HBO doctor profiles irrepressible nonagenarians
It’s nice to shake things up. Just when I’ve come to see HBO’s Monday night schedule as the go-to place for disturbing documentaries like “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” it serves up something heart warming.
Although the title may strike some as slightly macabre, “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast” (8 p.m., TV-14) may be one of the most life-affirming shows you’ll watch this week, if not this year.
The title is a joke by comedian Carl Reiner, 95. He hosts a film about people like himself who have not only survived into their 10th decade, but who never really slowed down. Look for tales of creativity and vitality from Reiner and his show-business friends Mel Brooks, 90; Dick Van Dyke, 91; Kirk Douglas, 100; Norman Lear, 94; and Betty White, 95; as well as lesser-known folks including Harriette Thompson, 94, the oldest woman to run and finish a marathon.
The opening title song, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” is performed by Tony Bennett, 90, and the original song “Just Getting Started” is co-written and performed by Alan Bergman, 91.
The film’s best musical number may be Van Dyke’s rendition of the theme song to “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” complete with lyrics that I’ve never heard before. He, like everyone profiled here, remains a force of nature.
CSI IN THE BOG
Speaking of the well-preserved, the new series “Bog Bodies” (8 p.m., Smithsonian) looks at human remains preserved in the bogs of Ireland and Northern Europe for more than 2,000 years. Many of these Iron Age John and Jane Does were murdered, and now science allows police detectives to speculate on how and why they were bumped off and even the contents of their last meals.
MEDICAL HOTSHOT
Acorn begins streaming the Australian comedy “The Heart Guy.” Not unlike “Doc Martin,” it’s about a renowned surgeon (Rodger Corser) exiled to the hinterlands. And like the USA comedy “Royal Pains,” this medical hotshot is forced to leave the big time for legal reasons. This Sydney surgeon is forcibly relocated after his party lifestyle gets out of hand.
The fish-out-of-water premise falls apart a bit when we learn that his place of rustic exile is actually his old hometown. There, he has to deal with his snobby mother, a corrupt local politician, his taciturn father and his gorgeous sister-in-law (Nicole de Silva), who happens to be his ex-girlfriend.
The colorful supporting characters are more interesting and sympathetic than the lead, who is perfectly summed up by a disgusted nurse as someone who “used to be George Clooney but who has become Charlie Sheen.”
COSBY SCANDAL
“Bill Cosby: An American Scandal” (9 p.m., ID, TV-14) reviews the case against the comedy legend on the same day his trial is set to begin.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› The Nashville Predators host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final (8 p.m., NBC).
› An antidote proves elusive on the season finale of “Gotham” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Kristen’s life hangs in the balance on the season three premiere of “Stitchers” (9 p.m., Freeform, TV-14).
› Hackers target an election on “Scorpion” (10 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› Lady Capulet seeks answers on “Still Star-Crossed” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› Desperation abounds on “Better Call Saul” (10 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
› Interior decorations on “Kevin Can Wait” (8 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-PG).
› A plea for second chances on “The Bachelorette” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› A villain targets Kara with kryptonite on “Supergirl” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-14).
› Snowed in on “Man With a Plan” (8:30 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-PG).
› Domestic arrangements on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› On two episodes of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (CW, TV-14), The Bella Twins (9 p.m.), Katie Cassidy (9:30 p.m., repeat).