Mike Hughes on TV

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…

1) “American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. The Hawaiian week (shown here with Eise Kristine) is over now and some serious cuts begin. Tonight, we learn which of the 20 singers were in the viewers’ top 10; then the judges add two more. That collides with “The Voice” (8-10 p.m., NBC), which continues its “knockout round.” Read more…

1) Earth Day. You can spend the day in nature – or savoring it on TV. There are cable marathons (see next two items) and the streamers are busy. Apple TV+ has the beautifully filmed “Big Beasts,” plus fiction ranging from kiddie idealism in “Jane” (shown here) to the sobering “Extrapolations.” Netflix has “Chimp Empire”; PBS Passport had a rich trove. Disney+ has its epic nature movies, plus “Secrets of the Whales” and the start of “Secrets of the Elephants.” Read more…