Joey King stars in the Hulu limited series adaptation of “We Were the Lucky Ones.” A tale of a Polish family scattered by the Holocaust and the attempts of surviving members to find their relatives after the war, it is based on novelist Georgia Hunter’s own family history.
“Ones” begins in prewar Poland in the city of Rodom, where the Kurc family enjoys relative affluence as local retailers. The story begins with a Passover celebration and the return of talented son Addy (Logan Lerman) from Paris, where he has enjoyed success as a concert pianist. News of Hitler’s official antisemitism worries the family elders, but not as much as their increasing isolation from their neighbors and from once-steady customers who no longer visit their department store.
In a short time, such concerns give way to horrors, as Hitler invades Poland and eventually sets in motion a campaign of extermination against Jews, like the Kurcs.
Against the backdrop of global conflagration, “Ones” keeps the focus on the family’s efforts to remain in touch and regather after the war. King portrays the spirited young daughter, Halina. While it’s hard to quibble about hair and makeup in a story of such dire consequences, she often seems a bit too vivacious to be believed. In the prewar scenes, she sports brilliant red lipstick and looks more like a brash movie star than a young woman raised in the modest traditions of her faith in 1930s Poland.
In flash-forwards to 1945, she and other characters appear relatively healthy and well-fed, despite the war’s privations. This stands in stark contrast to the recent Apple TV+ effort “The New Look,” where camp survivors appear more like the walking dead. I’m reminded a little of “Masters of the Air,” another period effort where 21st-century actors are simply not believable as the historical characters they’ve been asked to portray.
— Also streaming on Hulu, the ABC News “Nightline” special explores the reaction to Beyonce’s country album “Act II: Cowboy Carter.” A native Houstonian, Beyonce apparently felt comfortable “crossing over” to the musical genre. Any backlash to her effort says more about the predictably divisive nature of media and social media than the music.
— Prime Video introduces the new dramatic series “The Baxters.” Based on a series of novels by Karen Kingsbury, it follows Elizabeth (Roma Downey, “Touched by an Angel”) and John Baxter (Ted McGinley, “Married With Children”), parents of five adult children who continually meet to discuss their marital crisis and family misunderstandings and melodramas in a manner rooted in faith.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Regional Semifinals includes Clemson vs. Arizona (7 p.m., CBS) and Alabama vs. North Carolina (9:30 p.m.).
— A tech tycoon’s murder generates a wealth of suspects with overlapping motivations on “Law & Order” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— Benson works with the FBI on “Law & Order: SVU” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— A bombing kills a spiritual guru on “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Murdered by a jealous husband, an adulterous cad is reincarnated as a woman (Debbie Reynolds), much to the surprise of the dead man’s best friend (Tony Curtis), in the 1964 comedy “Goodbye Charlie” (10 p.m., TCM). Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the cast includes Pat Boone, Walter Matthau and Ellen Burstyn in her first screen credit. Reviews were exceptionally savage. New York Times critic Brooke Atkinson called it “a bleak conglomeration of outrageous whimsies and stupidities … that causes even a hardened moviegoer to turn away from it in pain and shame.” Ouch!
SERIES NOTES
Greek recipes set the agenda on “Next Level Chef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … A floundering cruise ship capsizes on “9-1-1” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Off to a South Carolina campsite party on “Farmer Wants a Wife” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Research requires grantsmanship on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
While attending a pride parade, Maya meets a face from the past on “Station 19” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Zoe Saldana, Neal Brennan and MAX on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Josh Brolin, Amanda Gorman and Jan Vogler are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Liam Neeson and Sheryl Crow visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Chad Daniels, Kelsey Cook and Milana Vayntrub on “After Midnight” (12:37 a.m., CBS).
