TV Best Bets

Sunday, May 17: All Aboard TNT’s Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Snowpiercer’

TM & © Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. Credit: Justina Mintz

All Times Eastern.

Sunday, May 17

Snowpiercer
TNT, 9pm
New Series!

Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), who directed the cult 2013 feature film Snowpiercer, is a producer of this series adaptation based on that film and the graphic novel that inspired it. Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Tony winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) lead the cast in a tale set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, where the remnants of humanity now inhabit a perpetually moving train that circles the globe as class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out onboard.

Golf: TaylorMade Driving Relief
NBC, Golf Channel & NBCSN, 2pm Live

Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., hosts this $3 million, star-studded charity skins match to raise money and awareness for the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson team up against Oklahoma State University alumni Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff. NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico commentates remotely from his home in Michigan, with play-by-play announcer Rich Lerner and analysts Paul Azinger and Gary Koch broadcasting from an off-site production facility.

NASCAR Cup Series: Darlington 400
FOX, 3:30pm Live

After a two-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NASCAR Cup Series resumes with this 400-mile race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. This is the first of two Cup Series races at Darlington this week, with a 500 km race taking place Wednesday in primetime on FS1. There will be no fans in attendance for these races, and teams, officials and track personnel will have added safety measures.

Best of the West Weekend: Clint Eastwood
SundanceTV, beginning at 5pm
Catch a Classic!

SundanceTV’s weekend celebration of classic Westerns concludes today with a salute to Clint Eastwood. Four of his Westerns will air, beginning with Joe Kidd (1972), followed by a 35th anniversary airing of Pale Rider (1985), the Oscar-winning epic Unforgiven (1992), which Eastwood also directed, and High Plains Drifter (1973).

AFV@Home
ABC, 7pm

Celebrate the indomitable spirit of humor with hilarious, clever and entertaining videos made by families and social influencers adapting to our current situation. Alfonso Ribeiro hosts from his own home as he shares these topical videos, proving that the resilience of comedy brings us together even as we stay safely apart.

American Idol: “On With the Show: Grand Finale”
ABC, 8pm
Season Finale!

Kicking off the finale event following America’s last nationwide vote, the road comes to an end for two contestants in the Top 5 reveal. The Top 5 will then each perform two songs as they fight to win the coveted title. Before America’s real-time vote determines the winner live on the East Coast broadcast, don’t miss special performances from music legends including Idol’s very own superstar judges, the return of the Top 11 and a fan favorite from this season!

The Top Ten Revealed: “Epic Songs of ’69”
AXS TV, 8pm

Travel back to the 1960s as the panel counts down the best songs of 1969, a list headlined by hits including “Sweet Caroline” and “Everyday People.”

Batwoman: “O, Mouse!”
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

When one of Gotham’s former heroes returns to his old stomping grounds to settle a score, both Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Commander Kane (Dougray Scott) find themselves on the defensive. Meanwhile, Alice (Rachel Skarsten) has uncovered what could finally take down Batwoman, but she is losing hold on her henchmen Mouse (guest star Sam Littlefield) and Hush (guest star Gabriel Mann), sending her spiraling into her most wicked self.

Naked and Afraid: “Snow Daze”
Discovery Channel, 8pm

In one of the show’s rare frozen challenges, the latest two survivalists get naked in Montana.

The Simpsons
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!

Cate Blanchett voices a pet psychologist who analyzes the Simpsons’ pooch.

The Au Pair Nightmare
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

Looking to escape her past, Taylor (Brytnee Ratledge) applies to be the au pair for a well-to-do, small-town family. Invited into their world, Taylor starts to suspect her very private, new employers (Annie Heise and Tristan Thomas) are hiding something, and her curiosity quickly puts her directly in their crosshairs. Now, she’ll have to discover their darkest secret if she has any hope of making it out of her new home alive.

2020 Beverly Hills Dog Show
NBC, 8pm

John O’Hurley and David Frei return to cohost this fourth annual canine competition with Mary Carillo and Maria Menounos as official correspondents. Two newly AKC-sanctioned breeds will be among the pooches competing to be top dog this year: the barbet (in the sporting group) and the dogo Argentino (working group). Canine competitors will mingle with celebrity guests including Lauren Ash, Bo Derek, Greg Louganis, Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier and more.

Call the Midwife
PBS, 8pm
Season Finale!

The East London nurse midwives’ beloved Nonnatus House could shut down unless Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) gets funding from the council.

Private Lives of the Monarchs
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Step inside the palace for intimate profiles of history’s most powerful royals. Tonight brings the intense military campaigns and rich personal life of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who conquered much of Europe in the 1800s and maintained a lifelong passion for his first wife, Joséphine.

Hightown
Starz, 8pm
New Series!
National Marine Fisheries agent Jackie Quiñones (Monica Raymund) discovers a dead body in the bay in Provincetown, Cape Cod, propelling her into a compulsion to figure out what happened.

Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar: “Three for the Road”
AXS TV, 8:30pm

A triple threat of talent joins host Sammy Hagar in this episode, in which he visits with Queen guitarist Brian May, multitalented guitar virtuoso Joe Walsh and Grammy-winning country artist Tanya Tucker.

Duncanville
FOX, 8:30pm
Season Finale!

Awkward teen Duncan (Amy Poehler) runs for class president — against his crush, Mia (Rashida Jones).

Live From Daryl’s House: “Wyclef Jean”
AXS TV, 9pm

Daryl Hall visits with hip-hop legend Wyclef Jean.

Supergirl: “Immortal Kombat”
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!

Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) realizes that in order to stop Lex (guest star Jon Cryer) and Leviathan she must work with the one person she never thought she’d trust again — Lena (Katie McGrath). Nia (Nicole Maines) keeps dreaming about Brainy (Jesse Rath) but struggles with what the dreams are trying to tell her. Meanwhile, Brainy realizes there is only one way to stop Lex.

The Last Dance
ESPN, 9pm
Series Finale!

The 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s concludes tonight with the final two episodes.

Bob’s Burgers
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!

Mischievous 9-year-old Louise (Kristen Schaal) gives a classmate lessons on getting into trouble.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!

The theft of a rare Elizabethan artifact on display at the Lawrenceton Library’s annual fundraising event leads to capital crimes, when Aurora Teagarden (Candace Cameron Bure) begins her unorthodox investigation and soon discovers not one but two murders committed by someone who would do anything to possess “Leicester’s Gift,” the Tudor crown on loan from the Seattle Museum of History.

World on Fire
PBS, 9pm
Series Finale!

In the seventh and final episode of the World War II drama series, Harry (Jonah Hauer-King) has a second chance at saving Kasia (Zofia Wichłacz) from Warsaw. In Manchester, Lois (Julia Brown) hopes for happiness at last.

An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates
Smithsonian Channel, 9pm
New Series!

Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, gives an all-access pass into some of Great Britain’s most magnificent homes, revealing their incredible histories and the aristocratic families, both past and present, who have taken up residence in each estate. Montagu, originally from Illinois, married into the aristocracy and lives in her husband’s historic family estate in Dorset. The premiere episode, “Inveraray Castle,” visits a spectacular Gothic castle on the edge of Loch Fyne in the Scottish Highlands.

Family Guy
FOX, 9:30pm
Season Finale!

The Griffins take in Principal Shepherd (Gary Cole) after he’s fired for insulting dim-bulb middle kid Chris (Seth Green).

Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert
ABC, 10pm
Filmed last September at L’Olympia Theater in Paris, France, Taylor Swift performs songs from her award-winning album Lover to an intimate crowd of fans from 37 countries, traveling to the City of Love for this once-in-a-lifetime concert. The musical event gives fans unprecedented access to behind-the-scenes moments with the artist and marks her only concert performance so far this year, after her Lover Fest tour was largely canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FOX Nation In Depth: Grateful Nation
FOX News Channel, 10pm

FOX News Channel presents this one-hour special hosted by FOX Nation’s travel and lifestyle host Abby Hornacek. The program will explore the special content streaming on FOX Nation in honor of “Grateful Nation” month. Among the specials and series spotlighted during the show include Season 3 of Lara Logan Has No Agenda, Hero Dogs, The Pursuit! With John Rich Season 2 and more.

Monday, May 18

Bosom Buddies
Decades, 4:30pm

Tom Hanks doing chest exercises in a skirt and wig while singing the Village People’s “Macho Man”? Sold! Decades revives the ’80s sitcom Bosom Buddies, starring Peter Scolari and the not-yet-movie-star as admen who pose as women to bag a cheap place at a ladies-only hotel.

War Hero Mondays
SundanceTV, beginning at 5pm
Catch a Classic!

Continuing its May theme of airing movies about war and its aftermath, SundanceTV features a lineup today including Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw in Battle of the Bulge (1965), back-to-back airings of John Wayne in The Green Berets (1968) and Bruce Willis in In Country (1989).

The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart
ABC, 8pm
Season Finale!

As the show’s first season comes to a close, only one couple will be left standing at the end.

The Andy Griffith Show
MeTV, 8pm

It’s all about Opie this week, with the theme of “Opie Dokie” and favorite episodes “Opie’s Charity” (5/18), “Opie’s Hobo Friend” (5/19), “Mr. McBeeVee” (5/20), “Opie the Birdman” (5/21) and “Three Wishes for Opie” (5/22).

The Voice: “Finale Part 1”
NBC, 8pm

In the last phase of the competition, the final artists perform in front of coaches Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Blake Shelton to compete for the title of The Voice.

Roswell, New Mexico: “American Woman”
The CW, 9pm

As the layered alien drama’s second season continues, scientist Liz (Jeanine Mason) reaches out for help after her immigrant dad, Arturo (Carlos Compean), gets detained, and a cryptic message from the past sends her friends to the reservation where Alex’s (Tyler Blackburn) mom was raised.

Celebrity IOU
HGTV, 9pm
Season Finale!

The Avengers’ Jeremy Renner becomes a real-life superhero to his mom, buying her an L.A. condo so she can be closer to family. Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott help modernize the dated space. Be gone, mirrored walls!

Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words
PBS, 9pm

Take a rare look into the life and perspective of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as he discusses his life, legacy and legal theories.

Pawn Stars: “Saints and Winners”
History, 10pm

When a customer comes in with items from Tony Soprano’s wardrobe, can Rick make him an offer he can’t refuse, or will he fuhgetaboutit? Then, a pair of papal artifacts inspires Rick and Chum to mix business with pleasure as they set off to Italy for a Roman holiday. Will the holy relics be the blessing they’re hoping for?

Songland: “Florida Georgia Line”
NBC, 10pm

Eight-time ACM and seven-time CMT Award-winning country duo Florida Georgia Line come to Songland to hear unknown songwriters pitch their original material. Three of the most successful and sought-after writer/producers in music, Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane McAnally, produce the songwriters to creatively adapt their songs to perfectly fit the artists. One song is chosen to be recorded by the band and released for a global audience.

Tuesday, May 19

The Story of Soaps
ABC, 8pm

This two-hour primetime television event highlights the iconic impact of the soap opera, featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Andy Cohen, Bryan Cranston, Vivica A. Fox, Jon Hamm, Susan Lucci, Denise Richards, John Stamos, Chandra Wilson and many more.

DC’s Stargirl
The CW, 8pm
New Series!

One day after its launch on the DC Universe streaming service, this new series gets its linear premiere on The CW. New episodes will continue to air Tuesdays following their Monday debuts on DCU. Brec Bassinger stars as high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore, who discovers a powerful cosmic staff that imbues her with superpowers. As Stargirl, Courtney inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop villains of the past. Luke Wilson and Amy Smart also star.

The Masked Singer: “Road to the Finals”
FOX, 8pm

Ahead of tomorrow’s Season 3 finale, relive the fan-favorite moments and best performances from all 18 singers in this special episode.

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Darlington 200
FS1, 8pm Live

The NASCAR Xfinity Series resumes its season with this 200-mile race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. There will be no fans in attendance, and teams, officials and track personnel will have added safety measures.

The Voice: “Live Cutdown Show”
NBC, 8pm Live

In anticipation of the season finale, relive the artists’ performances before the winner is crowned. During this one-hour special, check in live with host Carson Daly and the finalists as they prepare for the live finale.

Special Theme: Wonder Women: “Trailblazers”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Tonight’s lineup of films about notable real-life women focuses on trailblazing women in various fields. First, Oscar nominee Rosalind Russell stars in Sister Kenny (1946), about Australian bush nurse Elizabeth Kenny, who bucked the medical establishment to help patients with polio. Other films include The Girl in White (1952), about pioneering female surgeon Emily Dunning Barringer; Oscar nominee Greer Garson as famed physicist Marie Curie in Madame Curie (1943); The White Angel (1936), with Kay Francis as Florence Nightingale; and more.

Vanderpump Rules: “Unfriended”
Bravo, 9pm
Season Finale!

Lisa Vanderpump throws a party to celebrate TomTom’s one-year anniversary, but relationships are tested when Kristen confronts Katie and Stassi for abandoning her, and Jax and Sandoval face off over the future of their friendship. Meanwhile, Dayna calls out Max’s womanizing ways, Brett confronts Scheana for stirring the pot and Danica gets into a physical altercation. Finally, after years of hostility, Lala arranges for James and Randall to have a man-to-man talk.

Lost Gold of World War II: “A Bone to Pick”
History, 9pm

Left with no other option, John plans to drill across the mountain to get underneath the waterfall, but the weather won’t make that an easy task. Meanwhile, Rick finds an artifact at Breach 6 that could confirm Japanese military presence on the mountain during World War II, and Bingo meets someone with rare and valuable knowledge on the whereabouts of Yamashita’s gold.

The Voice: “Live Finale Part 2”
NBC, 9pm Live
Season Finale!
The star-studded live season finale will unveil incredible new performances, and host Carson Daly will reveal who America has chosen to be the winner.

American Experience: “Mr. Tornado”
PBS, 9pm

Meet pioneering meteorologist Ted Fujita, who transformed our understanding of tornadoes. His technological advancements saved lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena.

The Genetic Detective: “The Case of the Missing Lovebirds”
ABC, 10pm
New Series!

Cece Moore takes on her first ever cold case as a genetic genealogist — the double homicide of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg. The young couple disappeared in 1987 after taking a ferry from Vancouver to Seattle, and were later found miles apart, gagged, bound and brutally murdered. With a smattering of clues, but no real leads, the case was cold for 30 years.