruns it at 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Taylor Swift (who ties Ariana Grande with 12 nominations) does two songs; Missy Elliott (shown here), who gets the Video Vanguard award, does a medley. Also performing: Lil Nas X, Jonas Brothers, H.E.R., Normani, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Shawn Mendes with Camila Cabello, more. Read more…

1) “Carpool Karaoke,” 10 p.m. today, CBS. Imagine you’re sitting in a British pub one day and a bloke comes out with a guitar. He seems pretty good and … hey, he’s Paul McCartney! That was one of the highlights of this special, which debuted a year ago. James Corden (shown here with McCartney in real and statue form), the Englishman who hosts CBS’ late-late show, also visited McCartney’s childhood home and some places mentioned in “Penny Lane.” The result is up for five Emmys, including best variety special; overall, Corden has seven nominations. Read more…

1) “Elementary” series finale, 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. For seven years and 155 episodes, Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Dr. Watson (Lucy Liu) have solved modern murders, mostly in New York. At times, the show has slid into a drab monotone; still, it’s had intelligent people cracking complex cases. Tonight (shown here)t, they wrap up their battle with tech billionaire Odin Reichenbach and get word about Jamie Moriarty, who has been Sherlock’s nemesis and (under the name Irene Adler) his lover. Read more…

1) “American Experience,” 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, PBS. To the outside world, Woodstock (shown here) was a mess – too much mud and chaos, too little food and water. But the people who were there tell a different story – a mega-crowd absorbing good vibes and great music. Just shy of the 50th anniversary (Aug. 15-18), this compelling film views Woodstock from the start … including the scramble for a new site, five weeks before the event. The stage barely got finished, the fence never was finished, but the party went on. Read more…

1) “CMA Fest,” 8-11 p.m. Sunday, ABC. It’s a night of starpower –Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and such. Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini host and do two songs apiece. One of hers is with the Chainsmokers, in a night with lots of duets. Brothers Osborne and Brooks & Dunn do two songs, one adding Ashley McBryde. It’s Tim McGraw with Luke Combs, Maren Morris with Brandi Carlisle, even Carrie Underwood with Joan Jett, plus Keith Urban wih Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X. Read more…

1) “Jane the Virgin,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, CW. This terrific episode ends with Jane’s mom asking: “How do we say goodbye?” Good question; after five seasons and 98 episodes, we’ll hate to see the show end. It started well (including a Golden Globe for Gina Rodriguez and a best-comedy-series nomination), stalled a little, and then is soaring at the end. Indeed, this episode manages to settle most of the plot points, one of them (at Jane’s dad’s party, shown here) spectacularly. We’re not sure what will be left for next week’s two-part finale. Read more…

1) “CBS Evening News,” 6:30 p.m. today, CBS. Norah O’Donnell (shown here) takes over as anchor and managing editor, stepping into a tradition of news giants – Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Couric, more. And she does it during a busy week. Tonight, she interviews Jeff Bezos and Caroline Kennedy about the future in space. On Tuesday, she moves the broadcast to the Kennedy Space Center, for coverage of Saturday’s 50th anniversary of the moon landing – then anchors a “Man on the Moon” special, at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Read more…

1) “Bring the Funny” debut, 10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Like reluctant lovers, NBC and “Last Comic Standing” had a tenuous relationship. The show – a stand-up comedy competition — ran for nine seasons, but was cancelled three times – once for a year, then for three, then forever. Now, four years later, a new show arrives. Instead of being confined to stand-up, it will include sketch troupes, magicians and more. Amanda Seales (second from left) hosts, with Jeff Foxworthy, Kenan Thompson and Chrissy Teigen as the judges. Read more…

1) A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m. Thursday, PBS, rerunning at 10. Each year, this offers a feel-good mix of music, emotion and fireworks. This time, pop music prevails — Carole King with the Broadway cast of “Beautiful” … Colbie Caillat and her Gone West band … and people from the three big competitions – winners of “American Idol” (Laine Hardy) and “The Voice” (Maelyn Jarmon). plus an “America’s Got Talent” runner-up (Angelica Hale). Also: Vanessa Williams, Lee Brice, Yolanda Adams and more. Read more…