Sunday, May 9
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” 9 p.m., NBC. This has become a delight, making clever use of its gimmick: Zoey can hear other people’s thoughts, via pop songs. But now that gimmick is set aside for a week, with great results. A brilliant script (by newcomer Celeste Klaus and Sam Laybourne, one of the producers) flashes back to before Zoey’s “gift” … and before she knew Max and Mo … and before her dad was sick. It does insert some music, in sly little touches that fans will savor. Stick with it to the end.
“American Idol,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Now that its Monday edition has been scuttled, “Idol” has a lot of ground to cover tonight. It’s a Mother’s Day show, with contestants dedicating songs to loved ones. Also, each contestant does something from the band’s songbook, with Chris Martin as mentor; Coldplay also performs its new “Higher Power.” Then the field is trimmed from seven to five.