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Weekend TV: Michael Strahan struts off

The top draws on broadcast and cable and in sports

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

May 13, 2016

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FRIDAY

Best bet on broadcast: ABC, “Live with Kelly and Michael,” 9 a.m. Michael Strahan says farewell, a few months earlier than anticipated.

Best bet on cable: Showtime, “Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live,” 8 p.m. Documentary following the rock star on his tour from Paris to New York.

Top sporting event: ESPN, “NBA Basketball,” 8 p.m. Game six of the playoff series between the Raptors and Heat, with Toronto up 3-2.

SATURDAY

Best bet on broadcast: NBC, “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m. Drake serves as host as well as musical guest.

Best bet on cable: Cartoon Network, “Apple & Onion,” 11:30 a.m. Series premiere. Animated series in which most of the characters are food items.

Top sporting event: beIN Sports, “La Liga Soccer,” 11 a.m. Barcelona takes on Granada in the final game of the season. Barcelona will clinch the Spanish title with a win.

SUNDAY

Best bet on broadcast: ABC, “Quantico,” 10 p.m. Season finale. The team graduates from Quantico and then jumps into the future, where Alex and the rest face off against a terrorist.

Best bet on cable: Food Network, “Spring Baking Championship,” 9 p.m. Season finale. The three remaining contestants face off for the $50,000 prize.

Top sporting event: NBC, “PGA Tour Golf,” 2 p.m. Final round of The Players Championship, won last year by Rickie Fowler.

A look at this week’s top TV draws

FRIDAY, MAY 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	“The Amazing Race” (R)	Season finale. It’s the end of cycle No. 28 for the Emmy-winning reality/competition series as the final three teams race from Shenzhen, China to Santa Barbara, CA.
8 p.m.	Showtime	“Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live” (A)	Cameras receive unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Lenny Kravitz and his crew during their 2014-15 tour.
8 p.m.	The CW	“The Vampire Diaries” (D)	Season finale. Nina who? As the CW’s vampire soap wraps its first season after the departure of original cast member Nina Dobrev, Damon contemplates making a sacrifice.
9:01 p.m.	Animal Planet	“Insane Pools: Off the Deep End” (R)	Lucas goes above and beyond when he (a) creates a private lazy river for one client while also (b) designing a cutting-edge grotto for another client.
9 p.m.	SyFy	“Winonna Earp” (D)	As Winonna goes after a killer who targets young women, Henry’s blood thirst for revenge endangers members of Waverly’s engagement party.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Hawaii Five-0” (D)	Season finale. Hour No. 2 of a two-hour block finds McGarrett and Danny undercover as pilots for a plane bringing meth to the island.
SATURDAY, MAY 14
Time	Network	Program	Description
5:50 p.m.	Univision	“Futbol Mexicano Primera Division” (S)	Teams TBA as the network also covers multiple games in a very competitive weekend of Mexico’s La Liga MX.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Dateline NBC” (N)	On a repeat-heavy night without any original show on broadcast to compete against, expect NBC’s all-new installment of its newsmagazine to easily be the night’s top demo earner.
8 p.m.	Spike	“Bellator MMA Live” (S)	Among the bouts in this three-hour, 15-minute evening of fighting, newcomer Josh Thomson fights former champ Michael Chandler. Expect good male demos from this reliable Spike show.
9 p.m.	NatGeo Wild	“Dr. Oakley: Yukon Vet” (R)	Back-to-back episodes about a veterinarian whose job treating sick animals takes her all over the Yukon Territory.
9 p.m.	Hallmark	“Tulips in Spring” (D)	Made-for-TV movie about an interior designer forced to return to her folks’ home when dad breaks his legs and the rural Washington tulip farm needs someone to run it.
11:29 p.m.	NBC	“Saturday Night Live” (T)	Musician Drake pulls double duty as the night’s guest host and musical performer.
SUNDAY, MAY 15
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	NBC	“2016 Players Championship” (S)	Five hours of coverage live from TPC Sawgrass in Florida.
7 p.m.	ABC	“Once Upon A Time” (D)	Two-hour season finale. ABC’s fantasy drama starts a night of season (series?) finales.
8 p.m.	ESPN	“Sunday Night Baseball” (S)	A rare chance for Dodgers fans in L.A. to see their team on a nationally televised game, bypassing the lack of access to the team’s sports channel. The St. Louis Cardinals visit.
8 p.m.	ABC	“The Family” (D)	Can first-year drama “The Family” make a comeback to warrant returning next season alongside “Quantico?”
9 p.m.	Food Network	“Spring Baking Championship” (R)	Season finale. Popular wedding destinations in Mexico, Hawaii and Italy are the inspiration for the cake the three finalists must bake to be crowned winner of the second season.
9:30 p.m.	Fox	“The Last Man on Earth” (C)	Season finale. As Will Forte’s show ends its sophomore season, Phil and Mike’s bond grows surprisingly strong.
11:02 p.m.	HBO	“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (C)	With a reputation for against-the-tide thinking when crafting his viral-friendly comedic tirades, can Oliver really ignore the Trump elephant in the GOP election room?
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/va