TV Best Bets

Tuesday, March 19: Rob Lowe Hosts FOX’s Dizzying ‘Mental Samurai’

©2019 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

All Times Eastern.

Tuesday, March 19

Mental Samurai
FOX, 9pm
New Series!

Rob Lowe hosts this thrilling new competition series that pushes every aspect of human intelligence and mental agility. Each episode finds people from all walks of life battling to quickly and accurately answer questions that challenge their knowledge, memory, and puzzle-solving and sequencing abilities while they are physically transported around the set in a specially designed, rotating capsule.

https://twitter.com/mentalsamurai/status/1105498687742996481

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: First Four
truTV, beginning at 6:30pm Live

The 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins tonight and tomorrow in Dayton, Ohio, with the First Four games on truTV.

The Flash: “Time Bomb”
The CW, 8pm

Team Flash finds out that a suburban mom named Vickie Bolen (guest star Catherine Lough Haggquist) is in danger, and they race to save her. Upon meeting her, they discover she’s a meta-human who is hiding her abilities from her family. Barry (Grant Gustin) encourages Vickie to share her secret with her family, which makes Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) realize she needs to come clean with her parents about Thawne (Tom Cavanagh).

The Kids Are Alright: “Wendi’s House”
ABC, 8:30pm

Mike (Michael Cudlitz) and Peggy (Mary McCormack) are sympathetic when Wendi’s (Kennedy Lea Slocum) parents split up until Peggy realizes that Wendi’s parents left her in the house alone, giving her and Eddie (Caleb Foote) an unsupervised love nest. Elsewhere, Joey (Christopher Paul Richards) goes undercover to enter a cockroach in a race at a nearby bar.

black-ish: “justakidfromcompton”
ABC, 9pm

Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) want to send Kyra (Quvenzhané Wallis) to Valley Glen Prep, but after the school treats them like a charity case, they are infuriated. Meanwhile, Junior (Marcus Scribner) wants to get a job as Josh’s (Jeff Meacham) assistant at Stevens & Lido.

Restored by the Fords
HGTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Brother-sister duo Steve and Leanne Ford bring their daring design style to quirky Pittsburgh-area homes. Leanne, an interior designer, and Steve, a licensed contractor and renovator, help their clients preserve the homes’ original architectural details and infuse the properties with unique design elements, including textured walls, creative ceilings and custom exposed staircases.

One of a Kind
HGTV, 10pm
New Series!
This eight-episode series stars home renovator and interior designer Grace Mitchell as she creates eclectic, imaginative spaces in Fort Worth, Texas. Throughout the series, Grace amazes homeowners with out-of-the-box ideas such as wall art made from a rusted antique car, a fiber optic night sky on a dining room ceiling and custom 3D wallpaper.

Lost Gold of World War II
History, 10pm
New Series!

Legend has it that in the final days of World War II, Japanese soldiers led by Gen. Yamashita, along with Allied POWs, constructed secret tunnels and hid treasure worth hundreds of billions of dollars in them. Now, a group of dedicated investigators and engineers is using the latest technology to search for the treasure, and the truth.

The Village
NBC, 10pm
New Series!
This drama follows a group of people dwelling in the same Brooklyn apartment building. While they aren’t related by blood, they have become an unlikely family as they help one another through their struggles. “The Village is not at all foreign to me,” said star Lorraine Toussaint at a press conference. “It’s an old New York that I knew. Sometimes gentrification can take away some of the family elements in the city. I’m so happy that our show, with the extraordinary, diverse characters in it, is able to bring back a New York that I grew up living in.”

Teachers: “Wedded Miss”
TV Land, 10pm
Series Finale!

In the Teachers series finale episode “Wedded Miss,” the teachers scramble to save Ms. Bennigan’s (Katie O’Brien) wedding day when everything that possibly could go wrong does.

Temptation Island: “Final Bonfire, Part 1”
USA Network, 10pm

The couples reunite at their final bonfire to make the most important decision of their lives.

Wednesday, March 20

The Act
Hulu

Hulu gets in on the true-crime trend with this anthology about seemingly ordinary types — who aren’t at all what they appear. Patricia Arquette plays Dee Dee Blanchard, a Missouri single mom who lied that her totally healthy daughter Gypsy (Joey King) had brain damage, cancer, asthma — you name it — and scored charity from it. “They looked like a loving mother and daughter,” says cowriter and executive producer Michelle Dean, “but they had a big secret that eventually tore them apart.”

World Figure Skating Championships
NBCSN, 12pm

The figure skating season ends with the World Championships in Saitama, Japan. Coverage of the competition begins today on NBCSN with the ladies’ short program. NBC’s coverage features the men’s and ladies’ free skates in primetime on Saturday, and a recap special on April 14.

NHL Hockey
NBCSN, beginning at 7:30pm Live

A Wednesday Night Hockey doubleheader on NBCSN has the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Washington Capitals, followed by the Winnipeg Jets at the Anaheim Ducks.

The Goldbergs: “Eight-bit Goldbergs”
ABC, 8pm

Adam (Sean Giambrone) is thrilled when he has to design his own video game for school, so he turns to his family for inspiration. Meanwhile, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is worried about Pops’ (George Segal) gambling and ropes Bill Lewis (David Koechner) into her latest scheme.

Empire: “In Loving Virtue”
FOX, 8pm

With the reputation of the family business on the line, the Lyons strategize on how to clean up the mess that Kingsley (A.Z. Kelsey) made and introduce a new and improved Empire.

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Freeform, 8pm
New Series!

This Pretty Little Liars spinoff follows Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal (played by Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish), who find themselves living in a small, Portland-area town where Alison is teaching at a prestigious college. Series executive producer I. Marlene King is excited to share new chapters for the complicated characters, especially Ali. “What we’re really having fun with in PLL: The Perfectionists is watching the transformation and really shining a light on Alison’s transformation from mean girl to mentor.”

The Voice: “The Best of the Blinds”
NBC, 8pm

This special episode looks at the best moments of the season so far and chronicles the contestants’ journey from the blind auditions to next week’s battles.

Modern Family: “Stand by Your Man”
ABC, 9pm

Dylan (Reid Ewing) and Luke (Nolan Gould) are really impressed with Bill’s (guest star Jimmy Tatro) tales of heroism and survival as a firefighter, which make Phil (Ty Burrell) feel emasculated. To impress the guys, he invites them over for a little male-bonding moment that goes terribly wrong.

All American: “Championships”
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!

Spencer (Daniel Ezra) suffers a devastating setback and gets strength from an unlikely source. Billy (Taye Diggs), while focused on the championship game, realizes that he has to face some tough truths in order to get his family back.

The Magicians: “The Serpent”
Syfy, 9pm

Quentin (Jason Ralph) eats a quesadilla; Kady (Jade Tailor) and Zelda (Mageina Tovah) share a smoke.

SEAL Team: “What Appears to Be”
CBS, 10pm

Bravo Team works with the Congolese Army on a covert mission to capture the head of a rebel militia group in the new episode “What Appears to Be.”

bublé!
NBC, 10pm

Grammy winner Michael Bublé is back with his seventh music special for NBC, billed as the singer’s most personal to date. The program takes audiences on a musical journey through his career and features six songs from his new album, Love, including “When You’re Smiling” and “Such a Night.” Accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra, Bublé will also perform classic songs that inspired his early career, like “Fly Me to the Moon,” and a selection of romantic standards, including a duet with Cécile McLorin Salvant on “La Vie en Rose.”

Deadly Class: “Sink With California”
Syfy, 10pm
Season Finale!

As Season 1 of the darkly humorous, ’80s-set series comes to a close, the gang raids Chester manor, while across town, Lin (Benedict Wong) runs with his daughter from El Diablo.

Thursday, March 21

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: First Round
CBS, TBS, TNT & truTV, beginning at 12pm Live

With the First Four games finished, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins in earnest with first-round action from around the country today and tomorrow on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

Grey’s Anatomy: “Add It Up”
ABC, 8pm

Maggie (Kelly McCreary) introduces mood rooms as an alternative approach to medicine. Alex (Justin Chambers) and DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) butt heads over an 11-year-old patient who tries to sabotage her own surgery. Jackson (Jesse Williams) and Richard (James Pickens Jr.) deal with a gender non-binary patient. Meanwhile, Teddy (Kim Raver) has a pregnancy scare that brings Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Koracick (Greg Germann) to odds.

Gotham: “I Am Bane”
FOX, 8pm

Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Bruce (David Mazouz) find themselves face-to-face with Eduardo, who is newly transformed into the powerful brute Bane.

Superstore: “Blizzard”
NBC, 8pm

With a massive snowstorm bearing down on St. Louis and an unsympathetic home office, the Cloud 9 employees and customers get snowed in, leading to escalating tensions and in-fighting.

A.P. Bio: “Wednesday Morning, 8 AM”
NBC, 8:30pm

In the hectic 30 minutes that start every day at Whitlock, Jack (Glenn Howerton) tries to retrieve his massage chair from Whitlock’s intriguing payroll accountant, Lynette. Durbin (Patton Oswalt) and Helen prepare for the morning announcements, Michelle (Jean Villepique) gives a eulogy, and Mary (Mary Sohn) and Stef (Lyric Lewis) fix an art emergency.

The Orville: “Lasting Impressions”
FOX, 9pm
Guest Star Alert!

Leighton Meester guest-stars when members of the Orville’s crew open a time capsule from 2015.

Bring It!: “Bring It Live! Detour”
Lifetime, 9pm
Season Finale!

The Dancing Dolls hit the road for the Bring It Live! tour, but roadblocks along the way leave the fate of the tour in serious danger.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: “The Therapist”
NBC, 9pm

Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) brings Jake (Andy Samberg) into a case when a therapist reports one of his patients missing. Holt (Andre Braugher) finds out Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) has a new girlfriend that everyone else has met. Amy (Melissa Fumero) believes she has accidentally received a package meant for Terry (Terry Crews).

Will & Grace: “Conscious Coupling”
NBC, 9:30pm

When both Will’s (Eric McCormack) and Grace’s (Debra Messing) boyfriends, McCoy (guest star Matt Bomer) and Noah (guest star David Schwimmer), ask them to move in, the friends use each other as their excuse to get out of it. Meanwhile, a snowstorm keeps Karen (Megan Mullally) at the office, where she meets Nikki (guest star Samira Wiley), a woman who works upstairs. The storm also traps Jack (Sean Hayes) in an elevator, causing him to reunite with an old flame, Drew (guest star Ryan Pinkston), which tests Jack’s commitment to a monogamous lifestyle.

Better Things: “Monsters in the Moonlight”
FX, 10pm

Sam (Pamela Adlon) decides to speak up about working conditions on a film set in the new episode “Monsters in the Moonlight.”

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “Blackout”
NBC, 10pm

When Defense Attorney Nikki Staines (guest star Callie Thorne) is raped after a police charity event, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) reluctantly looks to her own for a suspect.

Friday, March 22

Cold War
Amazon Prime Video

The triple Oscar-nominated film (for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director for Pawel Pawlikowski and Best Cinematography for Lukasz Zal) from Poland comes to the streaming service. This beautiful black-and-white love story is set against the background of the 1950s Cold War and follows a music director (Tomasz Kot) who falls for a Polish singer (Joanna Kulig) and tries to persuade her to flee her communist homeland for France.

Delhi Crime
Netflix
New Series!

In this fictionalized version of the real events behind the infamous “Nirbhaya” case — the 2012 gang-rape and fatal assault of a woman in India’s South Delhi — Delhi police seek the men who perpetrated the crime.

The Dirt
Netflix
Original Film!

Based on the bestselling autobiography from rock band Mötley Crüe, this film tells the story of four misfits who rose from the streets of Hollywood to the heights of international fame.

The OA Part II
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The mind-bending story returns, following OA (Brit Marling) as she navigates a new dimension, one in which she had a completely different life as a Russian heiress, and one in which she once again finds herself as Hap’s (Jason Isaacs) captive.

Fresh Off the Boat: “Vice Mommy”
ABC, 8pm

Jessica (Constance Wu) starts her college classes, leaving Evan (Ian Chen) in charge at home as “vice mommy,” but the transition doesn’t go smoothly. Eddie (Hudson Yang) and Louis (Randall Park) run into conflict when Eddie just wants his dad to treat him as an employee — not as a son — at Cattleman’s Ranch.

Blindspot: “The One Where Jane Visits an Old Friend”
NBC, 8pm

The FBI is hot on Madeline’s (guest star Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) heels as Jane (Jaimie Alexander) seeks help from a familiar enemy.

Speechless: “P-R-O-M-P–PROMPOSAL”
ABC, 8:30pm

Outraged that JJ’s (Micah Fowler) girlfriend, Izzy (Kayla Maisonet), declines his invitation to prom, Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) and Ray (Mason Cook) swing for the fences with a bold plan to make her jealous. Jimmy (John Ross Bowie), Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) and Melanie (Sarah Chalke) coach Maya (Minnie Driver) through accepting criticism for the good of her company.

The Blacklist: “Bastien Moreau: Conclusion”
NBC, 9pm

Cooper (Harry Lennix) puts his reputation on the line to appeal to the White House on Red’s (James Spader) behalf, as Liz (Megan Boone) and the task force resume their search for The Corsican (guest star Christopher Lambert), a Blacklister with ties to an international conspiracy. Meanwhile, Samar’s (Mozhan Marnò) abilities in the field are tested.

Great Performances: “Birgit Nilsson: A League of Her Own”
PBS, 9pm

Celebrate the life of Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson, the face of opera in the 1950s-70s. This performance documentary showcases her greatest roles, including in Elektra and the Ring cycle, plus features interviews with Plácido Domingo and others.

Saturday, March 23

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Second Round
CBS, TBS, TNT, beginning at 12pm Live

The 32 teams still alive in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field compete in the second round today on CBS, TBS and TNT. Second round coverage continues tomorrow on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

Love to the Rescue
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!

When two families both want to adopt the same precious pooch, they agree to cofoster the dog for a month to determine the best home for the dog. But when the dog parenting styles of free-spirited studio animator Kate Healy (Nikki DeLoach) and type-A go-getter Eric Dees (Michael Rady) clash, the two must work together to find a middle ground.

A Daughter’s Deception
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

After being forced to give up her daughter for adoption, Laura is thrilled to welcome her now adult daughter Bree back into her life. She quickly discovers that Bree is a sociopath with murderous tendencies who poses a clear and present danger to anyone who gets in her way. Stars Jade Harlow, Rusty Joiner, Kennedy Tucker, Skyler Wright, René Ashton and Brian McGovern.

The Atlanta Child Murders
Investigation Discovery, 9pm

This documentary revisits the horrific events that occurred in Atlanta between 1979-81, when more than 20 African-American children were murdered. It was a case that made national headlines, yet decades later, no one has been tried for the crimes, and the children’s killer has never been confirmed. This three-hour special examines shocking new evidence and unearths once-secret investigations in an effort to shed more light on the mystery.