TV Best Bets

Thursday, May 20: The Baxters Bid Goodbye in ‘Last Man Standing’ Series Finale

Last Man Standing series finale © 2020 FOX Media LLC. Credit: Michael Becker/FOX.

ALSO SEE: 2021 NASCAR TV Schedules on FOX Sports & NBC Sports

All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Thursday, May 20

Last Man Standing
FOX, 9pm
Series Finale!

After nine seasons, Mike (Tim Allen), Vanessa (Nancy Travis) and the growing Baxter family say farewell in this two-episode series finale. In “Baxter Boot Camp,” Mike teaches Kristin (Amanda Fuller) the importance of work/life balance as she prepares to take over Outdoor Man. Then in “Keep on Truckin’,” Mike’s gleaming 1956 Ford F-100 is stolen, and the Baxters gather their family and friends together to reflect on what the prized vehicle meant to each of them.

Spy City
AMC+
Season Finale!

The Cold War espionage drama concludes Season 1. Dominic Cooper plays an English spy who is sent to Berlin in 1961 to sift out a traitor in the U.K. embassy or among the Allies, shortly before the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Too Close
AMC+
New Series!

This three-part psychological thriller from Britain centers around forensic psychiatrist Dr. Emma Robertson (Emily Watson), who must assess criminal suspect Connie Mortensen (Denise Gough) — only to fall victim to Connie’s insightful, yet manipulative nature. Connie has a searing insight into Emma’s deepest insecurities and starts to brutally exploit them. Ultimately, their sessions are meant to uncover what happened on the night Connie’s despicable crime occurred. To do that, Emma must uncover the truth around Connie’s complex relationship with her beautiful best friend, Ness (Thalissa Teixeira), which seemingly triggered Connie’s psychological descent. All three episodes are available today.

Going From Broke
Crackle
Season Premiere!

Chegg Inc. CEO Dan Rosensweig and entrepreneur and millennial money expert Tonya Rapley help debtors overcome crippling financial struggles to become CEOs of their own lives. Rosensweig commits his company to fulfill the mission of putting students first by helping them save time and be smarter with both their education as well as their finances. Rapley created the award-winning website “My Fab Finance” in 2013, catapulting her to the forefront as a nationally recognized millennial money expert. Season 2 follows six new cast members from around the country all struggling with debt.

Genius Factory
discovery+

In the 1980s, eccentric billionaire Robert Graham felt that unintelligent people were breeding too often and smart people weren’t breeding enough. In an effort to create the world’s smartest kids, Graham funded the largest legal genetic experiment in human history. Today, the children of his eugenics experiment walk the streets of America as adults. These super babies seem normal enough, but there is a hidden struggle to understand who they are and why they came to be, and if the “Genius Factory” rewarded them or condemned them. In this documentary, for the first time, people who worked at the sperm bank are ready to talk, and the genius children are going to meet each other and find out who their fathers are.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands: “Together Again”
HBO Max
New Episode!

After a break from adventuring, a series of mysterious events leads Finn and Jake farther from home than they have ever traveled before. When they find themselves face-to-face with a monstrous evil, they must unite for the adventure of their lifetimes.

The Big Shot With Bethenny
HBO Max
Season Finale!

The series that finds the next generation of business moguls competing for a chance to be second-in-command to business tycoon and Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel, and win a coveted position working on her executive team, concludes its first season and determines its winner.

Ellen’s Next Great Designer
HBO Max
Season Finale!

The Ellen DeGeneres-hosted furniture-design competition series concludes Season 1.

Gomorrah
HBO Max
Season Premiere!

Season 4 of this Italian crime drama turns the spotlight on Genny (Salvatore Esposito), the lone Savastano dynasty survivor, and sees him on his best behavior for the sake of Azzurra (Ivana Lotito) and little son Pietro — with his own family to protect and an activity to reboot, Genny feels the need for a major life change, committing to legit business while sneaking out, as best he can, from the world his father had him grow up in. His interests in Naples are now entrusted to Patrizia (Cristiana Dell’Anna) who, having first betrayed and then killed Scianel, former leader of the Alliance, has earned her rank within the Savastano clan. Along with Genny, to level the scores and keep the peace in gangland, they will lean on the Levante clan, a branch of the late Donna Imma’s family. Meanwhile, Enzo (Arturo Muselli) and Valerio (Loris De Luna), having tightened their grip over the central Naples turf, are faced with new challenges.

Special
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The offbeat comedy based on creator/star Ryan O’Connell’s life returns for its second and final season. O’Connell stars as Ryan, a gay man with mild cerebral palsy, who decides to rewrite his identity and finally go after the life he wants.

TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: I Miss … Parties
TCM, beginning at 7am
Catch a Classic!

Turner Classic Movies understands how much, over the past year of quarantining, that people have missed certain parts of social life that involve large gatherings, including parties. To help you get some vicarious enjoyment through virtually being at a party via films, this morning and afternoon’s lineup of movies are focused on various types of shindigs. The schedule begins with Hollywood Party (1934), a pre-Code musical set at a wild bash in Tinseltown whose guest list boasts an all-star cast including Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Jimmy Durante and even Mickey Mouse (voiced by an uncredited Walt Disney). The rest of today’s cinematic soirees are The Firemen’s Ball (1967), an Oscar-nominated comedy directed by Milos Forman, the last film he made in his native Czechoslovakia; Operation Mad Ball (1957), a comedy headlined by Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs and Kathryn Grant; Pajama Party (1964), a beach party film featuring Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon; The Bachelor Party (1957), an Oscar-nominated drama adapted by Paddy Chayefsky from his 1953 television play and starring Don Murray, E.G. Marshall and Jack Warden; Father of the Bride (1950), Vincente Minnelli’s Best Picture Oscar-nominated comedy starring Best Actor Oscar nominee Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor; Dinner at Eight (1933), George Cukor’s comedy/drama starring Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow and Lionel Barrymore; and The Party (1968), cowriter/director Blake Edwards’ comedy starring Peter Sellers. — Jeff Pfeiffer

Golf: PGA Championship: First Round
ESPN, 1pm Live

Collin Morikawa looks to defend the PGA Championship title he won in August as the year’s second major tournament takes place at South Carolina’s Kiawah Island Golf Resort. ESPN and CBS combine to televise through Sunday’s final round.

Station 19: “Comfortably Numb”
ABC, 8pm

Ben finally faces the health issues he has been putting off. Meanwhile, Jack and Inara help their neighbor out of a trashy situation, and Carina and Maya reevaluate their relationship.

Walker: “A Tale of Two Families”
The CW, 8pm

The show flashes back to the days right before and after Emily’s (Genevieve Padalecki) death and how the entire Walker family dealt with the sudden tragic loss.

Manifest: “Compass Calibration”
NBC, 8pm

Ben’s (Josh Dallas) pursuit of a vulnerable passenger’s calling lands him in the crosshairs of an enemy; Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) unearths a dangerous arsenal of 828 hate; a seemingly natural disaster leads Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) to make a bold move; Angelina (Holly Taylor) puts her connection with Eden to a dangerous test.

No Demo Reno: “Blended Styles”
HGTV, 8pm

A couple with two very different design styles — she likes farmhouse rustic and he likes modern — asks Jenn Todryk to come up with a reno plan that will satisfy them both. Next, Jenn helps a busy couple who work from home update both their living and working spaces.

Let’s Be Real
FOX, 8:30pm
Season Finale!

The satirical puppet show from Robert Smigel wraps up its first season tonight.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “Post-Graduate Psychopath”
NBC, 9pm

Rollins (Kelli Giddish) must revisit an old case when a child sent to juvenile detention is released after his 18th birthday.

Flip or Flop: “Enamored by the View”
HGTV, 9pm

When Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack get a chance to flip a house with panoramic views of the ocean, they go all in. The cost to fix the foundation catches them by surprise, and the duo realize they may have been too distracted by the scenery to see all the problems.

Rebel: “Just Because You’re Paranoid”
ABC, 10pm

We love to see advocate Rebel Bello (Katey Sagal) and equally badass investigator Lana Ray (Tamala Jones) in the field together. They track down a former sales rep who could be the smoking gun for their case against Stonemore Medical.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: “I Got This Rat”
NBC, 10pm

As Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) finalizes plans with a new client, Richie (Nick Creegan) takes a big step in joining the family business.

Friday, May 21

P!NK: All I Know So Far
Amazon Prime Video

Join award-winning musician P!NK as she embarks on her record-breaking 2019 “Beautiful Trauma” world tour and welcomes audiences to join her chosen family while trying to balance being a mom, a wife, a boss and a performer. Mixing footage from the road, behind-the-scenes interviews and personal material, director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) gives audiences a glimpse behind the curtain of the circus that P!NK calls life.

Solos
Amazon Prime Video
New Series!

Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren headline this seven-part anthology series that explores the strange, beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, wondrous truths of what it means to be human. The series spans our present and future, and its character-driven stories contend that even during our most seemingly isolated moments, in the most disparate of circumstances, we are all connected through the human experience. Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens and Constance Wu also star.

Trying
Apple TV+
Season Premiere!

The acclaimed British comedy returns for an eight-episode second season. Nikki (BAFTA nominee Esther Smith) and Jason (SAG nominee Rafe Spall) are continuing to navigate the adoption process. Having been approved by the adoption panel, they now find that matching with a child is not as straightforward as they had hoped. It seems like children are being snapped up by other couples while somehow they’re being left behind. Helped by their eccentric social worker Penny (Imelda Staunton), they are determined to do everything they can. When Nikki meets a little girl called Princess at an adoption event, she knows instantly that this is the child for them. But there are obstacles to Nikki’s plan that may prove insurmountable.

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Apple TV+
New Series!

This docuseries explores the musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 1971. An immersive, deep dive rich with archival footage and interviews, the series will show how the musical icons of the time were influenced by the changing tides of history, and, in turn, how they used their music to inspire hope, change and the culture around them. 1971 will examine the most iconic artists and songs that we still listen to 50 years later, including the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, the Who, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed and more.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.
Hulu
New Series!

All 10 episodes of this adult animated comedy series based on the Marvel Comics are available today. In the series, megalomaniacal supervillain M.O.D.O.K. (voice of Patton Oswalt) has long pursued his dream of one day conquering the world. But after years of setbacks and failures fighting the Earth’s mightiest heroes, M.O.D.O.K. has run his evil organization A.I.M. into the ground. Ousted as A.I.M.’s leader, while also dealing with his crumbling marriage and family life, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is set to confront his greatest challenge yet.

Army of the Dead
Netflix
Original Film!

Zack Snyder (Justice League, Man of Steel) cowrote and directed this action horror/thriller that combines elements of Dawn of the Dead and Ocean’s 11. Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble — venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell and Omari Hardwick lead the cast.

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The animated spinoff of the blockbuster feature-film franchise returns for Season 3. Six teens invited to attend a state-of-the-art adventure camp on Isla Nublar must band together to survive when the dinosaurs break out of captivity.

Major League Baseball: Milwaukee at Cincinnati
FS1, 7pm Live

An NL Central matchup at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park has the Milwaukee Brewers taking on the Reds in Game 1 of a three-game series.

See Us Unite for Change: The Asian American Foundation in Service of the AAPI Community
MTV, Pop TV, Paramount, Nickelodeon, CMT, Comedy Central, 8pm

This two-hour special presentation is hosted by Ken Jeong and will feature music, comedy performances, short film packages and speakers while seeking to educate viewers about the Asian American and Pacific Islander community’s impact in America and inspire them to support efforts against hate and discrimination. Daniel Dae Kim, Naomi Osaka, Lisa Ling, Jeremy Lin and Michelle Kwan are set to appear along with performances by Jhené Aiko, Saweetie and Sting.

MMA: Invicta Fighting Championships
AXS TV, 8pm

The all-women mixed martial arts promotion makes its cable debut. Bouts include atomweight champ Alesha Zappitella vs. Jéssica Delboni.

Chopped: “Fake Cake, Real Stakes”
Cooking Channel, 8pm

It’s a great fake-out, when all the basket ingredients are in disguise. Everyone should taste the “chicken wings” in the first basket, which are a secretly sweet item.

Jungleland
EPIX, 8pm

A bare-knuckles boxer and his brother (Jack O’Connell and Charlie Hunnam) transport a captive (Jessica Barden) across the country in this dark 2020 drama.

My Lottery Dream Home: “Gone Fishin’ for a Dream Home”
HGTV, 8pm

Tim and Mary are ready for a big change after Tim scratched up $250,000 on a $5 scratcher. The win finally allows Mary, a native of Mandeville, Louisiana, to move back home after spending three decades raising eight kids with Tim in Virginia. And now that all the kids have left the nest, Tim and Mary are looking for a dream home big enough for the whole family to visit, and have Mary’s mom live with them in a fabulous mother-in-law suite. But Tim has strict must-haves on his wish list — a pool, and a fishing hole nearby to ‘wet a line’ whenever he wants to. Can David Bromstad satisfy both Mary and Tim’s wish lists?

Tracking a Killer
LMN, 8pm
Original Film!

Ever since the death of her father, Haley has struggled with anger management but finds solace in running with her friends Elaina and Abby on their high school track team. But when Abby is found dead in the locker room after a particularly heated argument with Haley, the cops pin the murder on Haley and place her under house arrest. As Haley’s mom, Michelle, tries to figure out who could have framed her daughter, Haley’s assistant track coach also turns up dead, and Haley’s DNA is all over the crime scene. After Haley goes missing, Michelle must work quickly to find her daughter and discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths before Haley or anyone else gets hurt. Stars Laurie Fortier, Jane Dillon, Huntington Daly, Ashton Leigh, Sahara Ale and Rachel Ogechi Kanu.

The Blacklist: “The Protean”
NBC, 8pm

The task force springs into action to stop an elusive assassin on Liz’s (Megan Boone) trail.

The Asian American Experience
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Tonight’s lineup of three titles on Turner Classic Movies features films that have chronicled various aspects of Asian American life at different time periods, and across different genres. The evening begins with Flower Drum Song, the Oscar-nominated 1961 musical based on the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway production, which itself was based on the 1957 novel by Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee. This was the first major Hollywood feature film to have a predominantly Asian American cast featured in a contemporary story about Asian Americans. That cast is led by Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo and Benson Fong. Next is Samuel Fuller’s 1959 film noir The Crimson Kimono, which, aside from providing a compelling mystery tale, was ahead of its time in notions of race. It stars Shigeta and Glenn Corbett as two cops, who are friends and Korean War veterans, investigating the murder of a local entertainer. A love triangle eventually develops among the men and a key witness, played by Victoria Shaw. The notion of a white woman being attracted to and even kissing the Japanese American character played by Shigeta was apparently so revolutionary for the time that a fairly offensive promotional poster for the film played up the relationship for seemingly shock value (fortunately, the film itself is a lot more tactful). The night concludes with Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989), a romantic comedy/drama about Chinese American immigrants adapting to life in their new home, directed by Hong Kong American filmmaker Wayne Wang, considered a pioneer in Asian American cinema. — Jeff Pfeiffer

Inside the Met
PBS, 9pm
New Series!

This three-part series begins with back-to-back episodes tonight and concludes next Friday. In the first episode, “The Birthday Surprise,” watch as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th birthday is upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the art institution to close its doors for the first time in history, while facing financial losses and a battle to protect artistic treasures. The episode “All Things to All People?”, which focuses on how the Met is forced to confront its historical record on inclusion, exclusion and diversity, follows immediately after.

Saturday, May 22

Ghost Brothers: Lights Out: “Flight or Fright”
discovery+
Season Finale!

Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey climb aboard the USS Lexington to confront a dark paranormal presence. As they dive into the World War II aircraft carrier’s history and make contact with restless spirits, they reveal there is more to the haunting than anyone expected.

My Little Pony: Pony Life
Discovery Family Channel, 11:45am
Season Finale!

Season 2 of the animated kids series that follows the Mane 6 as they gallop through learning experiences in Sugarcube Corner ends today.

Valerie’s Hot Dish
Food Network, 12pm

Valerie Bertinelli has the most delicious girl-hang in this special, which finds the actress turned chef bravely sharing her kitchen — and, no doubt, a few laughs — with her comedienne besties Melissa Peterman (Young Sheldon) and Nicole Sullivan (black-ish).

Foreign Correspondent
TCM, 12pm
Catch a Classic!

The second film that British-born Alfred Hitchcock made in Hollywood was this terrific, Best Picture Oscar-nominated 1940 spy thriller starring Joel McCrea as American newsman John Jones, who seeks to give up his dull New York beat and experience adventure. But he gets more than he bargained for after being assigned to London as a foreign correspondent. The intrigue Jones gets caught up in becomes the most dangerous story of his career, as the assassination of a Dutch diplomat leads him into a nest of Nazi spies on the eve of World War II. Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders and Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Albert Bassermann also star. — Jeff Pfeiffer

Major League Baseball
FOX, beginning at 7pm Live

Saturday MLB regional primetime games return to FOX tonight, with viewers seeing either the Chicago Cubs at the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox at the Philadelphia Phillies or the L.A. Dodgers at the San Francisco Giants.

Wonder Woman 1984
HBO, 8pm

Grab your golden lasso and your shoulder pads. In this divisive 2020 follow-up to 2017’s universally adored Wonder Woman, director Patty Jenkins puts an ’80s spin on the franchise after the World War I-set origin story. Hero Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) is putting her bulletproof bracelets to use at a mall, and working a museum job in D.C., when a mysterious object that grants wishes surfaces. Chaos erupts as her lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) returns and entrepreneur Maxwell Lord (The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal) uses the stone to amass power. Come for the over-the-top action scenes, stay to debate the transformation of Diana’s desperate coworker Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) into the supervillain Cheetah.

Critter Fixers: Country Vets
Nat Geo Wild, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Dr. Hodges and Dr. Ferguson are two lifelong friends who own and operate Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospitals, located 100 miles south of Atlanta. Join the docs for a brand-new season of animal care, country-style. From adhering tilapia scales to saving an attacked dog to assembling a splint on a rare South American bird, for the Critter Fixer team, there is no such thing as “normal.”

Iyanla: Fix My Life: “Iyanla Farewell Special”
OWN, 9pm
Series Finale!

After nine years and eight seasons, the award-winning hit series will come to an end. This two-hour farewell special will showcase memorable moments and never-before-seen footage from the series. “The time I have spent creating and working on Fix My Life has been nothing short of phenomenal,” tells Iyanla Vanzant. “In my heart of hearts, I believe that Fix My Life has contributed to the creation of a new genre of television programming, where people get to speak and see how to address issues that have been taboo. To have a network, a production team and a crew that could stand in and participate in the manifestation of this vision has been humbling and most rewarding. My prayer is that Fix My Life will be standard for others who have the vision and courage to bring personal healing work to the television screen.”

Kindred Spirits: “False Witness”
Travel Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!

In 1673, Rebecca Cornell was found murdered in her Rhode Island home. Days later, her ghost testified against her son. Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and Chip Coffey attempt to conjure the spirits who played a part in the centuries-old crime and reveal the truth.

Saturday Night Live: “Anya Taylor-Joy/Lil Nas X”
NBC, 11:30pm Live
Season Finale!

Season 46 comes to a close with actress Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) making her hosting debut. She is joined by rapper Lil Nas X, marking his first time as musical guest.

Sunday, May 23

Master of None
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The Emmy-winning series returns for a third season, which chronicles the relationship of Denise (Lena Waithe) and her partner, Alicia (Naomi Ackie). Netflix says this new season, directed by series cocreator Aziz Ansari, and scripted by Ansari and Waithe, delivers an evolution of the series that remains tethered to previous seasons while breaking new storytelling ground of its own. Season 3 is described as a modern love story that intimately illustrates the ups and downs of marriage, struggles with fertility and personal growth both together and apart. Fleeting romantic highs meet crushing personal losses while existential questions of love and living are raised.

Perry Mason
HBO2, 12pm

Binge HBO’s recent prequel, opening with the future legal eagle (Matthew Rhys) as a hard-drinking World War I vet and low-rent private eye. A lurid baby killer case and a beautiful evangelist (Tatiana Maslany) set Perry on his path.

Formula 1 Racing: Monaco Grand Prix
ESPN2, 8:55am Live; ABC, 12:30pm Replay

After being canceled last year, the prestigious Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix returns to the streets of Monte Carlo. Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and 2019 race winner Lewis Hamilton take to the scenic 19-turn circuit. ESPN2 airs the race live in the morning and ABC airs an afternoon replay.

NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix
FS1, 2:30pm Live

Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, hosts its first ever NASCAR Cup Series race as Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and other top stars compete on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course.

Ellen’s Game of Games: “From the Window to the Taj Mah Wall”
NBC, 7pm
Season Finale!

Season 4 of the game show concludes at a special time tonight. Contestants play Stink Tank, new game Make It Rain, Taj Mah-Wall, and Mazed and Confused. The winner of each of the first four rounds moves on to Know or Go, and that winner advances to Hotter Hands for a chance to win a cash prize.

Bless the Harts: “Toni With an I”
FOX, 7:30pm

When Jenny (voice of Kristen Wiig) ignores Jesus’ (Kumail Nanjiani) advice on a moral conundrum, her new take on the truth causes huge problems for Louise (Emily Spivey) in the new episode “Toni With an I.”

Biography: Ultimate Warrior
A&E, 8pm

This film shares the story of Ultimate Warrior, a WWE Hall of Famer who inspired an entire generation of fans living by his mantra of “always believe.” With his colorful face paint and equally colorful interviews, Ultimate Warrior is perhaps best remembered for defeating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI to become both the WWE Champion and the Intercontinental Champion.

American Idol
ABC, 8pm
Season Finale!

The winner of the 19th season is crowned tonight in the three-hour season finale.

The Equalizer
CBS, 8pm
Season Finale!

In the Season 1 finale episode “Reckoning,” McCall’s (Queen Latifah) personal and professional lives collide when Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes) and her friends are threatened by a European crime syndicate for being eyewitnesses to the outfit’s execution of a drug cartel boss.

The Simpsons
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!

After Moe (voice of Hank Azaria) breaks their most sacred rule, a secret society of bartenders seeks ultimate vengeance on Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and his friends. Guest Ian McShane lends his voice to a character in the Season 32 finale “The Last Barfighter.”

Morning Show Mysteries: Murder Ever After
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 8pm
Original Film!

Following a shocking find in an old friend’s basement, TV host Billie (Holly Robinson Peete) works with new-to-town detective Tyrell (Colin Lawrence) to uncover a secret involving the most powerful people in the city. Based on the book series by Al Roker.

A Mother’s Lie
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

When socialite Joyce discovers her teen daughter, Katherine, is pregnant by her boyfriend, Joyce forbids her from telling him about the pregnancy and bribes Katherine’s doctor to tell her the baby died during delivery. Twenty years later, Katherine is happily married but struggling to find a bone marrow donor to save her daughter, Haley. Desperate, Joyce tracks down Katherine’s firstborn child, who has been named Libby. Libby accepts Joyce’s offer to be Haley’s donor, not realizing how they’re all related. As Libby and Haley prepare for surgery, Joyce works overtime to ensure no one reveals Libby’s identity. But when Joyce’s lie spirals out of control, Katherine must confront her mother if she hopes to save her daughters. Alex Paxton-Beesley, Madelyn Keys, Sonja Smits and Nick Londono star.

2021 Billboard Music Awards
NBC, 8pm Live

This annual live broadcast showcases spectacular performances, unexpected collaborations, buzzworthy pop-culture moments and more as it celebrates the past year’s greatest achievements in music. Billboard Music Awards nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners. The Weeknd leads the nominees with 16 nods.

The Girlfriend Experience: “Control Shift”
Starz, 8pm

Iris (Julia Goldani Telles) can’t keep her two worlds separate anymore, which comes with unwanted consequences. She realizes she’s in a position of power, while simultaneously having lost all control.

Directed by James Whale
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

English film director James Whale is fondly remembered for helming some of the most beloved horror movie classics of all time in the 1930s, but he was also accomplished in directing other film genres, too. In tonight’s triple feature of Whale films, you’ll have the chance to see his talent at handling various types of stories. The evening begins with one of his most legendary films, and what was just his third feature — Frankenstein (1931), the timeless adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. This film kicked off Universal Studios’ famed run of iconic creature features and made Boris Karloff — the fourth-billed actor on the movie’s poster — into a household name, despite the fact that he was hidden beneath lots of brilliant Jack Pierce makeup effects as Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s (Colin Clive) creation. Karloff’s transformative acting, guided by Whale’s direction, helped make audiences feel some empathy for the lonely “monster” as he made his way through an unwelcoming world. Next is Whale’s second feature film, Waterloo Bridge (1931), a romantic drama starring Mae Clarke and Douglass Montgomery (billed as Kent Douglass), and featuring Bette Davis in a small role in what was just her third film. Finally, this Whale of an evening concludes with The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933), an atmospheric murder mystery starring Nancy Carroll and Frank Morgan. — Jeff Pfeiffer

Dwight in Shining Armor
BYUtv, 8:30pm
Series Finale!

BYUtv’s family series in which the Middle Ages meets Middle America ends its fifth and final season with this episode. Sloane Morgan Siegel plays 21st-century teen Dwight, who inadvertently awakens warrior princess Gretta (Caitlin Carmichael), her court magician (Joel McCrary) and many medieval villains who have been sleeping for a thousand years. Dwight is then spellbound to protect Gretta as her unconventional champion while her enemies from the past invade his hometown of Woodside.

Duncanville
FOX, beginning at 8:30pm
Season Premiere!

The adventures of unspectacular teen Duncan Harris (voice of Amy Poehler) continue with a two-episode Season 2 premiere, in which the Harris family embarks on its first vacation. Parks and Recreation stars Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Retta and Nick Offerman make guest voice appearances. After tonight’s premiere, the series moves to its regular day and time beginning Monday, May 31. FOX has already ordered a third season.

NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS, 9pm
Season Finale!

Here’s how you end a season! Agent Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) is abducted by an associate of Kirkin’s (R.I.P., you quirky criminal) who needs his help. The rest of the team investigates the shooting of a militarized dolphin with a Russian microchip.

The Story of Late Night: “Letterman v. Leno”
CNN, 9pm

Carson’s 1992 retirement touches a nation — and touches off an epic late-night war between Jay Leno and David Letterman. But it’s network newcomers Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel — and the comic inspirations of cable upstart Jon Stewart — that introduce hilarious new comedy perspectives that could change late night’s sense of humor forever.

Godfather of Harlem: “The Ballot or the Bullet”
EPIX, 9pm
Midseason Finale!

Three Freedom Riders are murdered in Mississippi, and Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) wants justice, as well as a hedge against federal investigation. Chin Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio) evades imprisonment with an “insanity” defense, and Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch) delivers his most fervent call to action.

Bob’s Burgers
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!

After Tina and Bob (voices of Dan Mintz and H. Jon Benjamin) plan a father-daughter date to see Bob’s old favorite campy singalong vampire movie, Tina decides to invite her friends along in the Season 11 finale “Vampire Disco Death Dance.”

In Treatment
HBO, 9pm
New Series!

It’s been over 10 years since we eavesdropped on therapy sessions in this drama’s original 2008-10 run starring Gabriel Byrne as Dr. Paul Weston. When Emmy winner Uzo Aduba takes over as Dr. Brooke Taylor, one of Weston’s mentees, her practice is just as gripping. “What I found exciting is who she is with each patient is not the same,” Aduba says of the intuitive Los Angeles-based psychologist, who treats three clients in her house and online due to the pandemic. That adds another layer to the give-and-take: “These patients are getting a wealth of information on who she is.” Tonight’s back-to-back episodes introduce two of those clients, heartfelt Eladio (Anthony Ramos), a home health aide with insomnia, and fiery Colin (John Benjamin Hickey), a millionaire turned white-collar criminal trying to maintain his early release from prison. In Monday’s installments (four air weekly), we meet third patient Laila (Quintessa Swindell), an entitled teen skirting questions about her sexuality, then get to know the doc off-the-clock. Brooke struggles with issues raised by her father’s death and her desire to reconnect with an ex, Adam (Joel Kinnaman). Says Aduba, “It’s the classic case of people who care well for others but take the least care of themselves.”

The Cars That Built the World
History, 9pm
New Miniseries!

This two-night miniseries (featuring two hourlong episodes tonight and tomorrow night) chronicles the brilliant innovations and fierce rivalries that led to the world’s most iconic car brands and features the stories of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Honda and more. The genius inventors behind these brands created new industries and established a freedom never imagined before the birth of the car. This miniseries travels around the globe showcasing stunning vehicles and the gifted, driven, cunning — and sometimes cutthroat — men and women who were instrumental in creating and pushing forward the most transformative technology of the 20th century.

The Chi
Showtime, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 4 will look at the wide-ranging effects of policing in the Black community after Jake (Michael V. Epps) has a fateful run-in with a group of officers. Newlyweds Emmett (Jacob Latimore) and Tiff (Hannaha Hall) deal with the repercussions from his affair with Dom (guest star La La Anthony). Kiesha (Birgundi Baker) grapples with her pregnancy, while Jada (Yolonda Ross) finds love where she least expects it.

NCIS: New Orleans
CBS, 10pm
Series Finale!

After seven seasons, Pride (Scott Bakula), Tammy (Vanessa Ferlito), Carter (Charles Michael Davis) and Wade (CCH Pounder) close the case on the NCIS spinoff based in the Big Easy. In the series finale episode “Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler,” Pride has plenty to deal with on the eve of his wedding to Rita (Chelsea Field).

Fall River: “Deal With the Devil”
EPIX, 10pm

Satan takes a prominent role in the bizarre 1981 trial of Carl Drew, as the “Satanic Panic” incites fear across the country. The lead detective in the case becomes haunted by his own investigation and pledges to undo an injustice.

Secrets of the Lost Ark
Science Channel, 10pm
New Series!

For centuries, explorers have searched for the Bible’s most sacred religious artifacts. One of the most mysterious of these objects is the famed Ark of the Covenant — the gold-plated wooden chest believed to house the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. The Ark’s exact whereabouts has long puzzled scholars. This series features a real-life treasure hunt for the Ark that follows clues hidden in the most extraordinary places — from the Holy Land to the countries that surround it. Along the way, researchers will examine its many unsolved mysteries: What did the Ark look like? What was its purpose? And did it actually exist at all?

Black Monday
Showtime, 10pm
Season Premiere!

The first episode of Season 3, “TEN!” picks up in the aftermath of Season 2’s events: Dawn (Regina Hall) took the hit for Black Monday and went to jail; Blair (Andrew Rannells) has turned to politics; and Mo (Don Cheadle) is in Miami, where he reigns over the Mo Co.

Flatbush Misdemeanors
Showtime, 10:30pm
New Series!

Written by and starring Kevin Iso (High Fidelity) and Dan Perlman (That’s My Bus!), this new comedy of city life follows characters struggling to thrive in their new surroundings in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Many of the roles will be cast with actors from Brooklyn or the Flatbush neighborhood, including Kristin Dodson (The Shivering Truth), in the role of Zayna, one of Dan’s outspoken high school students.

Monday, May 24

The Wonderful World of Disney: Tangled
ABC, 8pm

When the kingdom’s most wanted — and most charming — bandit, Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi), hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief, and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse (Maximus), an over-protective chameleon (Pascal) and a gruff gang of pub thugs.

All American: “Bring the Noise”
The CW, 8pm

When Spencer (Daniel Ezra) learns that Grace (Karimah Westbrook) skipped her own college graduation, he enlists Olivia’s (Samantha Logan) help to throw her a surprise party, which helps distract them from reality. Billy (Taye Diggs) is worried about his players’ chances at college recruitment, so he tries to organize a scrimmage game to help, but it’s not as easy as he hoped. Meanwhile, Asher (Cody Christian) is forced to confront his feelings for his mom’s fiancé, as well as his feelings about Vanessa (guest star Alondra Delgado).

9-1-1
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!

Athena (Angela Bassett) and the 118 are on high alert when a sniper is targeting members of the LAFD in the Season 4 finale “Survivors.”

The Voice: “Live Finale, Part 1”
NBC, 8pm Live

The singing competition series ends its 20th season and determines its latest winner over the course of a two-episode finale, beginning tonight and concluding tomorrow.

Lifetime & The Hollywood Reporter Present: Women in Entertainment: The Next Generation
Lifetime, 8pm

This one-hour special highlights the stories of extraordinary high school girls selected by Big Brothers Big Sisters L.A. and paired with a female Hollywood executive as a mentor. It will follow each of their journeys and see how these relationships have changed all their lives. The hour will also feature appearances by Kathryn Hahn, Elizabeth Olsen, Padma Lakshmi, Anna Kendrick, Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson, Jurnee Smollett and Lana Condor discussing the impact of strong female role models in their lives.

Antiques Roadshow: “Celebrity Edition, Hour 4”
PBS, 8pm

Join TV personality Carson Kressley, actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, humorist Mo Rocca, and musicians Paquito D’Rivera and Brenda Feliciano as they get the full Antiques Roadshow experience.

Star of the Month: Movie “Roberts”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Since next Monday is Memorial Day, and TCM will be in the midst of its Memorial Day movie marathon, tonight marks the final installment of the Monday night May Star of the Month focus on memorable movies featuring actors named Robert. This evening’s lineup (running into tomorrow morning): the network premiere of Chaplin (1992, Robert Downey Jr.), The Great Santini (1979, Robert Duvall), Mean Streets (1973, Robert De Niro), In Cold Blood (1967, Robert Blake), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967, Robert Forster) and The Thing From Another World (1951, Robert Cornthwaite). — Jeff Pfeiffer

All Rise
CBS, 9pm
Series Finale!

CBS isn’t picking up All Rise for Season 3, so the series will end with the Season 2 finale episode “Yeet.” The murder trials against Alexander Moore (Zayne Emory) and Jack Allen (Derek Luh) begin, and the pressure mounts when Lola (Simone Missick) agrees to allow media into the courtroom to support her reelection campaign.

Black Lightning
The CW, 9pm
Series Finale!

The landmark superhero show signs off after four seasons with the Pierces uniting one last time to save their beloved Freeland from Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III). We’re hearing they may get some help from a familiar face they never thought they’d see again.

Best Baker in America: “The Northern Plains”
Food Network, 9pm

The seven bakers put their own spin on kuchen, the official state dessert of South Dakota, and serve it with a side of ice cream. Then the bake-off challenge involves making a new dessert with the ingredients of Minnesota’s scotcheroo bar.

9-1-1: Lone Star
FOX, 9pm
Season Finale!

Owen (Rob Lowe) and the members of the 126 race into action when a massive dust storm engulfs Austin in the Season 2 finale episode “Dust to Dust.”

The Cars That Built the World: “Motorize the Masses”/“Winning the World Over”
History, 9pm
Miniseries Finale!

The miniseries concludes with two hourlong episodes. First, in “Motorize the Masses,” as the Roaring ’20s bring cars to the American masses, Germany lags far behind — and Japan struggles to modernize. The car could be the answer to the problems of both nations, as Adolf Hitler seeks a “people’s car” to help pull Germany from an economic depression, and a small group of industrialists and upstarts see the automobile as the way to claim Japan’s rightful place in the world. Then World War II changes everything. In “Winning the World Over,” as German and Japanese car makers attempt to recover from the devastation of the war, the car takes on a renewed importance for both nations. In Germany, Ferry Porsche attempts to create the first accessible sports car using parts from their people’s car. Meanwhile, in Japan, Honda and Toyota must fight for the mere ability to manufacture cars, hoping to unlock the potential for future world domination.

The Good Doctor: “Forgive and Forget”
ABC, 10pm

Shaun and Lea go on a camping trip to distract themselves from their grief over their miscarriage. Meanwhile, Morgan and Park argue about the best course of treatment for their patient.

Debris
NBC, 10pm
Season Finale!

Fans of the freshman drama, prepare to have your minds blown. Tonight, the special agents played by Jonathan Tucker and Riann Steele are headed for what Tucker calls “a slam dunk” regarding the truth about their hunt for the wreckage of an alien spaceship.

Independent Lens: “The Donut King”
PBS, 10pm

Hear the incredible story of Ted Ngoy. After fleeing Cambodia for the United States, he built a multimillion-dollar fried pastry empire, Christy’s Donuts, and began living his American dream. But a great rise often comes with a great fall.

The Secrets She Keeps
AMC, 11pm
Season Finale!

Two women have a chance encounter in a supermarket in an affluent Sydney suburb. They are the same age, both heavily pregnant and due at the same time. Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is a glamorous online “influencer” on the rise with an ambitious television sports reporter husband, Jack (Michael Dorman). Agatha (Laura Carmichael) works in the supermarket as a shelf stacker. Although they live near each other, the two women’s lives could not be more different. Their worlds are about to collide in one shocking act that cannot be undone as this eerie thriller comes to an end. If you missed the entire season, you can stream it on Sundance Now.

Tuesday, May 25

Chopped Next Gen
Discovery+
New Series!

Twenty young chefs bring their cutting-edge culinary skills and fierce determination to this new competition series. Four chefs compete in each hourlong episode through three rounds to bring a youthful spin on dishes never seen or tasted before. A recurring panel of some of the culinary world’s up-and-coming stars — Nyesha Arrington, Darnell Ferguson, Mei Lin, Esdras Ochoa and Kwame Onwuachi — judge each competitor’s dish based on taste, presentation and how creative their vision is. Only one chef walks away each episode with the cash prize and bragging rights.

Between Black & Blue
Sundance Now
New Series!

This true-crime series tells the extraordinary story of two New York City detectives who are convicted of a sensational murder, their decades-long fight to clear their names and the hunt for one of the confessed gunmen who may hold all the answers. All four episodes are available today.

Mike Tyson: The Knockout
ABC, 8pm
Series Premiere!

This new series begins with Tyson’s youth and his transition from a bullied kid who, in a single instant, discovers his true power, which becomes the basis for the icon’s reputation as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Former trainers Bobby Stewart and Teddy Atlas, and Joe Colangelo, longtime friend of legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato, describe Tyson’s time in and out of juvenile detention, while D’Amato trains a young boy from Brooklyn to the edge of his boxing dream of heavyweight champion of the world. They discuss Tyson’s rise to fame after D’Amato’s death and his spiraling under the pressures of stardom, including his lifestyle of excess partying, his marriage to Robin Givens, his infamous 1988 Barbara Walters interview, including Given’s allegation of domestic abuse, and divorce. Former opponents Michael Spinks and Buster Douglas sit down for interviews and discuss their fights against Tyson, including Tyson’s win over Spinks to become the undisputed heavyweight champion and Tyson’s shocking first professional boxing loss to Douglas, who was a 42-to-1 underdog.

NCIS
CBS, 8pm
Season Finale!

While pursuing a dangerous arms dealer, the team is shocked when Bishop (Emily Wickersham) is implicated in an old NSA leak in the Season 18 finale “Rule 91.”

The Flash: “Family Matters, Part 2”
The CW, 8pm

Barry (Grant Gustin) and Iris (Candice Patton) come together to try to stop a dangerous force from destroying Central City.

Mental Samurai
FOX, 8pm
Season Premiere!

The series that combines a game show with a thrill ride is back for Season 2 with two episodes tonight. Contestants mentally battle each other and the clock as they attempt answer questions while being whipped around the arena strapped into a capsule attached to a robotic arm. Rob Lowe returns as host.

The Voice
NBC, 8pm Live
Season Finale!

The Season 20 winner is crowned in the second part of the live finale.

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer: “Data”
PBS, 8pm

See how the emergence of fact-based research, data mapping and analysis has improved public health. The practice evolved out of the 19th century science of epidemiology and cholera mortality reports in the 1840s, where the now-ubiquitous “curve” of an epidemic was first documented.

TCM Special Theme: Body Images in Film
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

The final installment of TCM’s Tuesday night May Special Theme featuring movies with characters and actors/actresses of more realistic body and facial types airs this evening. The lineup starts with Marty (1955), the Best Picture Oscar-winning drama starring Best Actor Oscar-winning Ernest Borgnine as the Bronx butcher of the title, a socially awkward, average-looking, unmarried 34-year-old who has resigned himself to bachelorhood despite badgering from friends and family to settle down. Marty was nominated for eight Oscars, and its other wins were for Best Director (Delbert Mann) and Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky, who adapted an earlier teleplay of his). Next up is Dogfight (1991), starring River Phoenix as Eddie, a young Marine about to ship out to Vietnam, who invites a shy, plain-looking waitress named Rose (Lili Taylor) to a “dogfight” — a cruel party where young men challenge each other to find and bring the “ugliest” date, unbeknownst to the women who accompany them. Despite this, and his guilt about it, Eddie and Rose end up finding a relatively meaningful relationship. The evening concludes with The Heiress (1949), a drama nominated for eight Oscars, winning four, including Best Actress for Olivia de Havilland; and The Old Maid (1939), starring Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins and George Brent. — Jeff Pfeiffer

7 Little Johnstons
TLC, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Viewers last saw Trent and Amber delivering an ultimatum to Jonah: He needed to find his own place within three months. Now, Jonah is juggling the hunt for a new place to live, a job search and a long-distance relationship. Meanwhile, rising tensions between Anna and Amber have resulted in Anna looking to move out as well. With so many changes on the horizon for the family, each Johnston is faced with the realities of growing up.

Tyler Perry’s House of Payne
BET & BET Her, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The comedy returns for its eighth season on a new night. The series follows retired fire chief Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) and his wife Ella (Cassi Davis). Together, the loving couple navigates the problems of life with their quirky modern-day family. House of Payne has also been renewed for a ninth season.

FBI
CBS, 9pm
Season Finale!

The investigation into the shooting of five prominent men sparks an overdue showdown between boss Isobel Castille (Alana De La Garza) and arrogant cartel head Antonio Vargas (David Zayas). She really wants to take him down!

Chopped: “PB and J”
Food Network, 9pm

The ingredient baskets in this battle are inspired by peanut butter and jelly! A giant sweet surprise in the second basket must find its way onto chicken entree plates, and not everything goes smoothly for the chefs as they hustle their PB and J desserts.

Black Women OWN the Conversation: “Mental Health and Trauma”
OWN, 9pm

This hourlong special episode of the Emmy-winning OWN Spotlight series features an audience of Black women engaging in an in-depth conversation regarding mental health and trauma impacting the Black community. The conversation is led by Oprah Winfrey, who is joined by various experts. Airing on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the episode offers resources and key takeaways to start healing from trauma, particularly after a difficult year where the Black community has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional toll of the ongoing fight for racial justice and equality. This conversation is meant to destigmatize mental health issues and offer suggestions of how to do the work to heal both individually and as a community.

Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living
BET & BET Her, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!

In Season 2 of this sitcom that is returning on a new night along with House of Payne, Mr. Brown (David Mann), Cora (Tamela Mann) and the gang open their assisted living facility and a hilarious variety of personalities come to live in the home, bringing with them a ton of laughs and experiences. The series has also been renewed for Season 3.

FBI: Most Wanted
CBS, 10pm
Season Finale!

Season 2 comes to a close with the episode “Chattaboogie.”

This Is Us
NBC, 10pm
Season Finale!

Secrecy has always been the norm for the family drama’s cast and crew, but redacted script pages and extra precautions became necessary for this episode, exec producer Dan Fogelman says, given that Season 5 wraps up “in a different way.” Taking us into possibly the last season (in 2019, NBC renewed This Is Us through Season 6) has been “years in the making structurally,” he hints. The big event, in present day, is the wedding of superstar actor Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) and endearing Madison (Caitlin Thompson), mother of their newborn twins. The bride may not be close with her family, but the Pearsons are all present, with Kevin’s stoic adopted brother Randall (Sterling K. Brown) as best man. The storyline set in the past — a slice of life for Pearson parents Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) — is “a little bit meta,” Fogelman explains, since it concerns another TV show’s season finale. Anyone remember 1985’s Moldavian wedding massacre from Dynasty? Having recorded the episode on her VCR, Rebecca is excited to finally watch … but “it may or may not have accidentally been taped over by Jack with a Pittsburgh Pirates game,” says Fogelman with a laugh.

Wednesday, May 26

40 Year Old Property Virgin
discovery+
New Series!

From free laundry to Mom’s home-cooked meals, the perks of living with parents have kept some prospective homebuyers in their childhood bedrooms far longer than originally planned. In this series, a unique set of house hunters are finally ready to give up their rent-free lifestyle and search for their first home. 40 Year Old Property Virgin follows an array of first-time buyers as they try to find their first place all while navigating the opinions of family, friends and nosy neighbors.

Life Under Renovation
discovery+
Season Finale!

The self-shot series in which average Americans chronicle their most epic renovations ends its first season.

Press Your Luck/The $100,000 Pyramid
ABC, beginning at 8pm
Season Premiere!

Doubleheader! Host Elizabeth Banks opens Luck with new whammies and a square on the board that puts a player in the lead by $1. Then, Michael Strahan welcomes Rosie O’Donnell and Nate Berkus to Pyramid.

The Masked Singer
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!

Season 5 of The Masked Singer concludes as the final costumed performer is unmasked and the winner is revealed.

Property Brothers: Forever Home
HGTV, 8pm
Season Premiere!

In the season premiere, “The Future Looks Bright,” a couple loves the vintage character and features of their 1940s Los Angeles home, but its closed-off layout is no longer functional for their growing family. Drew and Jonathan Scott help them make a clean transformation that embraces both the past and present.

Chicago Med
NBC, 8pm
Season Finale!

Just as a new heart becomes available for Carol (Margaret Colin), her daughter Dr. Manning’s (Torrey DeVitto) earlier theft of trial heart failure meds places Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) in jeopardy.

Life at the Waterhole: “Episode 2”
PBS, 8pm

Discover how hotter weather impacts the animals, as the waterhole becomes busier in the cool temperatures of evening. Nocturnal activity brings a new predator out of the shadows: hyenas, creatures so elusive it’s hard to know the size of the clan.

Malawi Wildlife Rescue: “Monkey Madness”
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm

Follow the wildlife rescue team as they attempt to weigh a python, collar a leopard and bring back a rogue baboon. Dr. Amanda Salb has her work cut out for her — at the center and in the wild.

TCM Spotlight: Order in the Court: “For the Defense”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

TCM’s Wednesday night May Spotlight will be adjourning soon, but not before one final evening of films with courtroom themes and settings. Tonight’s titles go on defense with stories about lawyers fighting for their defendants, beginning with one of the most beloved examples: To Kill a Mockingbird, the Best Picture Oscar-nominated 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel. Best Actor Oscar-winning Gregory Peck stars as courageous Southern lawyer Atticus Finch, who defends Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a Black man accused of raping a white woman — a case that heightens the tension in the already racially tense town, and which puts the safety of Finch and his family, and his strength of conviction, to the test. Up next is Inherit the Wind (1960), starring Best Actor Oscar nominee Spencer Tracy as lawyer Henry Drummond and Fredric March as his friend and rival Matthew Harrison Brady, in an acclaimed adaptation of the 1955 play that fictionalized the infamous 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial. Then, in …And Justice for All (1979), Al Pacino gives a Best Actor Oscar-nominated performance as Baltimore defense attorney Arthur Kirkland, who famously finds that “the whole trial is out of order!” when his frustrations with the legal system push him to the edge. The night concludes with The Kiss (1929), a silent drama starring Greta Garbo and Lew Ayres; and The People Against O’Hara (1951), a film noir starring Spencer Tracy, Pat O’Brien and James Arness. — Jeff Pfeiffer

SEAL Team
CBS, 9pm
Season Finale!

The members of Bravo Team are forced to make major personal decisions after they take a devastating hit in the Season 4 finale “One Life to Live.”

Guy’s Grocery Games: “Guy Cooks the Games: Salute the Troops”
Food Network, 9pm

Hunter Fieri puts his dad, Guy, through Triple G boot camp when a few guests drop in to pay the Fieris a visit and play along with action-packed Salute the Troops games. In Round 1, Guy chooses a teammate to make an American comfort classic with him. In Round 2, the Fieris double down on chaos when the team makes a victory dinner and food flies in the Fieri family mess hall.

Crime Scene Kitchen
FOX, 9pm
New Series!

Actor/comedian Joel McHale hosts this all-new baking competition series with a unique twist. It’s a culinary guessing game in which bakers are tasked with decoding what type of dessert was made, when all that’s left are the crumbs, flour trails and a few elusive clues. They must then re-create the recipe for celebrity judges Curtis Stone and Yolanda Gampp, who will determine how closely their sweet treat matches the missing dessert — and how good it tastes.

Bargain Block: “Modern and Bohemian”
HGTV, 9pm

Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas have unconventional plans for two decrepit houses. A fresh coat of black paint and a contemporary design brings the Mod House to life, while the Bohemian House transforms to a light airy style with the help of a peacock wallpaper.

Chicago Fire
NBC, 9pm
Season Finale!

“Hold on to your hat!” exec producer Derek Haas warns. “The last 10 minutes will be as tense — and as big — as anything we’ve ever done.” (Haas has hinted that Taylor Kinney’s Lt. Kelly Severide could be in scuba gear again.) It’s also, he adds, “one of those finales where those final minutes will make a lot of viewers angry with me!” Even if our favorite firefighters do survive, what’s the prognosis for their romances — like lovebirds Severide and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who recently aced the lieutenant’s exam? “Just when you think things are going where you want them to go, they don’t always end up there,” Haas says. We’ll have to wait to learn whether Kidd stays at Firehouse 51, which could require the exit of another lieutenant or a promotion in-house. As for whether Capt. Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer), who just survived a health scare, and paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) finally get together, that hinges on whether Casey can end that powerful emotional attachment to ex-wife Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund). Time to douse that fire, Casey.

A Million Little Things: “Not Alone”
ABC, 10pm

Eddie is determined to prove that he can still be a good father despite his physical challenges, and Sophie searches for answers to help cope with her trauma. Meanwhile, Rome and Tyrell work together on a passion project.

S.W.A.T.
CBS, 10pm
Season Finale!

The bombing of a Los Angeles police station puts the city on edge, leading the team to a final showdown with a group of domestic extremists in the Season 4 finale “Veritas Vincint.”

The Bold Type
Freeform, 10pm
Season Premiere!

In this season’s opening episode, “Trust Fall,” Jacqueline gathers the Scarlet team at an important retreat, where Sutton struggles to focus and Jane races to finish an exposé on a rival magazine. Kat grapples with her confusing emotions, and searches for clarity in what she wants.

Chicago P.D.
NBC, 10pm
Season Finale!

Sergeant Voight (Jason Beghe) and his team continue to pursue a deadly crime ring that traffics drugs and people. When their violence hits close to home, the cops go all out to end the terror. Adding to the already hard-to-bear tension: Officer Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) must navigate an increasingly perilous situation.

Thursday, May 27

Apocalypse ’45
discovery+

This documentary recounts the final months of the war in the Pacific with never-before-seen, raw color film footage and the voices of 24 men who lived through the events. It documents events from the flag-raising at Iwo Jima in February 1945, to the harrowing kamikaze attacks and vicious ground combat at Okinawa in April of that year, and more. For this film, the National Archives opened its vaults and allowed previously denied access to over 700 reels of footage covering the harrowing expanse of the final months of the Pacific War.

Friends: The Reunion
HBO Max

HBO Max celebrates the one-year anniversary of its launch with this special in which Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer return to the iconic 1994-2004 sitcom’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show. The reunion will feature a variety of special guests including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Larry Hankin, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.

Eden
Netflix
New Series!

This anime series is set thousands of years in the future, where a city known as Eden 3 is inhabited solely by robots whose former masters vanished a long time ago. On a routine assignment, two farming robots accidentally awaken a human baby girl from stasis, questioning all they were taught to believe — that humans were nothing more than a forbidden ancient myth. Together, the two robots secretly raise the child in a safe haven outside Eden.

Rugrats: Part 1
Paramount+
New Series!

In this all-new series from Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the reimagined babies of the classic 1990s series continue to explore their world in brand-new adventures that will both complement and evolve the original show’s beloved stories. The first set of episodes of the Rugrats debut season drop on Paramount+ today, with the rollout of additional episodes to be announced at a later date. The series will also air on the linear Nickelodeon channel in the future. Reprising their original voice roles are E.G. Daily (Tommy Pickles), Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie Finster; Cartwright provided the voice from 2002-06), Cheryl Chase (Angelica Pickles), Cree Summer (Susie Carmichael) and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil DeVille).

TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: I Miss … the Theatre
TCM, beginning at 6:15am
Catch a Classic!

Another social gathering place that many people have missed going to over this pandemic year-plus has been the theater. Turner Classic Movies has you covered this morning and afternoon, allowing you to vicariously live out a night at the theater through various films, without worrying about standing-room-only crowds. The lineup begins nice and early with Tea for Two (1950). Set in the 1920s, the musical comedy is based on No, No, Nanette and stars Doris Day (in her first role with top billing, and the first film in which she danced as well as sang) as a would-be stage singer seeking backing for her Broadway show. Next is 42nd Street (1933), the toe-tapping, Best Picture Oscar-nominated film that follows the backstage goings-on of a Broadway musical. The day rounds out with Stage Struck (1958), a Broadway-set drama starring Henry Fonda, Susan Strasberg and Christopher Plummer in his film debut; the Oscar-nominated Kiss Me Kate (1953), with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as once-married musical theater actors who find themselves performing opposite each other as Petruchio and Kate in a production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew; The Producers (1967), Mel Brooks’ uproarious, Oscar-winning comedy about a Broadway producer and his accountant (Zero Mostel and Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee Gene Wilder) scheming to bilk investors by staging what they think will be a certain flop; the Best Picture Oscar-nominated musical biopic Funny Girl (1968), starring Best Actress Oscar winner Barbra Streisand as famed Broadway/film star and comedian Fanny Brice; and, finally, Vincente Minnelli’s Oscar-nominated, Broadway-set 1953 musical comedy The Band Wagon, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. — Jeff Pfeiffer

2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards
FOX, 8pm Live

The eighth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards air live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Top nominees include Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Blake Shelton, Cardi B, Drake, Dua Lipa, H.E.R., Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

No Demo Reno: “Mid-Century Modernized”
HGTV, 8pm

A young couple with a baby on the way ask Jenn Todryk to make their beautiful mid-century modern home more functional while staying true to its original 1950s style.

The Wall: Red Nose Day Edition
NBC, 8pm

Chris Hardwick hosts this special episode of the game show tied in with the Red Nose Day fundraising campaign to combat child poverty. A deserving Houston family will play the high-stakes game to try to earn life-changing cash for themselves, while Hardwick cheers them on and raises money for Red Nose Day by testing his own skills on the wall. Viewers will have the chance to join in to help raise money for the cause during the show and learn how Red Nose Day funds help underserved children. The episode will also feature surprise celebrity guests.

United States of Al: “Birthday/Kaleeza”
CBS, 8:30pm

Hazel (Farrah Mackenzie) learns that Al (Adhir Kalyan) doesn’t know when his birthday is as she begins planning her own party in the new episode “Birthday/Kaleeza.”

Flip or Flop: “Prickly Flip”
HGTV, 9pm

Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack get a lead on a property overrun with cacti in Lakewood, California, but they can’t see inside because tenants are still there! The duo returns to find a leaky water bed creating a huge mess that may endanger their profits.

Swamp People: “Bayou Blowout”
History, 9pm
Season Finale!

Troy and Pickle’s tagout hangs in the balance; Don and Jacob make a big mistake; Willie and Little Willie battle to the end; and Ronnie and Ashley take it down to the wire.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “What Can Happen in the Dark”
NBC, 9pm

Garland (Demore Barnes) asks Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to investigate an unusual domestic violence case when his neighbor is found injured.

Rebel: “Race”
ABC, 10pm

Against Rebel’s advice, Cruz turns to a familiar source to help dig up proof that proves the Stonemore valve is faulty. Elsewhere, Rebel, Cassidy and Grady come together to help Ziggy after learning that her friends have been unjustly expelled from school. Meanwhile, Lana continues to search for more information about Angela and instead is confronted with a shocking revelation.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: “Everybody Takes a Beating Sometime”
NBC, 10pm

A new episode of Christopher Meloni’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit spinoff series premieres tonight.

Joseline’s Cabaret: Miami: “We’ll Always Have New Girls”
WE tv, 10pm
Season Finale!

Season 1 of the activities of the “Puerto Rican Princess” closes tonight.

Friday, May 28

Panic
Amazon Prime Video
New Series!

This 10-episode young adult drama series is written and created by Lauren Oliver, based on her novel. It takes place in a small Texas town, where every summer the graduating seniors compete in a series of challenges, winner takes all, which they believe is their one and only chance to escape their circumstances and make their lives better. But this year, the rules have changed — the pot of money is larger than ever and the game has become even more dangerous. The players will come face-to-face with their deepest, darkest fears and be forced to decide how much they are willing to risk in order to win.

Cruella
Disney+ with Premier Access
Feature Film Exclusive!

Originally intended as a theatrical release only, this live-action prequel film that serves as an origin story for Cruella de Vil (Emma Stone), the iconic and fashionable villainess from 101 Dalmatians, now will also premiere on Disney+ with Premier Access the same date it hits theaters. Set in 1970s London amid the punk rock revolution, Cruella follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.

Launchpad
Disney+
New Series!

The first season of this collection of live-action short films from a new generation of dynamic storytellers features six shorts available on the launch date. The goal of Launchpad is to diversify the types of stories that are being told and to give access to those who have historically not had it. The filmmakers, all from underrepresented backgrounds, were selected from more than 1,100 U.S. applicants and were given an opportunity to share their perspectives and creative visions with audiences around the world. Each filmmaker was assigned executive mentors from the various divisions of the company as they created short films based on the theme of “Discover.”

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: “State of Play”
Disney+
Season Finale!

The present-day-set follow-up series to the hit Mighty Ducks feature film franchise of the ’90s concludes its first season. Lauren Graham and Emilio Estevez star.

Plan B
Hulu
Original Film!

After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student (Kuhoo Verma) and her slacker best friend (Victoria Moroles) have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America’s heartland.

The Kominsky Method
Netflix
Season Premiere!

In the six-episode third and final season of this Golden Globe-winning Chuck Lorre-produced comedy, Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) has to navigate what aging looks like without his longtime friend Norman Newlander (Alan Arkin) by his side. Life only becomes more complicated with the arrival of Sandy’s ex-wife, Roz Volander (Kathleen Turner). The pair’s famously volatile relationship is further inflamed when she comes to L.A. to spend time with their daughter Mindy (Sarah Baker) and her boyfriend Martin (Paul Reiser). Lisa Edelstein, Emily Osment, Graham Rogers and Haley Joel Osment reprise their guest-starring roles this season.

Lucifer
Netflix
New Episodes!

Season 5 of this series starring Tom Ellis as the devil, who abandons hell to take up in Los Angeles, returns with its remaining new episodes. In the first part of the season, Lucifer’s twin brother Michael had secretly taken the devil’s place on Earth while he is back in hell. The series, also starring Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro and D.B. Woodside, has been renewed for a sixth and final season.

The Dick Van Dyke Show — Now in Living Color!
CBS, 8pm

CBS presents two recently colorized episodes of the classic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, featuring 1962’s “Where Did I Come From?” and 1965’s “Never Bathe on Saturday.”

Chopped: “Competition Italiano”
Cooking Channel, 8pm

The appetizer includes pasta dough, but time issues lead to some big problems. The tasty trend continues with veal chops and bottarga in the basket. Desserts made with figs are the final two dishes.

Love and Monsters
EPIX, 8pm

A toxic fallout has killed most of humanity and created huge, mutated animals — and Joel (Dylan O’Brien), safe but sad underground, hasn’t seen his ex-girlfriend (Jessica Henwick) in seven years. So he works up the courage to go find her in this charming “hor-rom-com” reminiscent of Zombie­land (and Oscar-nominated for its visual effects). Some postapocalyptic advice: A grizzled guide (Michael Rooker, terrific) is important, but a great dog is essential.

My Lottery Dream Home: “So Young, So Rich”
HGTV, 8pm

David Bromstad visits Charlotte, North Carolina to help his youngest lottery winner yet, 22-year-old Hadleigh. She won $25,000 a year for 20 years, but took a lump sum payment of $390,000 in the Lucky for Life lottery so she could buy her first home. There aren’t many 22-year-olds with a property portfolio, but David is thrilled to help Hadleigh find a dream home she can share with her mom and sister. Apart from the regular three-bedroom, two-bathroom minimum requirements, these two youngsters are looking for a home with sturdy banisters for sliding down, a pretty room to livestream from and, of course, room to roll!

Evil Stepmom
LMN, 8pm
Original Film!

Annabelle and Gabriella are twins, and Annabelle is ready to see their dad, Tim, start dating again after years as a widower. Gabriella, however, fears Annabelle is rushing their dad by setting up a secret dating profile for him. When transfer student Bethany joins their soccer team, Annabelle realizes Bethany’s mom, Caroline, has matched with their dad on his dating profile. Tim and Caroline immediately hit it off, but Gabriella is suspicious of how quickly Caroline and Bethany have inserted themselves into their lives. Determined to prove the women are up to no good, Gabriella must find out the truth before Caroline can become their evil stepmom. Tara Spencer-Nairn, Julia Lalonde, Randy Thomas and Hannah Vandenbygaart star.

The Blacklist: “Balthazar ‘Bino’ Baker”
NBC, 8pm

Hoping to move some precious cargo quietly, Red (James Spader) enlists the assistance of an enforcer who specializes in transporting items through an underground network.

Memorial Day Marathon
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Beginning tonight, and running all the way through Memorial Day (Monday, May 31) and into the early morning hours of June 1, Turner Classic Movies remembers those Americans who have lost their lives in military service with an extensive lineup of some of the greatest war/military movies ever made. The schedule for tonight and early tomorrow morning includes, in order: Pride of the Marines (1945), Till the End of Time (1946), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Wings for the Eagle (1942) and Above and Beyond (1952). — Jeff Pfeiffer

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
FS1, 8:30pm Live

The big Memorial Day weekend of NASCAR racing begins with the primetime Camping World Truck Series 200-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Inside the Met: “Love and Money”
PBS, 9pm
Series Finale!

See how the Metropolitan Museum of Art faces a new financial reality following its fall 2020 reopening, with philanthropists and art collectors stepping in to help keep the museum alive.

A Black Lady Sketch Show
HBO, 11pm
Season Finale!

The sketch comedy takes on tough first-date questions and the struggle of friends splitting the bill after
a meal. Surely you’ve experienced one of these scenarios.

Saturday, May 29

90 Day: Foody Call
discovery+
New Series!

The 90 Day universe serves up its latest entry with this series in which couples from the franchise invite you into their kitchens and dish on recipes for relationship success, all while preparing traditional meals from their home countries. During each episode, things get a little saucy when fans get a peek into what it’s like to hang out at home and cook with these beloved duos.

Memorial Day Marathon Continues
TCM, all day
Catch a Classic!

Turner Classic Movies’ remembrance of Memorial Day continues all day long (and into early tomorrow morning) with the following military-/war-related films, in order: Thunder Afloat (1939), Destination Tokyo (1943), No Time for Sergeants (1958), Darby’s Rangers (1958), Up Periscope (1959), Imitation General (1958), 36 Hours (1964), Nazi Agent (1942), Act of Violence (1948, airs as part of TCM’s Saturday late-night “Noir Alley” block), Journey Into Fear (1942), Merrill’s Marauders (1962) and Dark of the Sun (1968). — Jeff Pfeiffer

Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out
Food Network, 12pm
Season Premiere!

Fire up the grill and get ready for more alfresco ideas as Iron Chef Michael Symon unveils a new season of self-shot episodes featuring easy-to-follow tips for outdoor eats. Joining him for the weekly feasts are his wife, Liz, and, of course, Staffordshire bull terrier Norman.

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300
FS1, 1pm Live

Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, Myatt Snider and other emerging stars of the NASCAR Xfinity Series compete for 300 miles at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Major League Baseball
FOX, 7pm

Viewers will see either the Milwaukee Brewers at the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants at the L.A. Dodgers or the Atlanta Braves at the N.Y. Mets in FOX’s Saturday night regional MLB broadcast window.

Oslo
HBO, 8pm

Israelis and Palestinians try to give peace a chance in a film version of the Tony-winning play about the secret negotiations that led to the historic 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. Over an unexpectedly emotional two hours of back-channel meetings, adversaries lighten up by sharing meals and jokes in a manor. “It’s only in the sharing of the private that we can see each other for who we truly are,” says their host, sociologist Terje Rød-Larsen (Flea­ bag’s Andrew Scott), who devised the risky mission with his diplomat wife, Mona Juul (The Affair’s Ruth Wilson). This is history told on a refreshingly human scale.

Storm of Suspicion: “Dead of Winter”/“Sweltering Sorrow”
The Weather Channel, 9pm
Season Finale!

Season 2 of the true-crime series that investigates murders where weather played a central role in solving or covering up the crime concludes with two back-to-back hourlong episodes tonight: “Dead of Winter” and “Sweltering Sorrow.”