An emotional documentary reunites the cast of Broadway’s groundbreaking musical Spring Awakening after 15 years. This Is Us plucks the heartstrings with an episode filling in the backstory of Miguel Rivas, Rebecca’s second husband. Former Jeopardy winner Buzzy Cohen takes over from Ken Jennings as one of The Chase’s “Chasers,” alongside other new trivia champs. A shooting puts a hospital in lockdown on The Resident, while New Amsterdam deals with a medical setback for one of its own.
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Spring Awakening
“It felt like we were the Beatles,” says Broadway actress Lilli Cooper (Tootsie, currently in POTUS) as she recalls the November 2021 one-night-only reunion concert featuring the original cast of Spring Awakening, the groundbreaking Tony-winning musical. It helped launch the careers of Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher Jr., Skylar Astin and others, and reconnecting with “the material that changed our lives” (Groff’s words) is emotionally overwhelming for them, as it will be for fans tuning into this deft documentary. Clips from the 2006 original production intertwine with footage from rehearsals and the reunion performance, which really does feel like a rock-concert event. The songs are as powerful as ever. You’ll be totally you-know-what if you miss this.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
This Is Us
Tears will also flow freely as the series, nearing its final chapters, steps back to give us the backstory of Miguel Rivas (Jon Huertas), who married Rebecca (Mandy Moore) years after the death of her husband, and his best friend, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). We watch as the “Big Three” eventually accept the new/old man in their mother’s life, and when he becomes her caretaker to the detriment of his own health, they’re there to care for him as well. A lovely story well told, confirming Miguel’s and Huertas’s place in the Pearson family history.
The Chase
You’ll notice some new faces among the “Chasers” as the quiz show returns for a third season. Ken Jennings is no longer part of the rotation of trivia champs taking on contenders, fueling speculation that his path toward becoming a full-time Jeopardy! host isn’t that far away. Filling his shoes will be another Jeopardy! pro, Buzzy “the Stunner” Cohen, who memorably guest-hosted last year’s Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. He joins returning Chasers and fellow Jeopardy! icons James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter, with two new Chasers: Victoria “The Queen” Groce, an online trivia-tournament dominatrix and also a Jeopardy! champ, and (appearing in the season premiere) Brandon “The Lightning Bolt” Blackwell, a renowned speed-quiz champ of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire fame. (Mark “The Beast” Labbett has also stepped away this season.)
Nathan Bolster
The Resident
Emergency: The ER goes into lockdown after one of Chastain’s doctors is shot outside the premises, and the team goes to work to keep one of their own alive. In a timely subplot, Devon (Manish Dayal) and The Raptor (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) learn their patient won’t be able to get the lung transplant he needs because of his vaccination status.
Ralph Bavaro/NBC
New Amsterdam
In other TV-hospital news, while Helen (Freema Agyeman) convalesces after her stroke, Max (Ryan Eggold) puts a plan into motion that could get Dr. Veronica Fuentes (Michelle Forbes) ousted for good. Things get personal for Iggy (Tyler Labine) when he counsels two patients who are dealing with a breakup, which makes him reflect on the state of his own troubled marriage.
Inside Tuesday TV:
- Holey Moley (8/7c, ABC): Or should we say “Wocka wocka!” as the Muppets, including Fozzie Bear and a flirty Miss Piggy, pop into the Season 4 premiere, mixing it up with hosts Joe Tessitore and Rob Riggle during their color commentary of the comedic extreme miniature-golf competition.
- Deadliest Catch (8/7c, Discovery): A nail-biting episode features the helicopter rescue over turbulent icy Arctic seas when deckhand Francis Katongan is injured aboard the Patricia Lee after being crushed by a 700-lb. crab pot knocked loose by a rogue wave.
- Superman & Lois (8/7c, The CW): It’s double trouble when Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) is confronted by his doppelganger, Jon-El. Followed by an eventful prom night for teenage superhero Naomi (9/8c).
- Flood in the Desert (9/8c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): An American Experience documentary revisits one of the greatest civil engineering disasters in American history: the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam 40 miles north of Los Angeles. Followed by the third and final installment of the Frontline docuseries “The Power of Big Oil” (10/9c, check local listings at pbs.org).
- Who Do You Believe? (10/9c, ABC): True-crime TV with a twist, as both sides share their version of events, then the viewer gets to play armchair detective to deduce the truth. The premiere introduces newlyweds Mark and Charity, whose relationship may not survive revelations from their pasts.
- The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch (10/9c, History): In Season 3, scientists, researchers and former government and military officials continue their experiments on the Utah ranch in “UFO alley” to investigate sightings and other UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) activity.
- The Girl from Plainville (streaming on Hulu): The finale of the true-crime docuseries deals with the aftermath for Michelle Carter (Elle Fanning) after her conviction, and for the families seeking closure after these tragic events.