TNT, 7:00 p.m. ET
The twin stories of the dominant Miami Heat player LeBron James and the relatively small Chicago Bulls guard Nate Robinson made Game 1 of this Eastern Conference semifinal exceptionally interesting. Robinson is 5 feet 9 inches, yet he led the Bulls to a first-game 93-86 victory against the powerhouse Heat. Tonight is Game 2, taking place, once again, in Miami.
NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
There were plenty of strong performances in the past two days, but I was most impressed by the judges, who successfully presented the impression that they liked sharing air time with one another (and even the same stage, performing). That may not sound difficult – but have you seen American Idol lately? And if you haven’t, that may be the reason why.
Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET
This is the two-hour installment in which the final three female contestants will sing, repeatedly, for a shot at participating in next week’s final. One of them will not be back next week. And as for the female judges, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, it’s fair to say that one of them, most probably, will not be back next season. Perhaps both.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
This new TCM profile of Richard D. Zanuck profiles the prolific and feisty movie producer, who helped redefine cinema with the idea of a blockbuster movie, courtesy of Jaws in 1975. Before that, he’d already produced such films as The Sting, The Sound of Music and Compulsion. After that, his film productions included Driving Miss Daisy, Big Fish and the recent remake of Alice in Wonderland. Zanuck died last year. This, as they say, is his story.
ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET
The extended family ends up at a local roller rink for a fundraiser, and the sight of some of them, on skates, isn’t exactly a portrait of grace. Phil takes the opportunity to try to teach Gloria to skate, which is not a pretty sight. But it should be a funny one…