Posted Sunday, March 25, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
There is a surfeit of nostalgia this week.
NBC is bringing back the 1970 rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" on Sunday. FX's "The Americans" opens its sixth and final season in 1987. HBO explores the life of the late great comic Garry Shandling.
And ABC brings back the ground-breaking sitcom "Roseanne" from a 20-year hiatus on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
ABC is also rolling out comedies starring Jenna Fischer ("The Office") in "Splitting Up Together" and Zach Braff ("Scrubs") in "Alex Inc."
And NBC is celebrating 1980s/1990s composer Andrew Lloyd Webber ("Cats," "Phantom of the Opera.")
This week covers Monday, March 26 through Sunday, April 1, 2018.
MONDAY
"American Idol" 8 p.m. Fox — Hollywood Week continues.
"The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling" 8 p.m. HBO (part one) — A profile of comedian Garry Shandling (1949-2016) begins with a look at his childhood and early days of his career. (Part two airs same time Tuesday night).
"Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" 8 p.m. VH1 — Erica and Rich reconnect, but she doesn't approve of his new client.
"The Resident" 9 p.m. Fox — Conrad's ex-fiancé is admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain that proves to be a medical mystery.
"The Alienist" 9 p.m. TNT (first season finale) — Kreizler confronts the demons of his past. Moore tells Sara the truth. Connor takes matters into his own hands.
"Teyana and Iman" 9 p.m. VH1 (new series) — Dive into the busy lives of entertainer Teyana Taylor and professional athlete Iman Shumpert as they strive to balance their careers, marriage and raising their daughter.
"Leave it to Stevie" 9:30 p.m. VH1 (second season debut) — Savannah convinces Stevie to see a hypnotist to cure his womanizing ways.
"Scorpion" 10 p.m. CBS — Team Scorpion must use their high IQs to win a softball game when the homeland director challenges, with all of their future government contracts on the line.
"The Good Doctor" 10 p.m. ABC (first season finale) — The team at St. Bonaventure needs to quickly discover the truth behind a young college student's unexplained injuries before his condition worsens.
"Good Girls" 10:01 p.m. NBC — With Dean back in the house, and her criminal activities expanding, Beth struggles to keep her new business separate from her home life.
TUESDAY
"Roseanne" 8 p.m. ABC (10th season debut) — Roseanne and Dan adjust to living under the same roof with Darlene and her two children, Harris and Mark, when Darlene loses her job.
"NCIS" 8 p.m. CBS — The NCIS headquarters are evacuated after the team discovers a body and some bomb materials on the roof of the squad room.
"Black Lightning" 9 p.m. the CW — Black Lightning attempts to rescue several long-missing children reveal a secret he did not anticipate, and its resulting connections.
"Black-ish" 9 p.m. ABC — When both Dre and Bow's families show up for Easter, they have to learn to love each other's different cuisines.
"Rise" 9:01 p.m. NBC — When Lou describes his vision for the show's staging and design, Tracey questions his every decision—but it's Simon's bombshell news that forces Lou to ask himself whether picking this controversial show was worth the cost.
"Splitting Up Together" 9:30 p.m. ABC (new series) — After breaking the news to their friends and family about their divorce, Lena has to deal with her son Mason's growing pains. Jenna Fischer of "The Office" is one of the stars along with Oliver Hudson of "Rules of Engagement" fame.
"Chicago Med" 10 p.m. NBC — When a mother makes a decision regarding care of her vegetative adult son, Dr. Halstead and Dr. Manning find themselves at odds.
"For the People" 10 p.m. ABC— Sandra and Kate go head-to-head on a high-profile case involving a young woman accused of leaking classified information, but they learn to find common ground in their fight for justice and pursuit of the common good. Allison struggles to make a case for her.
"Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and Biggie Smalls" 10 p.m. USA — Poole and Tyndall investigate a dirty cop.
WEDNESDAY
"Empire" 8 p.m. Fox — Nurse Claudia takes her job to a new level when she kidnaps Lucious. To rescue him, Cookie must race against time and use the skills she learned in prison.
"Survivor" 8 p.m. CBS — Tribes are going to be mixed up again and not a moment too soon for the Malolo tribe.
"Alex Inc." 8:30 p.m. ABC (new series) — With the help of wife Rooni and their children, radio journalist Alex Schuman (Zach Braff) quits his prominent job to start his own podcast company.
"Modern Family" 9 p.m. ABC — Haley's brilliant astrophysicist boyfriend comes to meet the family, setting Claire and Phil off in a competition about which one of them is smarter.
"Star" 9 p.m. Fox — Carlotta is devastated after the fire that resulted in someone's death.
"Suits" 9 p.m. USA — Harvey and Louis fight to protect the future of the firm from its past.
"The Americans" 10 p.m. FX (sixth season debut) — In the autumn of 1987, a major arms-control summit looms, and Elizabeth is pushed to her limits as never before; and Philip has settled into running their expanded travel agency, until an unexpected visitor makes a disquieting request.
"Designated Survivor" 10 p.m. ABC — As tensions between East and West Hanchu escalate, President Kirkman travels to Camp David to broker a peace treaty with the leaders of those countries.
"Andrew Lloyd Webber Tribute" 10 p.m. NBC — A celebration of Andrew Lloyd Weber includes a conversation with the composer.
THURSDAY
"The Big Bang Theory" 8 p.m. CBS — Penny gets the opportunity to host Bill Gates at work when his company wants to partner with her pharmaceutical company.
"Grey's Anatomy" 8 p.m. ABC — April's crisis of faith is challenged by a patient she treats who is a rabbi, and Meredith treats a patient who is a transplant surgeon from another hospital.
"Gotham" 8 p.m. Fox — Arkham's "finest" give Gordon and Bullock a run for their money, as they hatch a plan to escape the asylum.
"Siren" 8 p.m. Freeform (new series) — A mysterious girl arrives in a small coastal town, leading to the return of vicious mermaids who are seeking to reclaim their rule over the ocean.
"Young Sheldon" 8:31 p.m. CBS — A disappointing loss at the science fair sends Sheldon's life in a new direction.
"Marcia Clark Investigates the First 48" 9 p.m. A&E (new series) — Marcia Clark investigates the death of toddler Caylee Anthony. Questions are asked about whether or not the girl was murdered by her mother, Casey Anthony.
"Station 19" 9 p.m. ABC — Upon the arrival of Batallion Chief Frankel, Jack begins his first shift as co-captain and continues to butt heads with Andy on leadership styles.
"Mom" 9 p.m. CBS —Christy and Bonnie help Jill get sober again, and Christy's boyfriend, Patrick, is less than understanding when it ruins his birthday weekend
"Will & Grace" 9 p.m. ABC — Grace brings Will for support when she goes home to celebrate her deceased mother's birthday.
"Atlanta" 10 p.m. FX — Trust in one's barber is spotlighted.
"Chicago Fire" 10 p.m. NBC — Upon the arrival of Batallion Chief Frankel, Jack begins his first shift as co-captain and continues to butt heads with Andy on leadership styles.
"Scandal" 10 p.m. ABC — When Charlie is taken into custody for the hijacking of Air Force Two, Quinn is faced with an important choice.
FRIDAY
"Rapture" 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — Throughout 8 episodes and featuring a diverse swath of artists -- Nas and Dave East, T.I., Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 2 Chainz and Just Blaze - Rapture dives into the artists' lives with their families and friends, to sitting front row in the studio and grinding on tour, to experiencing the ecstatic power of moving the crowd.
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" 3:01 a.m. Netflix (second season debut) — The series plunges further into the epic world of this darkly comedic mystery.
"Blindspot" 8 p.m. NBC — The FBI team and Avery attend a gala hosted by their target Hank Crawford in hopes of arresting him. Roman grows closer to the Crawfords.
"Dynasty" 8 p.m. the CW — The arrival of Alexis (Nicollette Sheridan) has thrown the entire Carrington family into disarray.
"Masterchef Junior" 8 p.m. Fox — The junior home cooks craft desserts using natural sweeteners in place of sugar.
"MacGyver" 8 p.m. CBS — When Matty and the team search for a former government tech who stole classified intel and has been evading capture, they reunite with the Coltons, the family of bounty hunters, who are pursuing the same man for different reasons.
"Taken" 9 p.m. NBC — Hart must find a way to stop an exiled former journalist from leaking the names of government assets abroad before innocent lives are taken.
"Hawaii Five-O" 9 p.m. CBS — The ex-wife of the man who shot Danny comes to Oahu and reveals how Danny's protection during a dangerous domestic dispute when he was in New Jersey helped save her life.
"Blue Bloods" 10 p.m. CBS — After Danny's brother-in-law gets caught up with the mob and steals Danny's credit card, Danny forces him to take down the mobsters with Baez's help.
WEEKEND
"Home by Spring" 9 p.m. Saturday Hallmark — An ambitious event planner goes undercover as her boss and returns to her rural hometown.
"Instinct" 8 p.m. Sunday CBS — The murder of a young man who recently left his family's religious community leads Dylan and Lizzie to a series of possible suspects.
"Jesus Christ Superstar Live" 8 p.m. Sunday NBC — The iconic rock opera stars John Legend in the title role, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, and Alice Cooper as King Herod. From the Marcy Armory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y.
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" 8 p.m. Sund ay Bravo — The season finale.
"American Dynasties: The Kennedys" 9 p.m. Sunday CNN —As personal scandal threatens his marriage and looming nuclear war undermines his administration, President John F. Kennedy must fight to protect the presidency, the country and the world.
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