Laughs, Tears and Songs in ‘Goldbergs,’ ‘Million Little Things,’ ‘Schmigadoon!’ Finales, Ed Sheeran Gets Personal, Ted Lasso’s Daddy Drama
On a night of many finales, ABC’s The Goldbergs and A Million Little Things sign off for good. The hilarious musical spoof Schmigadoon! wraps its second season. A Disney+ docuseries provides an intimate profile of music superstar Ed Sheeran. Ted Lasso’s son pays a memorable visit to London.
The Goldbergs
The 1980s family sitcom calls it a decade, drawing the curtain after 10 seasons and 229 episodes. The theme in the series finale: Back to the Future, with Adam (Sean Giambrone) turning the tables on mom Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) by interfering in her love life. When he escorts his widowed mom to her high school reunion, he’s dead set on keeping her from winding up with who he thinks is the wrong man (guest star Rob Corddry). In other family news, Barry (Troy Gentile) and Joanne (Beth Triffon) take steps to prove how serious they are about their relationship.
A Million Little Things
The network has kept details of the series finale under wraps, but if it’s anything like last week’s episode, in which the Boston friend group rallied around an ailing Gary (James Roday Rodriguez) in what appeared to be his final days, expect tears to be copiously jerked. And could we maybe hope for a happy ending for Eddie (David Giuntoli) while we’re at it?
Schmigadoon!
Speaking of happy endings, that has been the goal of Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) throughout their musical tour of Schmicago! in Season 2 of Cinco Paul’s brilliant spoofical. But first, they must escape the clutches of the villainous Octavius Kratt (Patrick Page) in the season finale. Look for nods to Dreamgirls and The Phantom of the Opera among other musical gags as our core couple decides once again whether to leave the magic behind to face the real world. Or as one of the locals puts it: “Why return to a place you were so desperate to leave?” We’re already desperate to return to Schmigadoon!, no matter what musical period Paul chooses to tackle next should he get the chance.
Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All
With his latest album, Subtract, out later this week, pop superstar Ed Sheeran opens up in an intimate four-part docuseries, which explores his musical process during a turbulent period that included the death of his best friend Jamal Edwards, who helped launch his career, and a health crisis for his wife Cherry. He looks back at his unlikely career while writing new music that reflects his emotional journey.
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is rarely more endearing than when he’s in corny dad mode—but this time, when young Henry (Gus Turner) spends a weekend with his dad in London, Ted’s thoughts are elsewhere. Namely in Paris, where ex-wife Michelle (Andrea Anders) has gone with her current beau, Dr. Jacob (Mike O’Gorman)—their former marriage counselor—and where the romantic possibilities are endless. In other relationship news, Keeley (Juno Temple) hits a rough patch with Jack (Jodi Balfour) after a private video goes viral, and Nate (Nick Mohammed) quite charmingly seeks to define his new romance with restaurant hostess Jade (Edyta Budnik).
INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:
- The Conners (8/7c, ABC): The Season 5 finale revolves around Mark’s (Ames McNamara) high-school graduation. Followed an hour later by the two-part Season 1 finale of Not Dead Yet (9/8c and 9:30/8:30c), in which Nell (Gina Rodriguez) seeks closure with her ex, Phillip (Ed Weeks), while dealing with a spirit named Janice, played by Cheers veteran Rhea Perlman.
- Chicago Med (8/7c, NBC): The hospital’s future—whether it stays public or goes for-profit—hinges on the vote of an incapacitated board member. Followed by Chicago Fire (9/8c), with Boden (Eamonn Walker) teaming with Ritter (Daniel Kyri), Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) to take down local politician Ramsey (David Lee) who was responsible for a chemical fire. On Chicago P.D. (10/9c), Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) deals with a tragic shooting at the building he owns.
- Nature (8/7c, PBS): The 41st season concludes with “Attenborough’s Wonder of Song,” in which Sir Richard Attenborough conducts a symphony of animal songs found in the wild, introducing us to the song of the lemur, the humpback whale and the lyrebird, among others.
- The Flash (8/7c, The CW): In the first of a multi-part arc, Barry (Grant Gustin) suddenly goes missing, and his path to get home is marked with many familiar faces.
- Survivor (8/7c, CBS): An emotional highlight of any season is the arrival of letters from home. But to get access to them, contestants must score a win at the reward challenge. Tears will flow.
- Jewel Robbery (8/7c, Turner Classic Movies): The suave William Powell (The Thin Man) is TCM’s Star of the Month, with movies airing each Wednesday in May. The tribute opens with Powell as a jewel thief in 1932’s Jewel Robbery, followed by the better-known 1934 Manhattan Melodrama (9:30/8:30c), in which he and Clark Gable play childhood buddies who grow up on very different sides of the law.
- Nova (9/8c, PBS): In “Saving the Right Whale,” scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration track the alarmingly dwindling numbers of the North American right whale.
- Jewish Matchmaking (streaming on Netflix): The producers of Indian Matchmaking—see the trend?—turn their attention to Jewish matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom as she aims to help singles in the U.S. and Israel find their soulmates.