Brooke Shields Is ‘Mother of the Bride,’ Workplace Snooping on ‘Todd,’ Irish Mystery in ‘Bodkin,’ ‘Law & Order’ Hits 500

Movie Premiere

Brooke Shields is in romcom hell—or heaven, depending on how you look at it—as Lana, who’s thrown for a loop when daughter Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) returns from abroad and announces she’s getting married in a month. In Thailand, no less. The situation becomes even more fraught when Lana discovers that the groom (Sean Teale) is the son of her first true love (Benjamin Bratt), making for an awkward meet-again-cute. Chad Michael Murray stars as the local doctor who catches Lana’s eye, stirring her ex’s little green monster of jealousy. What are the odds the wedding aisle is going to be particularly crowded in the happily-ever-after climax?

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No premature cancellation this season has triggered as much angry reaction in my mailbox as the shuttering of this fun caper comedy after only two seasons. The next-to-last episode sounds like a particularly juicy one, with in-house private eye Todd (Skylar Astin) discovering that investigator Lyle’s (Tristen J. Winger) girlfriend Alex (Vinessa Antoine) is an FBI agent, prompting him to volunteer his services to help her find out who at the law firm is a lawbreaker. Everyone else at Crest, Folding & Wright is working overtime for Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden) on Gus’s (Jeffrey Nordling) hearing for a class action settlement that could boost the firm’s ailing bottom line.

Series Premiere

Irish eyes aren’t exactly smiling when a trio of podcasters descends on a quaint Irish village to investigate a 25-year-old mystery: the disappearance of three unrelated people at the annual Samhain (“Irish day of the dead”) festival. Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte stars in the darkly comic seven-part series as upbeat American interloper Gilbert Power, given to pronouncements like “The best stories are always mysteries, and there’s only one true mystery: the human heart.” Cue the eye roll from his reluctant partner Dove (Siobhán Cullen), a snarky curmudgeon of an investigative reporter who’s none too keen on this assignment: “True crime podcasts aren’t journalism, they’re necrophilia,” she sneers. Also along for the bumpy ride: cheerfully eager researcher Emmy (Robyn Cara). This team of opposites will soon realize that danger lurks in this seemingly peaceful coastal burg. Recommended to those impatient for the next season of Only Murders in the Building.

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It’s a rare case that sends the top District Attorney into court. But in the legal drama’s milestone 500^th episode, Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) takes over for ADA Price (Hugh Dancy) when disturbing information about the defendant comes to light during the trial involving the murder of a therapist with a lengthy client list. Followed by new episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c), where Benson (Mariska Hargitay) assigns Agent Sykes (Jordana Spiro) a cold case, hoping it will help her get closure on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance; and Law & Order: Organized Crime (10/9c), with Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and older brother Randall (Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris) giving younger sib Joe Jr. (Michael Trotter) an ultimatum: get clear or go to prison.

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Before next week’s hourlong series finale, featuring an appearance by The Big Bang Theory stars Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik as the future Sheldon and his soulmate Amy, there are some loose ends to tie up among the Cooper clan in Texas. Namely, George Sr. (Lance Barber) deciding to get a vasectomy without telling wife Mary (Zoe Perry), who he believes wants to have another baby. This is why doghouses were invented. Elsewhere, Drs. Linkletter (Ed Begley Jr.) and Sturgis (Wallace Shawn) get some last-minute science tutoring from the boy genius Sheldon (Iain Armitage).

In her bid to become relevant enough to score the late-night hosting gig of her dreams, Deborah Vance (the brilliant Jean Smart) submits to a celebrity roast, with Mario Cantone as roastmaster and her daughter D.J. (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson) scrambling for a memorable catchphrase to attach to her mom. Desperate to get the network’s attention, her agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and assistant Kayla (Megan Stalter) ambush network head Winnie (Helen Hunt) on the pickleball court.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• 9-1-1 (8/7c, ABC): While Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms) learn more about Mara (Askyler Bell), the newest addition to their family, Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) works with Athena (Angela Bassett) to find a kidnapped mother and her child. Followed by Grey’s Anatomy (9/8c), where Jules (Adelaine Kane) makes a bet with Blue (Harry Shum Jr.) over who’ll be first to finish their procedure log; and Station 19 (10/9c), with the crew encountering members of the Tulalip Tribe when they arrive at a local park.
• Next Level Chef (8/7c, Fox): The three remaining chefs race to make a three-course meal, competing for $250,000 and a year’s mentorship in the season finale. Followed by Farmer Wants a Wife (9/8c), with the farmers making the tough call between their final two ladies. A reunion episode airs next Thursday.
• Elsbeth (10/9c, CBS): The quirky snoop (Carrie Preston) takes on AI when the CEO of a crime-alert app (You’s Elizabeth Lail) covers up a journalist’s murder by using the app to create a non-existent killer.

ON THE STREAM:

• Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (streaming on Max): The YA mystery franchise continues with a sequel to Original Sin, with the embattled teens of Millwood High facing a new threat while attending classes in the off season.
• The GOAT (streaming on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee): Comedian Daniel Tosh hosts a campy reality competition celebrating (or maybe mocking) a quarter-century of the genre, gathering 14 seasoned reality-show exhibitionists to act out during often slapstick challenges, with $200,000 and the Greatest of All Time title at stake.
• Love Undercover (streaming on Peacock): Maybe the next season of The GOAT can find a contestant or two in the ranks of this dating series, where five soccer stars adopt new identities while dating women in L.A. who have no idea these guys are rich and famous.
• Black Twitter: A People’s History (streaming on Hulu): A three-part docuseries based on a Wired article explores the cultural and political impact of Black Twitter, including the #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite movements.
• The Deadly Getaway (streaming on BET+): Loving couple Hope (Yandy Smith-Harris) and Jacob (Jason Weaver) book a rustic glamping trip for their anniversary, only to have it spoiled when her obsessive ex (Jeff Logan) turns up with his girlfriend (Princess Love Norwood) and a sinister agenda.
• Star Trek: Discovery (streaming on Paramount+): The crew has their enemy rivals Moll (Eve Harlow) and L’ak (Elias Toufexis) in custody, which creates a diplomatic incident when the Breen demand the Federation hand them over.