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TV picks: Oscars, ‘True Detective’ and ‘Masked Singer’ finales, ‘Whiskey Cavalier,’ and more

What's new or noteworthy on television in the coming week.

Mahershala Ali (left) and Stephen Dorff  in a scene from HBO's "True Detective," whose third season wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Mahershala Ali (left) and Stephen Dorff in a scene from HBO's "True Detective," whose third season wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 24.Read moreWarrick Page/HBO / Warrick Page/HBO

The 91st Academy Awards. Will the host-free Oscars pull off an upset and actually finish in three hours? Color me doubtful. But with a number of best picture nominees that viewers may actually have seen and the promise of Jenkintown’s Bradley Cooper singing live with his A Star Is Born costar Lady Gaga, there might be some rooting interest in Hollywood’s annual exercise in flawed democracy. To be followed (at some point) by a sneak preview of ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier, whose pilot will rerun on Wednesday. 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, ABC.

True Detective. Who’s afraid of going up against the Oscars? Not HBO. This third season with Mahershala Ali as a memory-challenged detective reexamining his toughest case has been my favorite so far, and it comes to what I can only hope will be an informative end this weekend. 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO.

Meet the Peetes. If you’ve seen enough of the Gosselins and the Kardashians, here’s the antidote. Philly’s Holly Robinson Peete and her former Eagles quarterback husband, Rodney, return for a second season of their family-friendly reality show, which, among other things, shines a light on the potential of people with autism. 9 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark Channel.

The Voice. Penn grad John Legend joins Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton as one of the coaches in the swivel chairs as a new season of the singing competition begins. 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, NBC.

The Enemy Within The Blacklist meets Homeland as Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) stars as a brilliant ex-CIA agent who became one of America’s most notorious traitors. Morris Chestnut (Rosewood) costars as an FBI agent who has reason to hate her but who needs her help in catching a spy who’s costing U.S. operatives their lives. 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, NBC.

London Kills. New crime drama stars Sharon Small (Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Bailey Patrick, and Hugo Speer, and was commissioned by the internationally focused streaming service Acorn, which apparently is no longer just waiting for the British to make shows for it to buy. Monday, Acorn TV.

The Masked Singer. Fox’s bonkers (and apparently addictive) secret-singer competition series ends its first season with a two-hour episode, and we learn the identities of the Bee, the Peacock, and the Monster, and see who’ll be the last to be unmasked. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, Fox.

Whiskey Cavalier Fun action rom-com stars Scott Foley (Scandal) as an FBI agent celebrated for his empathy who’s paired with a CIA operative (Cherry Hill’s Lauren Cohan, The Walking Dead) who may not always realize they’re supposed to be on the same side. University of the Arts grad Ana Ortiz (Devious Maids, Ugly Betty) plays the FBI’s top criminal profiler. Special preview Sunday, Feb. 24, after Academy Awards, repeating 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Philadelphia: The Great Experiment. The latest installment of the documentary series from Sam Katz’s History Making Productions takes the city into the 20th century to focus “on a wave of newcomers — European immigrants, African American migrants, and baseball stars — who see booming industrial Philadelphia as the stage where they can realize their dreams." 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 6ABC.

RuPaul’s Drag Race. Season 11 of the Emmy-winning reality competition premieres with a contestant from Cherry Hill, Ariel Versace, in the mix. 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, VH1.

Better Things. If you’d wondered what might happen to Pamela Adlon’s semiautobiographical comedy after the departure of her disgraced cocreator, Louis C.K., fear not: It’s as good as, if not better than, ever. Adlon stars as Sam Fox, a former child actress still working in the business — her latest gig is a zombie movie — while raising three daughters. Adlon also directed all 12 episodes this season. 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, FX.