TV Best Bets

Monday, May 29: Pens vs. Preds in Stanley Cup Finals Game 1

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All Times Eastern.

ALSO SEE: The End Is Near: 2017 TV Season Finale Schedule, Renewals and Cancellations

Monday, May 29

NHL Hockey: Stanley Cup Finals, Game 1: Nashville at Pittsburgh
NBC, 8pm Live

The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Nashville Predators are heading to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins host Game 1 of the 2017 best-of-seven-game series Monday on NBC at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins punched their ticket to the Final with a tense 3-2 2OT Game 7 win over the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Championship Series. The Western Conference champion Predators advanced to the Final after beating the Anaheim Ducks in six games. Game 1 airs on NBC, which will also air Game 4 and Games 5-7 if necessary. Games 2-3 will air on NBCSN. Mike “Doc” Emrick calls the games with analyst Eddie Olczyk and inside-the-glass analyst Pierre McGuire.

“That ’70s Show” Marathon
IFC, beginning at 6am
Take a trip down memory lane with a marathon of That ’70s Show episodes.

Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Internationally known Michael Jackson impersonator Navi stars as the pop-music superstar in this original film based on the best-selling memoir Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days and executive produced by Jackson intimate Suzanne de Passe (The Jacksons: An American Dream). Told from the perspective of the two security guards who protected Jackson and his children in the final days of his life, the film presents an insider’s take as the pressures of famous fatherhood, an opportunistic inner circle, a rabid tabloid media and the fallout of his own increasingly erratic behavior spiraled the singer toward tragedy.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: “Tony Hawk”
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk stops by the show as Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie, along with guest comedian Heather Ann Campbell, put their comedic skills to the test.

Lucifer: “The Good, the Bad and the Crispy”
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!
After Charlotte accidentally charbroils a man to death in self-defense, Lucifer must try and keep Chloe from figuring out the truth.

Still Star-Crossed
ABC, 10pm
New Series!
Shonda Rhimes’ long-awaited take on the Romeo and Juliet mythology promises to be one of summer’s steamiest series. Still Star-Crossed picks up where the famous Shakespearean tale of doomed young love ends, charting the treachery, palace intrigue and ill-fated romances of the Montagues and Capulets following Romeo and Juliet’s tragic suicides.

Independent Lens: “Farmer/Veteran”
PBS, 10pm
A combat veteran starts a farm to help cultivate a healthier life outside the Army. While the sense of duty he once felt as a soldier returns, his crippling PTSD remains as he and his wife nervously anticipate the birth of their first child.

Tuesday, May 30

House of Cards
Netflix
Season Premiere!
Can the politically themed drama catch up to the craziness of our real-life political realities as it begins Season 5? It will certainly try! Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly and Neve Campbell are back.

Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust
Netflix
The acclaimed comedian and actress stars in this standup special filmed earlier this year.

Downward Dog: “Loyalty”
ABC, 8pm
Frustrated by Kevin’s (Barry Rothbart) interference in her ad campaign development, Nan (Allison Tolman) brings Martin to work with her, hoping to keep dog-phobic Kevin at bay. But, dogs being dogs, Martin is promptly smitten with Kevin.

America’s Got Talent
NBC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Season 12 brings a new host in Tyra Banks, who joins judges Simon Cowell, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel. Live shows begin in August.

Victorian Slum House: “The 1900s”
PBS, 8pm
Series Finale!
Observe the social changes the slum dwellers face as they move into the 20th century. A few families prosper, but others continue to face the poverty endemic in Britain. See what steps are finally taken to alleviate the plight of the poor.

iZombie: “Twenty-Sided, Die”
The CW, 9pm
When a Dungeon Master is killed, Liv (Rose McIver) and Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) discover he was up to more than just playing in his mother’s basement.

Prison Break: “Behind the Eyes”
FOX, 9pm
Series Finale!
Michael and the gang face off against Poseidon in the ultimate showdown, and not everyone makes it out alive.

American Epic: “Out of the Many, the One”
PBS, 9pm
Discover how America’s diverse cultures contribute to its musical styles: from the Hopi tribe to Hawaii’s Joseph Kekuku to Mexican-American Lydia Mendoza to the Cajun Breaux family. And, see how Mississippi John Hurt’s blues inspires a generation of musicians.

Animal Kingdom: “Eat What You Kill”
TNT, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The Cody family is back, and life gets messy for mama “Smurf” (Ellen Barkin) as the ties that bind them are about to be stretched to the limit when a fun, high-adrenaline heist doesn’t go as planned. Tensions mount as some family members advocate for independence from Smurf. Adding fuel to the fire is an external threat from Smurf’s past that has come back to haunt her.

Imaginary Mary: “Sleep Over”
ABC, 9:30pm
Alice (Jenna Elfman) decides it is time to finally have a sleepover with Ben (Stephen Schneider) when Andy (Nicholas Coombe), Dora (Matreya Scarrwener) and Bunny (Erica Tremblay) are there — but Ben is hesitant, because he’s scared the kids’ bedtime shenanigans will scare Alice off. The experience leaves Alice more rattled than she expected, so she seeks Mary’s help to work it out.

Fear Factor
MTV, 10pm
New Series!
Ludacris hosts and executive produces a new revival of the NBC game show that ran from 2001-06 (and was previously revived in 2011). In each episode of the revamped series, contestants will pair up into four teams — of siblings, college rivals, roommates, best friends, co-workers, exes and more — battling it out for $50,000 of cold hard cash and bragging rights.

World of Dance
NBC, 10pm
New Series!
Jennifer Lopez teams up with the international urban dance competition World of Dance to give lucky dancers and dance crews some major exposure and the chance at a million-dollar payday. Derek Hough and Ne-Yo join Lopez at the judging table for the five-round competition, and Jenna Dewan Tatum serves as host and mentor.

Wednesday, May 31

MasterChef
FOX, 8pm
Season Premiere!
In Season 8 of the cooking competition, host and celebrated chef Gordon Ramsay and renowned pastry chef Christina Tosi welcome celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez to the judges’ panel. They’ll whittle down a group of home cooks until one contestant remains and earns the title of MasterChef — winning a cash prize and a cookbook deal.

The F Word With Gordon Ramsay
FOX, 9pm Live
New Series!
Gordon Ramsay premieres a new competition series based on his hit U.K. series. In each episode, teams of foodie families and friends battle in a high-stakes cook-off, hoping to impress Ramsay as well as celebs, VIPs and other dinner guests. The episodes will also feature Ramsay in highly stylized cooking demos and participating in out-of-the-kitchen adventures with fans, foodies and surprise guests.

The Carmichael Show
NBC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The comedy inspired by the life of creator and star Jerrod Carmichael is back for Season 3. David Alan Grier, Loretta Devine, Amber Stevens West, Lil Rel Howery and Tiffany Haddish also star.

Big Star Little Star
USA Network, 9pm
New Series!
Celebrities and their children compete against each other to win money for charity. In the series premiere, Todd Chrisley and son Grayson, Marissa Jaret Winokur and son Zev, and Chad Johnson and daughter Cha’iel face off to see which child can answer more questions correctly about his or her famous parent.

Thursday, June 1

The Princess Bride
BBC America, 8pm

Inconceivable! Whether you can quote nearly every line or you’ve never seen a Rodent Of Unusual Size (R.O.U.S.), this 1987 tale of true love, miracles and daring swordplay is sure to delight. Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin and Peter Falk lead a sparkling cast in a film that almost instantly became a modern classic.

NBA Finals, Game 1
ABC, 9pm Live
ABC has exclusive coverage of the best-of-seven-game series beginning tonight with Game 1. Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for June 18.

Nashville
CMT, 9pm
New Episodes!
After the shocking midseason death of Rayna James (Connie Britton), CMT’s biggest series returns for the second half of its season. The queen of country music’s death weighs heavily on everyone she touched, and everyone struggles to move on with their lives, finish Rayna’s work and honor her legacy.

Return to the Blue Lagoon
getTV, 9pm
In this sequel to 1980’s The Blue Lagoon, two children (one of whom is adopted) and their mother are stranded on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. After their mother’s death, the two now-teenagers continue their simple life together and eventually fall in love.

The Amazing Race
CBS, 10pm
Season Finale!

Which globetrotting team will be first to meet host Phil Keoghan at the finish line? The $1 million prize is awarded to the winners as The Amazing Race Season 29 ends tonight.

Friday, June 2

Long Strange Trip
Amazon
This documentary, directed by Amir Bar-Lev and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, examines the decades-long history of the Grateful Dead and explores their vision, innovation and commitment to their fans.

Flaked
Netflix
Season Premiere!
Will Arnett is back as Chip in this “dry human comedy” that he also co-created and executive produces. This season, Chip returns to Venice, Calif., after a short exile, but finds that he is no longer welcome after selling out his local community. As he tries to claw his way back into the affections of the town, Chip also finds himself slipping up and being drawn back to the bottle, and must choose between lies and sobriety.

“Torchwood” Marathon
BBC America, beginning at 6am

Relive the exploits of the Torchwood Institute’s alien hunters as BBC America airs a marathon of Torchwood episodes from Seasons 1 and 2, and the five-episode Torchwood: Children of Earth series. The marathon ends Saturday evening.

Reign: “A Bride. A Box. A Body.”
The CW, 9pm
Mary (Adelaide Kane) pursues her quest for justice as she launches a counterattack on her conspirators. Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) suffers a major setback that turns her world upside down.

The 76th Annual Peabody Awards
PBS, 9pm
Join host Rashida Jones to honor the most powerful, enlightening and invigorating stories in television, radio and digital media. The evening spotlights all 30 winners, and features achievement awards for Norman Lear and ITVS.

Date My Dad
UP TV, 9pm
New Series!
In this family dramedy, Barry Watson stars as former professional baseball player Ricky Cooper. It’s been three years since the death of his beloved wife, and on the cusp of his 40th birthday, his live-in mother-in-law (Raquel Welch) is ready to move out, and Ricky’s three daughters want their dad to get back into the game — the dating game.

Saturday, June 3

Dumb: The Story of “Big Brother” Magazine
Hulu
This documentary charts the rise and fall of the irreverent, boundary-pushing Big Brother magazine, whose taboo-breaking stunts and crass humor spawned everything from MTV’s Jackass to a generation of skateboarders. Featured appearances and interviews include Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and Tony Hawk.

Billy Madison
Comedy Central, 5:50pm

Remember when Adam Sandler’s movies were funny? Comedy Central airs some of his best and most quotable films with 1995’s Billy Madison (“I am the smartest man alive!”) followed by 1999’s Big Daddy and 1996’s Happy Gilmore (“Are you too good for your home?”).

The Son: “The Prophecy”
AMC, 9pm
In 1849, Young Eli (Jacob Lofland) is forced to trust a strange ally in order to survive. In 1915, Eli’s (Pierce Brosnan) past guides him to a choice that puts him at odds with Phineas (David Wilson Barnes).

Destination Wedding
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
Ellie (Alexa PenaVega) has been painstakingly planning her sister Mandy’s destination wedding, and is excited as guests begin arriving at the idyllic beach resort. But her delight turns to despair when one of the guests — the groom’s best man — turns out to be her ex-boyfriend Greg (Jeremy Guilbaut). But when the bride- and groom-to-be are no-shows, Ellie and Greg must lie to the guests and assure them everything is OK, and their madcap efforts to stave off disaster lead Ellie and Greg stumbling back into love.

Class: “The Lost”
BBC America, 10pm
Season Finale!

In the Season 1 finale “The Lost,” the gang has splintered, unable to recover from the truths they faced in detention. Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly) is in hibernation, but she’s a ticking time bomb, ready for revenge when she wakes.