The Rebellions Continue on ‘Andor’ & ‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ Inside the Triple Crown, Night off at ‘St. Denis’

Andor

In an upcoming installment of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel’s second season, maverick rebel leader Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) proclaims, “Revolution is not for the sane.” It’s also not for the impatient, as Andor takes 12 sporadically thrilling episodes over a four-year span (three episodes drop each Tuesday) to fully immerse reluctant revolutionary Cassian Andor (the dashing Diego Lunda) in his mission to disrupt the evil Empire’s diabolical doings. The season gets off to a rollicking start when Andor steals an Imperial test ship he’s ill equipped to fly and lands among a group of squabbling ragtag rebels. But too often, he feels like a supporting player in this dense saga of long-game sabotage. Still, whenever he goes rogue, the going gets good.

The Handmaid’s Tale

Another oppressive regime, another rebellion, as the heroes of this dystopian drama return to Gilead on a risky mission to rescue Janine (Madeline Brewer) and other women enslaved in the Jezebels sex club. Wearing masks and drab “Martha” garb to cloak their identity, June (Elisabeth Moss) and Moira (Samira Wiley) go undercover into the belly of the beast and are shocked to learn that the Commanders, including the newly promoted Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), are paying another lecherous visit. Getting in is one thing. Getting out without being recognized is another.

Race For the Crown

The Kentucky Derby. The Preakness. The Belmont Stakes. Horse racing fans know them as the Triple Crown, the latest sports milieu to get the immersive Formula 1: Drive to Survive docuseries treatment. Over six episodes, cameras follow the deep-pocketed owners, the trainers and the jockeys as they prepare these thoroughbreds for victory. (Only 13 horses have ever won the elusive Triple Crown of all three marquee events.)

St. Denis Medical

We don’t often get to follow the doctors and nurses of the fictional Oregon hospital outside of the workplace in this mockumentary, already renewed for a second season. In their freshman year’s penultimate episode, the staff gets dolled up for a gala fundraiser, and executive director Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is desperate for it to pay off. “It’s not about the mood, it’s about the moolah,” she tells the gala’s MC, Ron (David Alan Grier), muscling in on his act, which devolves into a savagely funny roast. Taking the spotlight, as usual: self-impressed surgeon Bruce (Josh Lawson), who goes solo in the “Dancing with the Doctors” competition with an elaborate routine to impress the judges — which unfortunately for him includes the ultra-cynical Serena (Kahyun Kim).

Sea Lions of the Galapagos

Happy Earth Day! To mark the occasion, the Disneynature unit offers a captivating documentary, narrated by Brendan Fraser, following the coming of age of Leo, an adorable sea lion pup from the Galapagos islands. The film tracks his journey from his nurturing mother Luna’s side to explore the reefs, rocks and shores of his environment, dodging sharks along the way. A companion film, Guardians of the Galapagos, narrated by Blair Underwood, goes the scenes with the filmmakers and profiles the local community dedicated to preserving the ecosystem for future generations.

 

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Will Trent (8/7c, ABC): There’s no such thing as time off for GBI boss Amanda (Sonja Sohn), whose getaway with Evelyn (LisaGay Hamilton) is marred when a murder happens at the luxury resort. (Did they book at a White Lotus?)
• FBI (8/7c, CBS): A young girl’s kidnapping leads the team to a major explosives’ robbery. Followed by FBI: International (9/8c), where Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer) goes undercover to take down an American arms dealer in Vienna and is less than thrilled when his jailbird dad (S.W.A.T. alum Kenny Johnson) shows up in Budapest; and FBI: Most Wanted (10/9c), which explores the underworld of adult content creators after a famous astronaut is kidnapped.
• Night Court (8:30/7:30c, NBC): Abby (Melissa Rauch) steps away from the bench to help a friend of court clerk Wyatt’s (Nyambi Nyambi) stay sober overnight.
• Alert: Missing Persons Unit (9/8c, Fox): Jason (Scott Caan) is disturbed to find a letter from daughter Sidney (Fivel Stewart) in the belongings of an escaped psychiatric patient.
• The Rookie (9/8c, ABC): A documentary film crew interrogates the LAPD officers while on a missing persons’ case connected to Nolan (Nathan Fillion).
• Simon Schama: The Holocuast, 80 Years On (9/8c, PBS): The historian travels to the Auschwitz death camp, liberated 80 years ago, and other sites of Nazi genocidal atrocities in a study of the Holocaust’s roots. Followed by a Frontline report on climate change affecting “Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages” (10/9c).
• Bad Romance (10/9c, ABC): The true-crime series revisits the 2017 stabbing murders of bride-to-be Angel Goyena and her mother Vonda in their home, with police taunted by mysterious letters from the killer.
• Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism (streaming on Hulu): Rosie O’Donnell is executive producer of a documentary about the beneficial impact of service dogs on children with autism, including O’Donnell’s own son, Clay.