1) “NCIS,” 9 p.m. today, CBS. If you include all five “NCIS” shows, this is the 1,000th episode. Appropriately, it focuses on NCIS Director Vance (Rocky Carroll, shown here), who’s been in 369 of them. As his son questions Vance’s obsession with work, a crisis arrives. The team meshes and past stars appear briefly in flashbacks. It’s a big hour, but strains belief. One inaction by a Secret Service agent is truly absurd. Read more…
1) “The 100th,” 9 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Even for Billy Joel (shown here), this was ambitious – a concert every month in the 20,000-seat Madison Square Garden. The result? Every show has sold out; now the 100th one (March 28) is edited into his first broadcast-network special. Jerry Seinfeld raised a banner, Sting sang two songs … and Joel sang many, including, of course, “Piano Man” and “New York State of Mind.” Read more…
1) “iHeartRadio Music Awards” (8-10 p.m. today, Fox) and “CMT Music Awards” (8-11 p.m. Sunday, CBS). The week starts and ends with music; some performers — Lainey Wilson (shown here) and Jelly Roll — will do both shows. Fox also has Justin Timberlake, Green Day, TLC and an award for Cher. CBS has Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Sam Hunt, host Kelsea Ballerini, Cody Johnson, Old Dominion and more. Read more…
1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8 p.m. today, ABC, follow-up at 10. Joey Graziadei makes his choice. He’s 28 and teaches tennis in Hawaii; now two women remain, both 25. Kelsey Anderson (right) is from Louisiana. Daisy Kent (center) grew up in Minnesota and went to school and works in San Diego; after longtime hearing troubles (apparently from Lyme disease), she received a cochlear implant. Read more…
1) Tournament time. College basketball gobbles up our TV time. (Shown here is top-ranked Houston.) On Thursday and Friday, that wll be at noon and 2:30, 7 and 9:30 p.m., ET on CBS; 12:30, 3, 7:30 and 10 p.m. on TruTV; 1:30, 4, 6:45 and 9:15 p.m. on TNT; and 2 a.m. and 4:30, 7:15 and 9:45 on TBS. (Many CBS shows – soaps, Thursday comedies and Friday cops – step aside.) Then a new round comes Saturday and Sunday. Read more…
1) “Grey’s Anatomy” season-opener, 9 p.m. Thursday, ABC. One of the last shows to return post-strike, this is one that people miss. It’s the 20th “Grey’s Anatomy” season, tying it with “Gunsmoke” for No. 3 among dramas (trailing two “Law & Order” shows). It opens with a doctor (Teddy) and patient (Sam) in peril. Meredith is re-thinking her research and interns (shown here is Harry Shum Jr.) are immersed in a tough case. Read more…
1) Academy Awards, 7 p.m. ET Sunday, ABC, rerunning at about 11. The no-host, no-fun years are gone. Jimmy Kimmel has his second straight turn (and fourth overall) as host, with music that includes Billie Eilish, Becky G, Ryan Gosling (shown here in “Barbie”), Jon Batiste and the Osage Singers. And this year has nominees people have actually seen, led by the buoyant “Barbie” and front-runner “Oppenheimer.” Read more…
1) “Elsbeth” debut, 10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. Elsbeth Tascioni has been an occasional delight. A lawyer with a sharp mind and a quirky soul, she did 19 episodes of “The Good Wife” and its spin-off, spread over 12 years, bringing an Emmy for Carrie Preston. Now she moves to New York and gets a weekly mystery; in this fun opener, she probes a theater program led by Stephen Moyer (shown here) of “True Blood.” Read more…
1) “The Good Doctor’ season-opener, 10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC.. A well-crafted show starts its final season … trimmed from 13 episodes to 10. There’s a lot to cover in the world of Shaun (Freddie Highmore), the brilliant and autistic surgeon. He and Lea are raising their baby (shown here) while he faces a tough case — two babies needing a heart transplant. Also this season, a younger autistic doctor will arrive. Read more…
1) “Young Sheldon” season-opener, 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS. The final season starts with life swirling. Sheldon is in Germany with his mom (shownhere) for summer classes; back home, a tornado has flattened his grandmother’s house. Everyone huddles together, including the newly engaged Georgie and Mandy and their baby. It’s a big, busy and exceptionally funny episode, a promising start for the season. Read more…
