TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Mel Brooks, a favorite here at TVWW, used his clout from the success of his original movie comedy The Producers, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, to direct his pet project, this 1970 comedy based on a story by his favorite comic Russian writers, Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov. And the fact that Brooks, at that early stage of his career, had favorite comic Russian writers, says a lot about Brooks. Ron Moody and Frank Langella star in this story of a fortune in jewels supposedly sewn into the cushion of one of a dozen family chairs in 1920s Russia.
CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
Celebrating what would have been Frank Sinatra’s 100
th birthday (a few days early, but why quibble?), this CBS concert, taped in Las Vegas, has a mixture of veteran and current performers working their way through the Sinatra songbook. Usher sings “That’s Life.” Harry Connick Jr. glides through “Luck Be a Lady.” Sam Smith nails the high notes on “My Funny Valentine.” Celine Dion sings “All the Way,” Tony Bennett sings “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and Seth MacFarlane sings a totally not-for-laughs “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road).” The closer is Lady Gaga, in black tie, belting “New York, New York.” All that, and more. For a full review, see
David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
SEASON FINALE: There are plans afoot for the fourth anniversary of the Sudden Departure, in and around the town now referred to as Miracle. One miracle already has occurred, though: This series, by venturing past the original source novel into uncharted directions and plot lines, has gotten much more interesting.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
Rupert Friend’s Peter Quinn may or may not have breathed his last at the end of last week’s episode – this season, there’s a lot of that going around. But with only a few episodes to go before the season finale, surprises may indeed be due.
Showtime, 10:00 p.m. ET
This series, too, is only a few episodes away from its season finale – and the stories told by the various characters here are beginning to unravel. And deepen, as at least one of them admits tonight to not having told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…