Finale Fever on CBS (‘S.W.A.T.,’ ‘Fire’ and ‘Blue Bloods’) and Streaming (‘Sugar, Franklin’), Audra Sings, Huey P. Newton Flees

Blue Bloods

The mainstay of CBS’s Friday night lineup is nearing its end, with one last batch of episodes scheduled in the fall to close the 14^th and final season. (Fans and cast members hope the network will change its mind.) For now, in what’s billed as the “14^th season, part one” finale, Aidan Quinn guest-stars as a detective on a crusade against a rapist he arrested who landed back on the streets. Elsewhere, Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie (Vanessa Ray) mark their anniversary by going undercover at a corrupt sober living house, and Henry (Len Cariou) asks his Commissioner son Frank (Tom Selleck) for a favor regarding the NYPD’s 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

Fire Country

The fire is of an emotional nature in the Season 2 finale of the first responder drama that already has inspired a spinoff for next season. Wedding bells are ringing for Bode’s (Max Thieriot) love Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) and her intended groom Diego (Rafael de la Fuente), but could Bode be a spoiler after getting some unexpected news? Preceded by the Season 7 finale of S.W.A.T.(8/7c), which was intended as a series finale until the network changed its mind (giving many fans false hope for other not-so-lucky series). Hondo (Shemar Moore) faces an existential crisis regarding his leadership potential, but puts it aside to rally the team to stop a violent extremist cell plotting to blow up half of Los Angeles.

Mary & George

The lurid historical costume drama ends on a turbulent note, when George (Nicholas Galitzine) heads with Charles (Samuel Blenkin) to Spain on behalf of England, and the king’s lover oversteps in his arrogant negotiations. Turns out George is a chip off the old block, with his scheming mother Mary (Julianne Moore) plotting to exploit her malign influence over the ailing King James I (Tony Curran).

Franklin

Negotiations for peace following the Revolutionary War bring the lavish historical docudrama to a complicated conclusion, with the visionary elder statesman Ben Franklin (Michael Douglas) creating a blueprint for a liberated new nation while delicately working out details with his French allies and the conquered British, none of whom are likely to be satisfied. Franklin’s goal for America: “That a free people may govern themselves guided by common sense and a belief in the greater good.” And should they lack common sense? “Then I suppose they shall get what they deserve.” Words to chew on forevermore.

Sugar

The sleek private eye neo-noir that (spoiler alert) somehow morphed into a sci-fi mystery wraps its first season with alien P.I. John Sugar (Colin Farrell) trying to wrap up loose ends in the Olivia Siegel kidnapping case, only to discover a connection that has him questioning their mission. While his fellow alien observers plan their cosmic exit, with enemies ready to eliminate them, Sugar ponders his own identity: “Have I become more human?”

Great Performances

Has anyone ever known Audra McDonald—recipient of a record six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy—to give a performance that’s less than great? With musical director Andy Einhorn leading the 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra, the divine diva brings down the house at London’s Palladium with a program of standards and Broadway tunes including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Summertime” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” You have permission to get up off the couch to join in the ovations.

The Big Cigar

In a lively caper reminiscent of the Oscar-winning Argo, André Holland (The Knick) stars as notorious Black Panthers founder Huey P. Newton, who’s determined to flee America after he alleges that he’s been framed for murder by the feds. Newton finds an unlikely ally in maverick Hollywood producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola), who concocts a scheme to smuggle the fugitive to Cuba under cover of a fake movie production, titled The Big Cigar. What could go wrong? Just about everything.

Doctor Who

Veteran Doctor Who writer/producer Steven Moffat pens another exhilarating adventure for the new Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), landing with companion Ruby (the delightful Millie Gibson) on a war-torn planet where he promptly steps on a land mine. “I’m a much bigger bang that you bargained for,” he informs the soldiers who are fighting an invisible enemy, guided by a corporate algorithm that acts as a metaphor for a corrupt military-industrial complex. While the Doctor struggles to avoid annihilation, Moffat scores points on the futility and costs of war.

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• Jeopardy! Masters (8/7c, ABC): The field has been narrowed from six to four, with Amy Schneider joining James Holzhauer and top-ranked players Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut in the semifinals, which continue Monday. The next four games (two per night) decide the final three who’ll move on to play in the May 22 finals.
• Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home (9/8c, Hallmark Mystery): Suits’ Amanda Schull is former U.S Army trauma surgeon Rachel Hunt, now a small-town family doctor and widowed mom of two who suspects a patient’s death wasn’t from natural causes, enlisting local detective Jack Quinn (Brendan Penny) to help her investigate.
• 20/20 (9/8c, ABC): Celebrity hairstylist Fabio “Big Daddy” Sementilli’s 2017 murder was initially thought to be a burglary gone wrong, until DNA reveals a closer connection to the killer.
• Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (11/10c, HBO): In the season finale, Jerrod struggles over whether to reconcile with or challenge his judgmental mother when she pays a visit.

ON THE STREAM:

• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (streaming on Paramount+): Keke Palmer is the guest judge in the Season 9 premiere, with eight fan favorites returning to compete for a $200,000 prize to be donated to charity.
• Power (streaming on Netflix): Yance Ford’s provocative documentary takes an expansive and critical look at the history of policing in America.
• Thelma the Unicorn (streaming on Netflix): In an animated family comedy, Thelma (Brittany Howard) is an underdog pony who becomes a superstar disguised as a unicorn. The voice cast features comic pros including Will Forte, Jemaine Clement, Edi Patterson, Fred Armisen and Zach Galifianakis.
• Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever (streaming on Shudder): A sequel to the 1994 Dutch cult thriller (which inspired a 1997 film with Ewan McGregor) stars Fanny Leander Bornedal as Emma, whose father Martin (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was among those terrorized years ago by psycho killer Wörmer at a creepy forensic medical institute. So what’s she doing taking a job there on the night watch?