Judging ‘Elsbeth,’ ‘Jackal’ Finale, Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow Lead ‘No Good Deed,’ Billboard Music Awards

Elsbeth

Who’s having extra enjoyable than Carrie Preston and Michael Emerson enjoying off of one another? Perhaps the viewers, nevertheless it’s an in depth name. The married couple, who’ve shared the display earlier than on exhibits together with Misplaced and Claws, are clearly having a ball as adversaries on the quirky crime dramedy. As their story arc begins, Emerson performs haughty choose Milton Crawford, in whose courtroom Elsbeth (Preston) turns into a reluctant juror for a homicide trial during which the choose has a definite however secret battle of curiosity. Her spidey sense that one thing’s fishy results in battle with the injudicious jurist, and all Elsbeth actually desires is to spend extra time together with her visiting son, Teddy (the interesting Ben Levi Ross).

The Day of the Jackal

The riveting espionage thriller in regards to the worldwide chameleon murderer often called the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) ends its first season with two edge-of-the-seat episodes. The Jackal regroups when his goal, tech visionary UDC (Khalid Abdalla), retreats to his non-public Croatian island, whereas MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch) is stymied by superiors in her quest to search out and take down her most elusive prey. Each cat and mouse are distracted by private issues, with Jackal pressed by spouse Nuria (Úrsala Corberó) to return clear about his soiled occupation. Ought to he full his mission, will he actually have a house to return again to?

No Good Deed

From Liz Feldman, creator of Lifeless to Me, comes one other twisted story of upscale suburban malaise, though the mix of darkish comedy and uncooked emotion not often gels on this well-cast if unwieldy melodrama. Comedy masters Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow emote successfully as Paul and Lydia Morgan, a broken couple who’re placing their fascinating L.A. house within the Los Feliz neighborhood available on the market, an inherited household residence haunted by a tragedy three years earlier. Issues come up as they reckon with secrets and techniques from the previous, whereas the eight-part collection additionally tracks their potential consumers: Abbi Jacobson and Poppy Liu as Leslie and Sarah, a prosecutor and physician hoping to begin a household, and newlyweds Dennis (O-T Fagbenle) and the pregnant Carla (Teyonah Parris), whose bliss is overshadowed by his clinging mom (Anna Maria Horsford). Throughout the road lurks a washed-up cleaning soap actor (Luke Wilson) and his spoiled spouse (Linda Cardellini), who’ve additionally obtained designs on the home. Underused: Linda Lavin as their nosy neighbor, who rightly senses one thing’s not fairly proper on their fancy block.

Billboard Music Awards

Michelle Buteau hosts the annual awards present, returning to Fox (its unique broadcast house) for the primary time since 2006. Prime finalists embrace Zach Bryan (with 18 nominations) and Taylor Swift (with 17 in 16 classes), who’s poised to surpass Drake this yr with probably the most wins ever. Introduced performers embrace Coldplay, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, Megan Moroney, Stray Youngsters, Teddy Swims, Tyla, Seventeen, and regional Mexican band Fuerza Regida.

Matlock

The procedural parts on this authorized dramedy (so not a reboot) are gratifying, however what distinguishes Matlock is its depiction of the emotional toll her secret mission is taking up the so-called Matty Matlock (Kathy Bates). She’s briefly reassigned to the youngsters’ desk with Sarah (Leah Lewis) and a heartbroken Billy (David Del Rio) to assist defend a nanny towards costs introduced by the Imply Mothers on the posh faculty attended by Olympia’s (Skye P. Marshall) and Julian’s (Jason Ritter) youngsters. However she’s additionally making an attempt to get her palms on a doubtlessly smoking-gun doc for her anti-Large Pharma campaign, and as soon as once more, it means making a alternative between responsibility and household.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• All I Want for Christmas (8/7c, Hallmark Channel): A winter romance brews between Maggie (Mallory Jansen), a singer/songwriter stumped by new media, and tech entrepreneur Archer (Dan Jeannotte), who helps her understand her musical desires.
• June (8/7c, CMT): A documentary, which premiered earlier this yr on Paramount+, profiles legendary nation singer and songwriter June Carter Money.
• Ghosts (8:30/7:30c, CBS): Sitcom vet Mark-Linn Baker returns as obnoxious neighbor Henry Farnsby, who strikes into the haunted B&B when Sam (Rose McIver) inadvertently causes a rift between the couple subsequent door.
• E! Information Presents NBC’s Scorching 10 of 2024 (9:15/8:15c, NBC): A countdown of the yr’s high leisure moments.

 ON THE STREAM:

• Paris & Nicole: The Encore (streaming on Peacock): The comedic reality-TV glamazons Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie (The Easy Life) reunite for a three-part romp during which they try to rework their musical catchphrase “Sanasa” into an opera. Whatevs.
• Bookie (streaming on Max): Sebastian Maniscalco returns for a second season of Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay’s darkish comedy about an embattled California bookie.
• Blissful Holidays from Cherry Lane (streaming on Hallmark+): The second movie within the Cherry Lane trilogy options Christmas tales set on the similar deal with in 1960 (with Benjamin Ayres and Erica Durance as Eli and Penny, taking in his curmudgeonly dad for the vacations), 1998 (starring The Good Witch’s Catherine Bell and James Denton as Regina and Nelson, whose meet-cute happens throughout a Christmas Eve blizzard), and 2015 (with Julie Gonzalo as Jessie, who’s planning her sister’s Christmas Eve wedding ceremony when she learns that her high-school sweetheart, performed by Ryan Rottman, is the officiant).
• Additionally on Hallmark+: the finale of Discovering Mr. Christmas and the three-episode premiere of Prepared, Set, Glow!, with host Wes Brown revealing the private tales behind spectacular vacation lights shows throughout the USA.
• Too Many Christmases (streaming on BET+): Denzel Whitaker and Porscha Coleman are Jerome and Kayla, whose first Christmas collectively turns into a juggling act after they resolve to attend their respective households’ celebrations on the similar time.
• Monkey on a Stick: Homicide, Insanity & The Hare Krishnas (streaming on Sundance Now): A two-part docuseries exposes allegations of drug smuggling, sexual exploitation and extra crimes throughout the Hare Krishna motion of the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s.
• Hear Up! (streaming on Viaplay): An enthralling coming-of-age comedy follows Mahmoud (Mohammed Ahmed), a young person in a Norwegian immigrant neighborhood exterior of Oslo, as he welcomes his uncle from Pakistan whereas coping with his youthful brother’s life-changing secret.