‘Brilliant Minds’ Returns, ‘Testaments’ Finale, ‘Widow’s Bay’ Origin Story, Mary Bennet’s Homecoming

Brilliant Minds

Where is Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto)? Fans of the medical drama have been wondering for months, while NBC kept the acclaimed series on the shelf before ultimately canceling it. In the first of six episodes concluding the second and final season, Wolf is indeed missing, causing concern to the staff of Bronx General, especially his friend and chair of psychology, Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), who has just discovered to her shock that Wolf has been interacting with a hallucination (Sarah Steele‘s Sofia). While she looks for Wolf, the rest of the neurological team treats a party girl whose extreme panic attacks reveal a more serious condition. And resident Dana (Aury Krebs) has a decision to make regarding her paramedic girlfriend Katie (Mishel Prada) and her roomie, Ericka (Ashleigh LaThrop).

The Testaments

The Season 1 finale of the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale hinges on the fate of Becka (Mattea Conforti), whose shocking act of patricide has put her at the mercy, such as it is, of Gilead. Becka’s fellow Plums, Agnes (Chase Infiniti) and the undercover Daisy (Lucy Halliday), are desperate to find a way to help their friend, and the once-compliant sisterhood will never be the same. The series was recently renewed for a second season.

Widow’s Bay

The whimsical supernatural comedy thriller leans into horror with a two-episode drop, the first set in 1702 to reveal the origin of the curse that continues to bedevil the New England island. Betty Gilpin (GLOW) guest-stars as Sarah, whose journal reveals her terrible ordeal upon becoming the wife of Widow’s Bay’s fearsome founder and Island Lord Protector Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater). “Evil stalks this land,” a pastor tells Sarah, with suspicion mounting that the grave, humorless Richard is at the core of the island’s woes. The second episode takes us back to the present, where twitchy mayor Tom (Matthew Rhys) deals with the consequences of literally digging up the past. (For those curious about such things, the movie Tom’s son is watching, oblivious to the real mayhem around him, is appropriately enough 1960’s Horror Hotel.)

The Other Bennet Sister

A homecoming doesn’t provide much warmth for poor Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) in this delightful twist on Pride and Prejudice when the odd sister out — notably the only one minus a spouse — is beckoned to Pemberley to attend to her ailing mother (Ruth Jones). Mary is shocked, and her mother and sisters are delighted, when the charming Mr. Ryder (an affable Laurie Davidson) comes calling to visit and perhaps woo his flustered friend. “I have a very low opinion of the petty rules to which we submit ourselves in the name of good manners,” he tells Mary as he announces his intentions, making for a doozy of an emotional cliffhanger.

Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes recently won $1 million for charity as champion of the All-Star version of Celebrity Jeopardy!, but it’s not her first time in the winner’s circle. She’s also a three-time school spelling bee champion, leading credence to her hosting duties at this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, now being produced by Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies‘ Embassy Row company. “Coming from the world of sports, I see these contestants as elite competitors,” Kimes says. “Growing up, this really was the Super Bowl for kids like me.” The semifinals air in a two-hour broadcast (streaming live on spellingbee.com starting at 2:30 pm/ET), with the finals airing live Thursday at 8 pm/ET from Washington, D.C.’s DAR Constitution Hall.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• NHL Eastern Conference Finals (8 pm/ET, TNT): The Montreal Canadiens hope to tie the Carolina Hurricanes (up 2 games to 1) in the pivotal fourth game in their series.
• MasterChef: Global Gauntlet (8/7c, Fox): In a nod to the upcoming World Cup tournament, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino stops by the cooking competition for the first team challenge, a collaboration with the U.S. Soccer Federation in which lunch is served to 101 kids seeking sustenance after coming off the field.
• Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch (10/9c, Discovery Channel): The reality series’ sixth season opens with a new team of treasure hunters seeking lost Aztec gold on the Utah ranch.
• Secrets of the Dead (10/9c, PBS): Speaking of buried treasure, the history series explores the discovery of an ancient Chinese city and lost civilization after jade and bronze artifacts are found in a rural field.

ON THE STREAM:

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (streaming on Netflix): Amateur sleuth Pip (Emma Myers) is back on the case in Season 2 of the British mystery, spearheading the search for Connor’s (Jude Morgan-Collie) brother Jamie (Eden H. Davies), who goes missing two days before he was to be a witness in the trial of Max Hastings (Henry Ashton).
• Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (streaming on Apple TV): Paula (Tatiana Maslany) tests the limits of her blackmailer in the suspenseful dramedy, while her ex (Jake Johnson) sweetens the offer to get her to move to Boise, and a cunning killer (Murray Bartlett) uses her unwitting daughter to track the witness to his murder.
• Criminal Record (streaming on Apple TV): In the wake of an explosive cliffhanger, June (Cush Jumbo) exposes Intelligence boss Hegarty’s (Peter Capaldi) duplicity and demands Operation Samphire be shut down. But the danger is far from over.
• Room to Move (streaming on Netflix): An intimate documentary profiles choreographer Jenn Freeman as she develops a solo performance in collaboration with Sonya Tayeh, a journey of self-discovery following her diagnosis of autism at age 33.
• Spider-Noir (streaming on Prime Video): The stylish homage to 1930s film noir, starring Nicolas Cage as private eye and retired webslinger Ben Reilly, premiered Monday on MGM+ and is now available for streaming in luxuriant black-and-white and full color. (The first option is the best.)