2013 NBCUniversal Media, LLCAll Times Eastern.
Thursday, April 30
A Parks and Recreation Special
NBC, 8:30pm
Five years after audiences said goodbye to one of the most beloved comedies in TV history, the fine citizens of Pawnee, Ind., are reuniting for NBC and Universal Television’s all-original A Parks and Recreation Special. All of the original characters from Parks and Recreation will return in the 30-minute special, played by original cast members Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, and Retta. (In addition, several guest stars from the Pawnee universe may pop in.) The story comes from the events of the day: Pawnee’s most dedicated civil servant, Leslie Knope, is determined to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing. The telecast was created to raise funds for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which will enable food banks to secure the resources they need to serve the most vulnerable members of the community during this difficult time. In the spirit of Leslie Knope and do-gooders everywhere, please go to feedingamerica.org/parksandrec.
Young Sheldon
CBS, 8pm
Season Finale!
We’d never fault loving mom Mary Cooper (Zoe Perry) for her overprotective ways, but hiding a college acceptance letter for young genius Sheldon (Iain Armitage) may be going too far. “It creates a lot of friction among the entire family,” notes executive producer Steven Molaro — and George Sr. (Lance Barber) is especially riled. “He has a lot to say. He’s tired of feeling like he isn’t as much of a parent to Sheldon as Mary is.” And keep your eyes peeled during the prequel’s season-capper for a Big Bang Theory Easter egg. Teases Molaro: “There is a really fun one lurking near the end of this episode.”
Last Man Standing
FOX, 8pm
Season Finale!
In the season finale episode “How You Like Them Pancakes?,” Eve (guest star Kaitlyn Dever) returns home for a weekend visit, and Kristin’s (Amanda Fuller) big day finally arrives.
TCM Spotlight: New York in the ’70s
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Say farewell to New York City in the 1970s as Turner Classic Movies’ April spotlight concludes tonight. This lineup of ’70s Big Apple film classics comes from a variety of genres, and includes the highly prescient, Oscar-winning satire Network (1976); the Al Pacino crime drama Dog Day Afternoon (1975); the Harlem-set action drama Across 110th Street (1972); Taxi Driver (1976); and the early slasher film Sisters (1972).
Man With a Plan
CBS, 8:30pm
A boat might be more trouble than it’s worth in two new episodes of Man With a Plan tonight. In “Couples Therapy,” when Adam (Matt LeBlanc) buys a boat without asking Andi (Liza Snyder), they wind up in therapy to settle the disagreement. Then Adam discovers someone is sneaking his boat out at night in “Dude, Where’s My Boat?”
Station 19: “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”
ABC, 9pm
Andy (Jaina Lee Ortiz) returns to work and she and Jack (Grey Damon) fight to save people trapped in a collapsing bowling alley. Meanwhile, Ben (Jason George) confronts Sullivan (Boris Kodjoe) about his drug problem, and Maya’s (Danielle Savre) mother, Katherine (guest star Ivana Shein), pays Maya a visit. Grey’s Anatomy’s Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey) and Stefania Spampinato (Dr. Carina DeLuca) also guest star.
Council of Dads: “I’m Not Fine”
NBC, 9pm
New Episodes!
After its series premiere last month, this new drama returns in its new time slot. In this episode, Robin (Sarah Wayne Callies) grapples with how a “Council of Dads” could really function in their day-to-day life as Larry (Michael O’Neill) takes on his responsibilities with passion. Luly (Michele Weaver) has an unexpected meeting with her birth mom, Michelle, and learns about her early life with Scott (Tom Everett Scott), while she and Evan (Steven Silver) make plans for a move to New York. Meanwhile, Charlotte (Thalia Tran) explores her family tree.
Ghost Adventures: “London Bridge”
Travel Channel, 9pm
Zak Bagans and the crew head to Lake Havasu in Arizona to investigate one of the most famous bridges in the world. A dark paranormal energy engulfs the massive structure, attracting death, despair and even the ghost of Jack the Ripper.
Broke: “Dates”
CBS, 9:30pm
In the new episode “Dates,” Javier (Jaime Camil) and Elizabeth (Natasha Leggero) decide to help Jackie (Pauley Perrette) and Luis (Izzy Diaz) get back into the dating scene by setting them up on blind dates.
Top Chef: “Pitch Perfect”
Bravo, 10pm
The chefs are challenged to a taco throwdown for the taco king, actor and restaurateur Danny Trejo. For the Quickfire, the only sharp tool they can use is a machete, in honor of one of Danny’s signature characters. Then, Padma informs the chefs that the only way to make it to Restaurant Wars is to survive this week’s qualifying challenge.
Better Things
FX, 10pm
Season Finale!
The Season 4 adventures of single mom and working actor Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon) and her three daughters in Los Angeles conclude tonight.
Cake
FXX, 10pm
Season Finale!
FXX’s Cake, the half-hour weekly showcase featuring both live-action and animated comedy programs, airs its Season 2 finale tonight.
Tommy: “This Is Not a Drill”
CBS, 10pm
Tommy (Edie Falco) launches an informal investigation into a possible LAPD and city government-related conspiracy just as she prepares to fight for her job in front of an ethics committee in the new episode “This Is Not a Drill.”
Portals to Hell: “Iron Island”
Travel Channel, 10pm
Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman head to Buffalo, N.Y., to investigate a former church and funeral home rumored to house two portals. The owners believe evil spirits are terrorizing the good spirits residing within the century-old building.
Friday, May 1
All Day and a Night
Netflix
Original Film!
Jahkor (Ashton Sanders, Moonlight) never wanted to be like his father (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld), and his father never wanted to see his son in prison. Yet somehow finding themselves together as inmates seemed inevitable. In an unlikely journey of self-discovery, Jahkor explores the dangerous world that unites them, hoping to help his newborn son escape a cycle that feels inescapable.
Hollywood
Netflix
New Series!
Ryan Murphy’s latest production for Netflix, which he co-created with Ian Brennan and cowrote with Brennan and Janet Mock, is a limited series set in post-World War II Hollywood, where it follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers trying to make it no matter the cost. The cast includes David Corenswet, Darren Criss, Jeremy Pope, Samara Weaving, Laura Harrier, Jim Parsons, Dylan McDermott, Holland Taylor, Patti LuPone, Jake Picking and Joe Mantello. Notable guest stars include Maude Apatow, Mira Sorvino, Rob Reiner and Michelle Krusiec.
Medici: The Magnificent
Netflix
Season Premiere!
This Italian-produced historical drama set in 15th-century Renaissance Florence, which explores the power of art and beauty as driving forces behind the rule of the Medici dynasty, returns for its third and final season.
MacGyver: “Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire”
CBS, 8pm
In the new episode “Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire,” the Phoenix team is forever altered when Mac’s (Lucas Till) aunt (returning guest star Jeri Ryan) gets into his head and convinces Mac and Riley (Tristin Mays) to join Codex.
Charmed: “Unsafe Space”
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!
The Charmed Ones must stop the Faction from reaching the sacred tree in the Command Center before disaster strikes. In the meantime, Mel (Melonie Diaz) has a surprising encounter with Ruby (guest star Bethany Brown), Maggie’s (Sarah Jeffery) newfound powers prove a double-edged sword, and Harry (Rupert Evans) and Macy (Madeleine Mantock) deal with a new twist in their relationship.
The Blacklist: “Brothers”
NBC, 8pm
Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) is forced to confront past trauma and family secrets when his brother takes him back home for a risky job.
Hustlers
Showtime, 8pm
A wily group of exotic dancers get down to some risqué (and risky!) business in this critically acclaimed 2019 drama based on true events. Jennifer Lopez gives a career-best performance as Ramona, a longtime dancer at a high-end strip club who becomes a nurturing figure to the venue’s newest performer, “Destiny” (Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu). When the 2008 recession puts them in need of quick cash, the pair recruit a few coworkers and devise a highly illegal plan to seduce, drug and rob some well-off male patrons. Soon enough, they’re rolling in the dough — but how long can they keep it going?
We Come in Peace
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
A large number of Hollywood movies about extraterrestrials have portrayed the beings as invaders with malicious intent for Earth — but not the aliens in the films featured in today’s TCM primetime lineup. They actually do come in peace, even if that peace might be threatened by humanity’s actions in some cases. Tonight’s films are Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning Cocoon (1985), followed by Jack Arnold’s It Came From Outer Space (1953), based on a Ray Bradbury story, and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
Somewhere South: “How Do You ’Cue?”
PBS, 9pm
Follow chef Vivian Howard on a journey to learn how other Southerners cook and eat barbecue. She travels to Florida for smoked mullet and Texas for barbecue with Japanese and Mexican twists.
Friday Night In With the Morgans
AMC, 10pm
In tonight’s episode of Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan from The Walking Dead) and his wife Hilarie Burton Morgan’s (One Tree Hill) half-hour video-chat show, the couple check in with their friends Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton.
Blue Bloods
CBS, 10pm
Season Finale!
Season 10 of Blue Bloods concludes tonight with the finale episode “Family Secrets.”
Betty
HBO, 11pm
New Series!
Based on Crystal Moselle’s critically acclaimed feature Skate Kitchen, this six-episode drama features Dede Lovelace, Moonbear, Nina Moran, Ajani Russell and Rachelle Vinberg, who all starred in the original film. The series follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding, set against the backdrop of New York City.
Saturday, May 2
Cold Justice
Oxygen, 6pm
Season Finale!
Dogged former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and investigator Abbey Abbondandolo wrap up Season 5 of the true crime series in the Sunshine State, reexamining the unsolved 1997 murder of Keith Jones, an aspiring police officer robbed and fatally shot in his motel room.
’80s Saturday
IFC, beginning at 8pm
Each Saturday night in May, IFC will show memorable films from the 1980s. Tonight’s lineup of comedy movies kicks off with back-to-back airings of the highly quotable 1980 classic Caddyshack, led by Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray and Ted Knight, followed by John Candy in 1985’s Summer Rental.
Deadly Mile High Club
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Nightmare at 20,000 feet! Aspiring pilot Jake (Marc Herrmann) flies into the face of danger when he begins working with attractive instructor Tanya (Allison McAtee), who becomes obsessed with him.
Starring Donald O’Connor
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Beloved actor, dancer and singer Donald O’Connor is the focus of TCM’s primetime lineup of two films that showcase both his musical talent and his comedic acting ability. First up is the iconic musical Singin’ in the Rain (1952), for which O’Connor won the Golden Globe for Best Actor — Motion Picture Musical or Comedy portraying Cosmo Brown alongside Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. Following that is the 1950 comedy Francis, which launched the seven-film Francis the Talking Mule franchise, most of which featured O’Connor as Peter Stirling.
Paranormal 911: “Campus Cult; Eye Contact”
Travel Channel, 9pm
Campus police uncover disturbing evidence of dark satanic rituals in an abandoned dorm; the ghost of a teenage car accident victim follows a firefighter home.